There is a huge choice of cafes in Kawagoe, but only a handful of traditional Kissaten. Kissaten are a traditional Japanese tea drinking shop. If you would like to experience and Kissaten and / or if you prefer tea over coffee Shimano Tea Room could be an option for youRead More →
Kitamoto Children’s Center – free indoor play center “jidokan” We’ve been spending a bit of time at the Kitamoto Children’s Center this summer, as it is a great space for a bit of psychical activity as well as quiet play time. My older kids particularly love the climbing wall here,Read More →
Kawagoe “Jidokan” Children’s Community Center Kawagoe Eki Higashi Jidokan, or Kawagoe Station East Exit play center, is located on the 4th floor of a civic center for citizens, Kurasse. Below it there is a library and above it there are meeting rooms and citizen services. On the 2nd floor thereRead More →
JAXA Earth Observation Center is located in Hatoyama Town in the Hiki District of Saitama Prefecture. The town is probably the most famous place in Hatoyama, apart from the golf courses! To be upfront: my kids were too young the time we visited, so we ended up spending less thanRead More →
The award winning, intangible asset, Suneori Amagoi 脚折雨乞 Rain Praying Festival in Tsurugashima City in the Western area of Saitama within commutable distance of Tokyo. Suneori Amagoi The Suneori Amagoi Rain Praying Festival, which started in 1781, holds a number of cultural and festival accolades. The awards include the prestigiousRead More →
Cats Eye Play Center Sayama Cats Eye play and sports centre is very like Spocha in Round 1, just not as classy or clean, and the limited number of staff leave a lot to be desired. There is a smell of stale smoke in the areas outside the play areaRead More →
Kawagoe’s magical dog Priya unfortunately passed away in 2019, but the shop says her healing powers live on! The shop was closed for much of the pandemic, but it is back open now. I was living in the Kawagoe area many years before I stumbled upon a curious little shopRead More →
Looking for a skatepark in Saitama or near Tokyo? One place children, in particular, can enjoy skateboarding in Saitama is at Kamiya Park. It has a designated, supervised skatepark. It opened in the winter of 2015 inside the Kamiya General Park, which itself is still relatively new. This multi-use parkRead More →
Information on the free Glico Pia East tour where you can make your own Pocky on the Pocky tourRead More →
Spocha, Round1 Ageo – I’ve been talking favorites on the In Saitama Facebook page recently and today’s showcase is very much up there on the best of the best list. Indeed, Kids Spo-cha is actually my children’s favorite indoor play area in the whole of Saitama. I love it, because itRead More →