On a recent camping trip we had the great pleasure to stay beside the award winning Kawaba Denen Plaza roadside station. Kawaba is only about an hour from Northern / Western Saitama. The area is known for its apple orchards and picking farms. There are many parks in the areaRead More →
Nasunogahara Park Campsite with Crafting, Swimming pools, Hot springs, Grass Sledging, Athletic Playground, Multipurpose playground, Climbing playground, Tennis, Windmill, Observation Tower, Bike rental My family of six are unanimously agreed that Nasunogahara campsite is our favourite camping ground to date. It is the perfect location for a family trip aloneRead More →
Just over the Saitama border, Mahoba No Mori campsite and Forest Adventure Ueno are perched unobtrusively on the side of a lush mountain. They are located in the stunning and tranquil Ueno Mura which is part of the unspoiled Tano District. A formidable skybridge, an attraction in itself, links oneRead More →
Edo Wonderland, Nikko City, Tochigi There are many reasons why people become interested in Japan. For me, my interest started when I was very little, but it was reading James Clavell’s Shogun as a prepubescent girl that really ignited the passion and desire to visit this illustrious country. Further toRead More →
There are a number of free magazines in Saitama. You can get magazines with information for jobs, health and living. The latter has several different publishers who provide information for living in Saitama. Most have a coupon or two, but MOTECO is one of the best with lots of great couponsRead More →
Ikaho Green Farm, tourist farm with a famous sheepdog show. Animals at the farm include sheep, cows, horses, dogs, goats and rabbits. Ikaho Green farm has a very good reputation and most people who go to it give it a good review. However, while I liked it and we reallyRead More →
Nogeyama Zoo is a really great free zoo in Yokohama near Hinodecho Station. Despite being free it is a decent sized zoo with a great selection of animals. The thing I liked best about it is that they have designed it in such a way that during visiting hours the animals areRead More →
Santastic Tochigi – In my search for Santa, one prefecture that stood out for having a good selection of Santa events and attractions was TOCHIGI. So my family of six took to the road to do a bit of reconnaissance. Thanks to the completion of a new stretches of highway, Tochigi is veryRead More →
Imperial Palace Gardens I had the great fortune and pleasure to serendipitously see the Emperor and Empress last week. The chances of that happening are almost as slim as winning the lottery. It was night-time and I was stopped from crossing the road by a policeman. I instinctively knew whatRead More →
Yasai Shokudo Cafe, Books, wood museum, play area and Suichurakuen Aquarium – Tokinosumika, Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture Formerly called “Books and Cafe”, the Books and Aquarium is a leisure area of the excellent Tokinosumika resort in Gotemba. The books area is part of a cafe now called Yasai Shokudo Rafu. IfRead More →