On December 12th 2021, the Saitama Prefectural Pool, or Saitama Prefecture Aquatic Park, was open to the public for a special commemorative event. The pools, which were built more than fifty years ago, will be knocked down in March 2022, due to their old age. As a way of givingRead More →
Fujimi Garden Beach pools have been around longer than most of the prefectural summer pools (such as Kawagoe summer pools). They were refurbished and celebrated a “renewal open” 8 years ago. Unfortunately in both 2020 and 2021 they decided not to open the pools on account of the Coronavirus. 2019Read More →
Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park is one of Saitama’s better known attractions. Located on the site of Japan’s first airfield (1911), it has been around for a long time and given its proximity to Tokyo and other popular tourist areas, it has always enjoyed a steady flow of customers and greatRead More →
The life size Totoro and the House of Kurosuke were closed to the public from the start of the pandemic until May 2022. They did have a few special events at the house during that period. They reopened to the public in June 2022. However, there have been some majorRead More →
A new digital and creative play space for children, Little Planet, is opening in the Lalaport in Shinmisato on July 11th 2018. Update February 2023: it closed permanently on January 23rd 2023. And the ever popular, and one of the oldest children’s play areas in Saitama Prefecture, Kids Castle (alsoRead More →
Art Vivant organize several travelling art exhibitions each year. For example, the first one I shared on the blog was the Dream Art World travelling exhibition with both Disney and Star War displays. Art Vivant ‘s next displays in Saitama will be at TOIRO at Saitama Super Arena in September.Read More →
This annual “mikoshi” (portable shrine) festival occurs in the Kodama area of Honjo City. It is the grand festival of Yasaka Shrine. It is usually on the same weekend as the Honjo Gion Festival¹, the weekend of “umi no hi”. Umi no Hi is an annual public holiday in Japan.Read More →
O park Ogose, formerly Opark / You Park and – like so many places in Japan – many other names. Until 2019 it was best known as You Park. It was also called “Little Indian Village”, “Ogose Fureai Center” and “Yu Park” (or Yuu Park) . However, with the renewalRead More →
Cafe Puisto in Tove Jansson’s Akebono Children’s Forest Park, aka the original Moomin Valley. However, since Metsa Village and Moominvalley park opened it is no longer referred to as Moomin Valley. But there are some of us to whom this will always be Moomin Valley! The Original Moomin Valley OnceRead More →
For the second year in a row the “tafune” boat ride and iris festival at Ukiya no Sato in Kazo has been cancelled. However, the Iris are not being cut down and they should bloom from early June to around the end of June. They are the Ayame – IrisRead More →