The 2021 Kitamoto sakura Matsuri has not yet been confirmed. It hasn’t been cancelled either. However, in 2020 it did not go ahead on account of the Coronavirus and the State of Emergency. Kitamoto Sakura Matsuri Takao Sakura Park If the festival does go ahead it will most likely beRead More →
Photogenic Cherry blossom spot in Hatoyama Town: Oshamoji Yama Park Oshamoji Yama Park Oshamoji Yama Park is not the type of place you would go out of your way to visit. It is located in a very small park centered around a look out tower. It has no car parkRead More →
Iwadono Kannon is the most common name used for Shoboji temple in Higashimatsuyama. However, on Google maps its called Shōbōji and that is the name that has stuck with me. The legendary gingko tree at Shoboji is one of my personal favorite posts on this blog! But there is moreRead More →
On the Kitamoto stretch of the former Kamakura Kaido, there are several shrines and temples. Each of them has something very interesting about them. And most of them are quite photogenic. Perhaps the best known of them is the Takao Hikawa Shrine. It is famed for having Japan’s largest “omikuji”.Read More →
In a normal year Shinrin Park host one of the longest “spring festivals” that starts in February. Its called “Early Spring Festa”. It is not a festival in the sense of a “matsuri”, but a spring festival celebrating flora and fauna with some seasonal activities and events planned during theRead More →
Al fresco dining in Saitama Prefecture, at Adomani Cafe in Konosu With the Coronavirus still in our midst, I’ve never been so interested in “al fresco dining”. Amazingly, it is not as popular in Japan as you would expect. Therefore, it is quite hard to find a good restaurant withRead More →
Nature, hiking, flowers, Cats, horses, playground, “Health Road”, an honesty shop, seasonal events and a picking farm with a quaint cafe and antique store. All atop a hill in Yatsu no Sato, Namegawa Town. In September 2019 when visiting Hilltop farm and cafe I walked across the road to investigateRead More →
English information for カフェN36° Café N36° Café N36° (カフェN36°) is a cafe with a dog run in Okegawa City, Saitama Prefecture. But rather than being ‘a cafe with a dog run’, it feels more like a dog run with a cafe! The cafe was doing a roaring trade today, despiteRead More →
Shrines and Temples – and a couple of other things to do – near the early blooming cherry blossoms of Sumiyoshi Sakura no Sato in North Eastern area of Sakado. Please note that the cherry blossoms do not bloom every year. You can check for their status on the SumiyoshiRead More →
Tokorozawa Dolls Festival officially known as Tokorozawa Hina Monogatari from February 14th to March 14th 2021. The Tokorozawa Doll’s Festival Tokorozawa celebrates its doll production history with this “monogatari” festival. Monogatari are described as a narrative tale. They are believed to have developed from oral storytelling of fiction, that evenRead More →