Yorii Little Prince Parking area, Kanetsu Expressway, Japan. Jump to “Driving in Japan” information. From yesterday’s very Japanese parking area in Hanyu to today’s quintessentially not Japanese parking area in Yorii. Yorii Little Prince parking area may not be a timeslip like Onihei Edo Dokoro parking area in Hanyu, butRead More →
The Onihei Edo-dokoro Parking Area is a rest stop in Hanyu, Saitama Prefecture, on the Tohoku Expressway on the way into Tokyo. It is most commonly called the Hanyu Parking Area despite their best efforts to market it by the name of the character it was called after. Onihei Edo-dokoroRead More →
Saitamaken Norin Park is a prefectural agriculture and forestry park in Fukaya City. There is quite a lot to do at Saitama Norin, if you’ve planned in advance and booked to pick fruit and/or take a class. On the weekend they have the very popular mini steam locomotive. There isRead More →
Komainu The guardians of shrines, Komainu are usually referred to as lion-dogs in English. They are the guardian stone statues you see near the entrance to a shrine. One on either side of the walkway. One if male, one is female. Commonly one, believed to be the male one, hasRead More →
The Kinoshita Circus will come to Saitama for the first time in seven years at the end of June. Updated An official of Kinoshita Circus has confirmed that the famed and fabulous circus is coming to Saitama this year, 2019. She did not confirm the date or location, but aRead More →
Beppunuma Park – With Sakura season just around the corner I’ve been thinking of cherry blossom spots I wanted to visit and/or revisit with the kids. Beppunama Park came to mind as a great park for kids and a renowned cherry blossom and hanami spot. It is ideal for hanamiRead More →
Enjoy half a day in Fujimino in Nishinohara Park. Old, but great playground with lots of unique play equipment. Restaurants nearby for oyako lunch…Read More →
Hodosan Zoo Nagatoro. I apologize in advance that this is a very frank review leaning heavily on the harrowing observations rather than the positives of this mountainside zoo. Hodosan Zoo It was very surreal visiting the zoo at top of Mt Hodo. First impressions were good: nice entrance gate, photoRead More →
The Hodosan ropeway offers not only magnificent views, but a shortcut to the top of Mt Hodo (Hodosan). Mt Hodo is a vibrant mountain with great views in Nagatoro Town, a picturesque and tourist town of the Chichibu District. In recent years, Hodosan is a popular place to watch theRead More →