According to Saitama Prefecture, Yoshimi town is Saitama’s number one strawberry town. There are plenty of strawberry picking farms in Yoshimi and even their roadside station, Ichigo no Sato, is named after the strawberry. Even the town mascot is a strawberry! So to celebrate 50 years of Yoshimi as aRead More →
Information for the seasonal afternoon tea at Shikitei Cafe in Saitama City. In Spring 2023, the theme is cherry blossoms and strawberries, with a Japanese twist. Seasonal Afternoon Tea Shikitei Cafe is a cafe restaurant located in a wedding venue called Omiya Rikyu. Shikitei cafe is open to the public,Read More →
This spring the Taiwan Festa, a food and cultural festival, is in Lalaport Fujimi. Taiwan Festa If you recognize the name, it maybe because this is a travelling “festa” that has been held at several locations around the Kanto plain in the past. Including at Laketown Koshigaya, Japan’s largest shoppingRead More →
Each year Renkeiji plays a pivotal role in the opening ceremony of the annual Koedo Kawagoe Spring Festival. This year, they have a special treat for the 2023 opening weekend of the spring festival; a wine festa! Lots and lots of wine. This is insider information for this event asRead More →
The Steamed Bun Fair, or as the organizers call it in English – the Chinese Steamed Buns Expo – is back at Aeon Lake Town in Koshigaya for the first time in three years. In Japanese it is called 中華まん博覧会 ‘Chukaman Hakurankai’. Chukaman means Chinese Steamed Buns and Hakurankai meansRead More →
I love when I stumble upon gems like this Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Pop up in Kawagoe City. It just started today. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is a popular American doughnuts chain with several branches in Japan. There are, as far as I am aware, only five branches in Saitama Prefecture. TheRead More →
Nabe Grand Prix – Before the pandemic, there was a nabe festival every January in Wako City. Nabe is a type of hotpot. It is a traditional winter dish popular in many households around Japan. This January, 2023, a version of the nabe festival is coming back for the first timeRead More →
A selection of 10 Strawberry Picking farms in Saitama, near and commutable from Tokyo, for the 2023 Ichigo-gari season. Strawberry Picking near Tokyo Strawberry picking is called “ichigo-gari” イチゴ狩り in Japanese. Ichigo イチゴ means strawberry and gari means picking or, literally, hunting. In Japan, strawberry picking is predominantly indoors, inRead More →
Information for the New branch of Glin Coffee near Kawagoe’s famous sunflowers and with secret sunflowers of their own! At the newly reopened Kawagoe Agriculture Interaction Center promoting “Green Tourism”. In November 2022 the Kawagoe City Agriculture Interaction Center was reopened after more than a year of renovations. The AgricultureRead More →
Information for the all year round strawberry cafe, Strawberry Garden, and the seasonal – famous barrier free sightseeing – strawberry picking farm, Ichigo no Sato, in Moroyama town, Saitama (near Tokyo) Japan. Ichigo no Sato is one of the most famous strawberry picking farms in the Kanto plain. Moreover, itRead More →