Nearly one year after the Osaka-Kansai Expo closed, the former exhibition grounds were opened to the media on October 2, revealing that around 90% of the pavilions and other facilities have been demolished, while the Forest of Tranquility remains a peaceful green space at the center of the site.
Osaka will launch regular nighttime sightseeing cruises on October 3, offering visitors a new way to enjoy the city's illuminated waterfront, including the historic architecture of Nakanoshima and the skyline surrounding Osaka Castle.
Hokkaido's highest peak, Mount Asahidake in the Daisetsuzan mountain range, recorded its first snow cover of the season on October 2, with the area around the Asahidake Ropeway's Sugatami Station, at an elevation of approximately 1,600 meters, blanketed in snow.
The 2026 Kishiwada Danjiri Festival brought generations together in Sakai-cho, where young men hauling a four-ton wooden float, veteran organizers guiding its course and a first-year rooftop performer worked side by side to carry forward a tradition dating back more than 300 years.
A spectacular sea of clouds appeared over Mount Oe in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto Prefecture, on the morning of September 30, creating a breathtaking landscape as the rising sun gradually turned the mist a deep crimson.
Tokyo recorded rain for a 34th consecutive day on September 29, setting a new all-time record for the capital, but the prolonged wet spell could finally end after Typhoon No. 26 passes the Izu Islands between the night of September 30 and the morning of October 1.
A popular temple in Fukuoka Prefecture has introduced a 500 yen admission fee for foreign tourists while allowing Japanese residents and foreigners living in Japan to enter free, a measure aimed at reducing disruptive behavior and helping protect the religious site.
Nagoya Castle welcomed crowds of domestic and international visitors on September 27, the final holiday before its adult admission fee doubles from 500 yen to 1,000 yen in October.