Earlier this year I visited Ukigumo, a little café tucked into the quiet residential streets of Kawajima. “Little” isn’t poetic exaggeration; the café is genuinely tiny, housed inside a renovated kura, the kind of old storehouse you’d expect to find in the Edo period. The “cafe” is a bit moreRead More →
Experience the famous heat of Kumagaya, while eating, watching and dancing at this modern Bon Odori festival at Nittoh Kumagaya. More than 60 varieties of “delicious” (Umaimon) dishes are available at food trucks, rather than traditional festival stalls – but they will have a few of them too. The modernRead More →
At the most unlikely of locations, a local Tsutaya bookstore, there will be a five day bread expo (aka fair) from Wednesday May 27th to Sunday May 31st. Randomly, I have actually been to this bookstore a few times! It has a Starbucks in it where you can peruse theRead More →
Information for the seasonal afternoon tea at Shikitei Cafe in Saitama City. All afternoon teas are a 90-minute time slot. The Summer Peach & Melon Afternoon Tea is from July 1st 2026 to mid-September. It is followed by a bright and tantalizing “Muscat and Teddy Afternoon Tea” from mid-September toRead More →
The caption “Only in Japan” comes to mind for this unique and intriguing annual festival in Saitama’s capital city. And it is the pride of the people of Urawa. It is quite famous too. Urawa Unagi / Eel Festival The Urawa Unagi or Eel festival was started to promote aRead More →
The second ever Taiwan Culture Festival will take place in Chichibu this March. There is a change of location this year – the first was held in Yokoze, but this time it will be held in Chichibu, at the Seibu Chichibu Station Square. The Taiwan Culture Festival is an eventRead More →
The fourth annual Coedo Imo park is on Saturday February 14th and Sunday February 15th 2026. Imo is the Japanese for potato. The word “imo” incorporates many different types of potato, but is often used to simply refer to “satsumaimo”, what we call sweet potatoes in English. Kawagoe is famousRead More →
Higashimatsuyama City offers two different type of strawberry picking experiences, at the same location, and one of them is one of the cheapest in the prefecture. But you need to book in advance. Due to the cheap cost, as well as the nice location of the picking farm and theRead More →
I am not a huge fan of cocoa, but I could become one having visited Cocowa in Kawagoe this summer. I had the best cocoa I ever tasted at the cafe, which is run by a true cocoa aficionado. Despite eating out somewhat regularly in Kawagoe, I still have aRead More →
Spaintei is an experience. A Spanish restaurant, specializing in paella, with a luxurious interior inspired by Gaudi architecture and utilizing Spanish tiles, it really is a taste of Spain! The stunning replica of the Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, as you can see in the feature photo above, maximizes theRead More →