‘Tapioca and Tart’ at Layer cafe, located along the Arakawa riverbed on the grounds of a Karinto factory in Fukaya. Layer Cafe Layer cafe opened on the grounds of Asahi Karinto’s Hanazono factory in April 2020. Karinto is a type of sweet deep fried traditional Japanese snack food. The frontRead More →
Yano Fishing Park is located in a valley in Kamikawa Town in the Northern (Kodama) area of Saitama Prefecture, right on the border of Gunma Prefecture. Kamikawa Town doesn’t get a lot of publicity. With the result it is one of the most unspoiled areas of Saitama Prefecture. However, KamikawaRead More →
Washi no Sato is a roadside station in Saitama’s last and only village, Higashichichibu. Moreover, it is one of the most famous places for traditional washi paper making, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. You can try your hand at the 1300 year old tradition at this quaint rest area inRead More →
Hasunoka Cafe is right across the road from the main entrance to Kitain Temple. As such, it is also close to Naritasan Temple. If you are looking for somewhere “safe”(from Covid) for a sit down coffee and / or a light meal near either of these temples, this is oneRead More →
Daily life brought me to Kawagoe today, right by the Shingashi River. As I turned the corner to the street that runs along the river by Hikawa Shrine, I could see straight away that the cherry blossoms have opened. There are a few trees that are quite far along, butRead More →
Al fresco dining, outdoor seating, in Saitama Prefecture, at Adomani Cafe in Konosu With the Coronavirus still in our midst, I’ve never been so interested in “al fresco dining”. Amazingly, it is not as popular in Japan as you would expect. Therefore, it is quite hard to find a goodRead More →
English information for カフェN36° Café N36° Café N36° (カフェN36°) is a cafe with a dog run in Okegawa City, Saitama Prefecture. But rather than being ‘a cafe with a dog run’, it feels more like a dog run with a cafe! The cafe was doing a roaring trade today, despiteRead More →
In Spring 2021, the newest Starbucks in Saitama will open in Sayama City. It will be the first branch of the coffee chain to open in Sayama city. Moreover, it will be the very first Starbucks to open in a public park in Saitama Prefecture. In addition, it has terraceRead More →
Homemade bakery Nicori Kawagoe is a small, but popular take-out bakery in ‘local’ Kawagoe; outside the tourist area. It is only open a couple of years (since 2018), but is well established in the neighborhood. It attracts custom from out of town too. Whenever we visit I have seen regRead More →
Villa Napoli is a lively Italian Restaurant in Tsurugashima, close to Wakaba Walk. You can order individual dishes or a plan that includes all-you-can- eat pizza with sides. It is a great spot for an affordable, filling lunch with friends or family. On top of all that, the restaurant itselfRead More →