Kawagoe Hachimangu is one of several shrines in Kawagoe with a long rich history. It is a “ichinomiya” meaning it was the first shrine of the Hachimangu sect in Kawagoe. (There are older shrines from other sects, such as Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, in Kawagoe). Kawagoe Hachimangu was founded in 1030Read More →
Chinowa Kuguri 2021 Kawagoe. I find the summers in Japan very tough. Its not so much the heat as the humidity. That is why we always escape back to Ireland. However, in 2020 due to the Coronavirus outbreak we were stuck in Japan for the summer. I felt the needRead More →
Information for the seasonal blooms and new Roadside Station at Rakusato no Kai, an off the beaten path flower spot in the Kawataya area of Okegawa. Sometimes it pays to get lost. I was attempting to go to one of the three safflower fields in Okegawa today. The safflower wereRead More →
Hatchoko Park is the park around the eponymous Lake Hatcho in Yoshimi town in the Hiki District of Saitama. Lake Hatcho is a man-made lake in a natural woody hillside in the Prefectural Hiki Nature Park. Since I published this post, in spring 2022, the park has opened a campsiteRead More →
Sabo Dam with hydrangea and seasonal flowers in Tokigawa Town. Five year old really wanted to play in some water today. However, most of the water play areas in parks are closed on account of the Coronavirus. It was a blessing in disguise, because instead we went to a SuzumegawaRead More →
Unfortunately due to the Coronavirus outbreak the pools did not open in 2020. And they have confirmed that they will not open in 2021 either. Toda Summer Pool for kids at Kodomo No Kuni. Kodomo no Kuni is the name of the Children’s Center in Toda city, Saitama. Among theirRead More →
Iwatsuki Hisaizu “the peacock” Shrine is a very photogenic shrine and one of Saitama’s largest. Furthermore, it is the only one I know of with resident peacocks! Each year in summer, they have a beautiful wind chime display. Moreover, it starts a whole month before the famous wind chimes ofRead More →
Sakuranoyama Park is located in Ogose Town, Saitama, Japan. It is a small park, but very picturesque in spring. As you can probably guess, it is thanks to the eponymous cherry blossoms (sakura) of the park. And as the name also suggests it is a mountainside (yama) park. The parkRead More →
For the first time in three years, the Shirakobato summer pools will open in 2022. So long as there is not a State of Emergency! They planned to open in 2021 too, but just before the opening date, the prefecture announced a State of Emergency and the pools never didRead More →