New Cases Total cases July 6th 16 1,255 July 5th 21 1,239 July 4th 27 1,218 July 3rd 26 1,191 July 2nd 19 1,165 July 1st 14 1,146 June 30th 10 1,132 June 29th 13 1,122 June 28th 8 1,106 June 27th 8 1,098 (NHK reports as 1095) June 26thRead More →
Saitama Prefecture is still under a state of emergency. At this point in time, the state of emergency is set to run until May 31st. Rumors abound that Prime Minister will lift the State of Emergency early. Whether he does or not remains to be seen, but even without anRead More →
Kodomo no Hi – Children’s day Japan, also known as Boy’s Day, is a national holiday that is celebrated annually on May 5th. It is the last of four public holidays that comprise Golden Week. There are two symbols of Kodomo no Hi: the “Kabuto” samurai helmet and “Koinobori” flyingRead More →
Do you like to plan outings in advance? Had you plans for this month (April) that came to a sudden halt with the onset of Coronavirus? Maybe you were supposed to be travelling overseas? Or domestically? Was there a concert you were supposed to go to or a get togetherRead More →
Cherry blossoms Sakitama – One of Saitama’s famous cherry blossom viewing spots is the Sakitama Tomb Park in Gyoda City. Sakitama Kofun Park Sakitama Kofun Park is a medium sized park designed around the ancient burial mounds unearthed at the site. Kofun is the Japanese for burial mound. There areRead More →
Senbonzakura, the name of a famous song, is the Japanese for a thousand cherry blossoms. There are many spots or parks in Japan called Senbonzakura. In Saitama, one of the most stunning Senbonzakura locations is on Mt Torayama in Higashichichibu. The Senbonzakura of Torayama There are actually just under twoRead More →
Jougaya Embankment Cherry Blossom Bank (Jougaya Tsutsumi Sakura Dote in Japanese), Kitamoto City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Jougaya Embankment Kitamoto City, on the eastern tip of the central area of Saitama Prefecture, has several cherry blossom viewing spots. One of the best known is the Jougaya Tsutsumi Cherry Blossom Bank sandwichedRead More →
Coronavirus Japan. An opinion piece on why Japan has so few Covid cases from a long term resident of Japan. I have been living in Japan for 20 years, permanently since 2006. I was here after the triple disaster of March 11th 2011, which gave insight into how Japan handlesRead More →
Covid19 Saitama – This is the list of places that have re-opened or remained closed after the initial round of Covid19 closures in Saitama Prefecture, just north of Tokyo. Jump to open places. Covid19 Closures Saitama At the end of February 2020 dozens of places in Saitama Prefecture announced theyRead More →
Arakawa Tarouemon and Honda Airport ~ In the midst of Covid-19 there are few places that feel safe. Indoors is definitely off the table. And this past week we’ve learned that the numbers of people in parks and cherry blossom locations also pose a risk. Even if those type ofRead More →