Hodosan shrine, one of my top ten favorite shrines of all time, is one of those rare shrines that is well worth going out of your way to visit. Apart from its intriguing 1900 year history, the beauty and detail of the shrine and the grounds will captivate you inRead More →
I have been to several dams in Japan over the years. They are all very picturesque and the engineering admirable. I never really had a favorite… until earlier this month. I was instantly bewitched when I visited the Shimokubo Dam that straddles Fujioka City in Gunma and Kamikawa town inRead More →
Kanasana Shrine is a rare type of shrine that preserves koshinto, the old form of shinto worship. At Kanasana they venerate the entire mountain, Mt Mitake, as a God in the back of the worship hall. Supposedly there are only three shrines of this kind in all of Japan. Also,Read More →
Tobainuma Natural park is a small rural area in Kawajima Town. The Tobainuma Natural Park has an Ichijiku farm and a fishing park. Both very rural, so nothing fancy and limited services. Ichijiku is a type of Japanese fig. Kawajima Town is the largest producer of Ichijiku in Saitama Prefecture.Read More →
Jomine Park (or Jyomine Park) on Mt Jomine, by Lake Kanna and the Shimokubo dam in Kamikawa, Saitama on the border of Fujioka City, Gunma. Jomine Park It was a dream come true finally staying in Jomine Park Camping grounds during the winter cherry blossom and autumn leaf season. TheRead More →
Hamley’s Santa – To be perfectly honest, I really didn’t think anywhere would have a Santa Claus meet and greet this year, so I haven’t really been looking for updates. But by pure luck, while perusing some news articles, I saw that he is scheduled to visit both the YokohamaRead More →
A selection of 12 Strawberry Picking farms in Western Saitama, for the 2021 strawberry picking season. Western Area There are five areas in Saitama: Central, Eastern, Western, Northern and Chichibu. The Western area of Saitama has more cities and towns than the Central, Northern and Chichibu areas combined. The citiesRead More →
Every November in Japan there are chrysanthemum festivals all around the country where you can see potted chrysanthemum displays. However, there are only a few places where you can actually see chrysanthemum flower beds. In Saitama anyway. One place you can see chrysanthemum growing in a manicured garden is theRead More →
Cosmos flowers at Aina Water Park, October in Saitama. Aina Water Park Aina water park is a riverside park used by locals in Kawagoe. It is along the Iruma river. For the most part, this stretch of the Iruma river is not suited to water play. However, there is another,Read More →
LGBTQ+ friendly and discrimination free 800 year old Saimyouji, Kawagoe. Popular attractions at the temple include the Demon Slayer, aka Kimetsu no Yaiba, and floral water fonts, seasonal and light up events. LGBTQ+ A few months ago I accidentally caught a snippet of a TV report of a temple, Saimyouji,Read More →