Kumagaya Sports & Culture Park is a vast park in Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture. Since the Rugby World Cup in 2019 it needs little introduction, but when I first wrote this post in 2015 it wasn’t that well known outside the prefecture. Moreover, the park has developed a lot inRead More →
On this the 50th anniversary of the Shinkansen (bullet train), October 1st 2014, it seems fitting to introduce one of Saitama’s top attractions. Japan’s second largest train / Railway Museum, in Omiya, 鉄道博物館. It is known locally as Omiya train museum and as Saitama railway museum nationwide. Whatever you chose to call itRead More →
Mihashi Park – Mihashi Recreational Park, 三橋総合公園, is a park enjoyed by locals in Nishi ward. Unlike other parks in the area it has plenty of free parking and for the most part it is free to play in, but the sporting facilities have a nominal fee. They also haveRead More →
The Mallage Shobu mall in Kuki city offers a number of facilities and services for children, including the Soyu Himitsu No Mori, or Secret Forest, play centre on the 1st floor. Soyu Himitsu no Mori Soyu Himitsu no Mori has the unique feature of an indoor paddling / splash pool, which is part ofRead More →
Sayama Municipal Museum, Saitama, is a city museum in Sayama Inariyama Park on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line. They tend to host a lot of travelling exhibits suitable or designed for children. We have been to many of their exhibits over the years and (with the exception of one) the kids alwaysRead More →
Kodomo no Shiro Ageo – Saitama has a large number of superb free children’s (community/ play) centres, called jidokan or jido centre “jidose” (児童館・児童センター）. Many mothers agree that Ageo’s kodomo-no-shiro, “children’s castle”, is among the best. Ageo Kodomo No Shiro In terms of size, equipment and diversity, I would personallyRead More →
Ichigo no Sato is a “roadside station” in the prefecture of Saitama, North west of Tokyo. A roadside station, michi no eki in Japanese, is a type of rest and service area with a large parking area. Roadside stations are those that are on national routes. The equivalent on highwaysRead More →
Kidzoona or Kidzooona is a fantasy indoor play center in Omiya and other locations in Japan and Asia. Best suited to preschoolers, there’s lots for kids to play with. Read More →
Miyoshino Shrine, Kawagoe 三芳野神社、川越- 日本語 Miyoshino Shrine The Miyoshino shrine features in a famed traditional song (Warabe uta) that is known by Japanese people all over Japan. The song name is “Tooryanse”. As such, the shrine is much beloved by many, particularly the proud locals. A monument was erected toRead More →
Hiratsuka Park – Ageo has some really great parks, but Hiratsuka Park is not one of them! The probably sounds a bit harsh, but it pales in comparison to the other parks in Ageo such as Maruyama Park and Kamihira Park. It is grand for a quick visit or if youRead More →