Ogose town is full of surprises. This year we have visited the town several times and unearthed lots of hidden treasures. Such as the purple mountain, the crying dam, Cafe St Gallen (Kuroyama Kosenkan) to name but a few. Last year, when visiting Godaison, one of Ogose’s better known attractions,Read More →
Kuroyama is a beautiful, mystical, rugged area of Ogose town. It is best known for the three waterfalls of Kuroyama (Kuroyama Santaki), which were once ranked as the 9th most scenic waterfalls in Japan. They don’t enjoy as much fame these days and the area – while beautiful – doesRead More →
The crying dam and mannequin pis, Akasakazawa Dam, in the woods of the Kosugi area of Ogose hiking Town, Saitama Prefecture. The crying dam The Akasakazawa Dam is a dam of the Akasaka river, a tributary of the larger Mugihara river. It is nicknamed (and better known as) the cryingRead More →
The Nakasendo matsuri is just one of many festivals that is normally held in Omiya at the end of July and start of August each summer. They are collectively called “Omiya Summer Festival”. Unfortunately, but understandably, they were all cancelled in 2020 due to the Coronavirus outbreak. And just thisRead More →
Saitama Prefecture is still under a state of emergency. At this point in time, the state of emergency is set to run until May 31st. Rumors abound that Prime Minister will lift the State of Emergency early. Whether he does or not remains to be seen, but even without anRead More →
The Okegawa Gion Festival has been celebrated for the last 280 years. Okegawa city is not a particularly famous or popular city in contemporary society, but once upon a time it was a key commercial hub along the Nakasendo Path. The Nakasendo Road was like a highway that connected KyotoRead More →
There are 81 branches of Starbucks in Saitama Prefecture as of December 15th 2021. Many of them have been around for donkeys years, especially ones in train stations. However, in the last three years, in particular, several new branches have opened. Many of them have something extra to make themRead More →
Information for the first sunrise, Hatsuhinode 初日の出, in Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Ibaraki in 2023. However, some of the locations in this post are suited to watching a sunrise anytime of the year. Unfortunately, there are also some that do not open for sunrise except for the very first sunriseRead More →
Continuing with the take-out series, today I am introducing Modesty a creative cuisine restaurant in local Kawagoe. I say local, because this is one is off the beaten tourist path of Kawagoe. It is in Crea Mall, a pedestrianized shopping area, that is popular with locals for shopping, entertainment andRead More →
Kawagoe Bakery Raku Raku is possibly the most popular bakery in Kawagoe. It is certainly one of the busiest and most famous. Raku Raku is one of dozens of eateries in Kawagoe offering take out and delivery services during the Saitama State of Emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak. Furthermore,Read More →