Jomine Park in the unassuming Kamikawa Town in the North of Saitama is one of Japan’s most famous winter cherry blossoms spots. Moreover, it is one of only a handful of places in Japan where you can see red maple leaves and cherry blossoms at the same time. Normally, theRead More →
Tochimoto water (shinsui) park is a park around the Tochimoto Weir on the Tsuki River. Ogawa town developed the park as a relaxation space for locals. It is used for walking, fishing and river play. In addition, the park is used for various events during the year. Such as, theRead More →
Information for Saitama Tougetsuen Campsite, a campsite in Saitama City on the grounds of the former ‘Forest of Horses and Art’ ! The Forest of Horses and Art was destroyed by typhoon number 19, aka Hagibis, in the Autumn of 2019. Therefore, much of the area was off limits forRead More →
The latest display at Aobaen in Saitama City is a colorful corridor of Japanese fans, ‘uchiwa’. Since around August 2022, Aobaen Cemetery in Saitama City, have a permanent wooden trellis in front of their three tiered pagoda. Each month they create a tunnel of color with something different! They haveRead More →
As promised, a completely revamped post for the free monthly Hanachozu Week event in Gyoda City. The event has gone some through changes. Because I updated the original post frequently, the post had become a bit ‘messy’. Moreover, this year (2023), they are switching the event from the fiscal yearRead More →
The name of the seventh annual Higashimatsuyama illumination display has not yet been released. In fact, it hasn’t been advertised at all. But I drove by it the other night and the lights are on! It is not a particularly big display, but it is photogenic as it is madeRead More →
There is a small but pretty kaede (maple) garden in the Takanokura Fureai Nature Park. The Takanokura Fureai nature park is located in Hatoyama Town in the Hiki District of Saitama, where nature is abundant. They have recently made improvements to the park, but to be quite frank I don’tRead More →
The Christmas tree and Winter Illumination at Koshigaya Sun City will be switched on Saturday November 11th 2023. For the switch on event they had a number of performances at Sun City including a gospel choir and ballet dance performance. Koshigaya Sun City Illumination Koshigaya Sun City is a shoppingRead More →
The remains of Fujimi turret, also known as the Mt. Fuji Viewing Tower, are a historical landmark in Kawagoe. They are located relatively near to Miyoshino Shrine and Honmaru Goten. The very first time I visited Kawagoe, approximately 20 years ago, I traveled from Ibaraki with my then neighbor andRead More →
Metsa is the largest Nordic Lifestyle recreation spot in all of Japan. It incorporates Metsa Village and Moominvalley Park. Metsa Village is the ‘free’ part of the Nordic and Finnish theme park in Hanno, Saitama. Each year they have a Christmas Village, but it has been quite different since theRead More →