Saitama Summer Pools 2021 – where is open and where is not. For all 20 pools open in a ‘regular’ year and mapped on Google see here. Update July 29th 20:18 JST.Saitama Prefecture announced today that Saitama will be under a State of Emergency from Monday August 2nd to TuesdayRead More →
Takinoiri is a countryside area in Moroyama Town in the Iruma-gun of Saitama Prefecture. This remote rural scenic town is only about an hour from North West Tokyo by car. Unfortunately, by public transport it is a little trickier to get to and takes considerably longer. However, if you wantRead More →
Photogenic Cherry blossom spot in Hatoyama Town: Oshamoji Yama Park Oshamoji Yama Park Oshamoji Yama Park is not the type of place you would go out of your way to visit. It is located in a very small park centered around a look out tower. It has no car parkRead More →
Nature, hiking, flowers, Cats, horses, playground, “Health Road”, an honesty shop, seasonal events and a picking farm with a quaint cafe and antique store. All atop a hill in Yatsu no Sato, Namegawa Town. In September 2019 when visiting Hilltop farm and cafe I walked across the road to investigateRead More →
The Yamabuki no Sato Historical Park: One of the few Yamabuki (yellow rose) flower spots, and the most famous for Kerria Japonica, in the Kanto plain. Yamabuki Yamabuki are a beautiful vivid yellow flower. The flower is often referred to as a yellow rose as the genus is in theRead More →
Autumn leaves 紅葉, Ranzan valley / Gorge Ranzan Valley (also known as Ranzan Gorge or Ranzan Keikoku in Japanese) is a beautiful nature spot with several hiking routes in the Hiki area of Saitama Prefecture. It is particularly popular in Autumn when the leaves are in various shades of red,Read More →
Hodosan shrine, one of my top ten favorite shrines of all time, is one of those rare shrines that is well worth going out of your way to visit. Apart from its intriguing 1900 year history, the beauty and detail of the shrine and the grounds will captivate you inRead More →
Jomine Park (or Jyomine Park) on Mt Jomine, by Lake Kanna and the haunted Shimokubo dam in Kamikawa, Saitama on the border of Fujioka City, Gunma. Famed for its winter cherry blossoms that bloom at the same time as the autumn leaves… Jomine Park It was a dream come trueRead More →
Ryokami Sanroku Camping Ground is an old style riverside camping ground with cabins, deep in a mountain valley and cocooned by forest. The campsite is an isolated area of Ogano that has for the most part escaped tourism development. I think it is the most remote location in Saitama thatRead More →
Arakawa Roadside Station is a rest area in the Arakawa Hino area of Chichibu. The area is also known as the Hino Sightseeing Plantation Village. Attractions within and around the roadside station include fruit picking, nature museum, flowers, playground, restaurant, shopping, hot spring and steam locomotive! And in September theRead More →