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 →
Summer Holidays / Summer in Saitama 2023 – In 2020 and 2021 summer was quite different to life before the pandemic. In 2022 things were a bit better with some fireworks and festivals on and even a few water play areas and pools open. But not all of them byRead More →
Information for the annual Konosu Summer Festival, which was cancelled three years in a row due to the pandemic. Konosu City have scheduled it for 2023 for the first time in four years. Konosu Summer Festival A festival with more than a hundred years of history on one of Japan’sRead More →
The Sai no Kuni Cake Show is scheduled for the first time in four years. There are a few changes in 2023. Such as a new date and a new location. They used to hold the event in June, before the pandemic. This year (2023) they will host it inRead More →
Ryusenji / Ryusen Temple is the undisputed home of papercut ‘Goshuin’. A ‘Goshuin’ is a stamp or seal that you can receive for a fee at temples and shrines in Japan. What makes Ryusen-ji’s so special is that they are intricately cut from paper, like a stencil. Ryusenji was theRead More →
Information for the next exhibition, Unveiling Tutankhamen: The Pharaoh’s Timeless Adolescence, at the grand gallery of the Kadokawa Musashino Museum. Kadokawa Musashino Museum is also known as Kadokawa Culture Museum or Kadcul for short. The grand gallery is on the 1st (ground) floor of the Kadokawa Culture Museum in TokorozawaRead More →
Tips for wild firefly viewing and a convenient location for an evening of fireflies in Saitama Prefecture. Wild Firefly Viewing There are two main ways to view fireflies in Japan. One, is to go to a firefly house, of which there are a dime a dozen in Japan. During theRead More →
June is blueberry season in Japan. Sayama Berryland is one of the largest berry picking farms in the Kanto Region (aka Greater Tokyo area). Sayama Berryland is quite well known in the expat and long term resident community. However, if you are a tourist or on a short term workRead 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 →
Benibana means safflower: it is the flower of Okegawa where this Furusato Kan is located. A Furusato Kan is a type of folk museum and you can find a furusato kan in hundreds of towns around Japan. Benibana Furusato Kan The Furusato kan in Okegawa was once a private homeRead More →