April Flowers – the when and where of ten different flowers and their meaning in Japan. Whether you live in or are planning to visit Japan, you can be certain that in April you have a choice of flowers to admire. Moreover, April – specifically early April – is famousRead More →
Spring flowers at the flower oasis “Hana no Oasis” in Konosu. Hana no Oasis, Konosu Hana no Oasis is a community garden. Moreover, according to the prefecture it is the birthplace of flower production in Konosu City. It is located in a rural area of Konosu amid dozens of paddyRead More →
A selection of five Nemophila flower fields near Tokyo This year, 2021, the famous nemophila flower fields in Hitachi Seaside Park are open to the public again. They were closed in 2020, on account of the Coronavirus, right when the nemophila were in full bloom. Likewise, the lesser known NemophilaRead More →
Metsa Village Umbrella Sky “Forest and Lake and Umbrella“ We visited the Forest and Lake and Umbrella Metsa Umbrella Sky Project in the summer of 2019. And we weren’t disappointed. Its coming back this year, 2020, even bigger and for longer than last year. (There are some really big changesRead More →
Monomiyama Park in Higashimatsuyama in Autumn and Spring Monomiyama park The Monomiyama Park is a hilltop park in the Iwadono area of Higashimatsuyama. The park was initially just a viewpoint. Higashimatsuyama city developed a park around it in recent years. Moreover, it is also part of a larger (4,638 hectares!)Read More →
Shibazakura Chichibu – The renowned Shibazakura or Moss Phlox of Chichibu’s Hitsujiyama Park come into bloom annually in April and last until early May. In 2020 the Shibazakura festival was cancelled due to the Coronavirus. Initially the park planned to stay open for people to admire the scenery. However, by AprilRead More →
Kawagoe Water Park – Kawagoe Suijo Kouen, or Kawagoe Aquatic Park, is one of the bigger summer pools in Saitama. Like all the other seasonal pools, it only opens for 7 weeks over the summer holidays. However, the pools are just one part of a larger recreational park which isRead More →
Kitain Temple Cherry Blossoms in Kawagoe City, Saitama, Japan 2021. Kitain is a stunning Buddhist temple with pagoda in the tourist city of Kawagoe – a popular day trip destination from Tokyo. It is an ideal location for combining Japanese culture, history and cherry blossom viewing. Kitain Cherry Blossoms KitianRead 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 →
Enomoto Dairy Farm – family run, amiable dairy farm in rural Ageo, Saitama, but close to big cities and even Tokyo itself. The Enomoto Dairy Farm reminds me of the farms at home in Ireland. Its most famous acclaim is its delicious ice-cream, or as they call it ‘gelato’, which hasRead More →