For the first time in four years the Chichibu Poppy Festival is set to go ahead. It was set to go ahead in 2021 too and then the day before the festival was due to start they had to cancel it! It is highly unlikely that will happen in 2023.Read More →
Bamboo Palm is a petting zoo in a house and garden in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture. Its kind of like what they call “animal cafes” in Japan. Except that there’s no drinks! But you can interact with most of the animals they have on site. There are about 30 differentRead More →
Saitama Prefecture is getting a new indoor petting zoo in Ageo City! The information is a bit thin on the ground, but from what we can tell the new “Ikimono Tankentai” is a type of petting zoo aimed at children. Ikimono means creatures or living things. Tankentai means expedition orRead More →
Every year Tobu Zoo and amusement park puts on a fantastic night illumination show for the winter months. It is one of the better known, and larger, night illumination displays. In both 2020 and 2021, it was actually one of only a handful of places that had their winter illumination. However,Read More →
Last year, 2021, Tobu Zoo revived both the Night Zoo and Halloween parade for the first time in two years. However, due to the pandemic it was only open until 7 pm and only available in October. This year, 2022, it will be more like a normal year with theRead More →
To me, Kato Farm in Hidaka is a farm for the foodies, rather than the kiddies! It is a dairy farm that is quite small and, frankly, quite lackluster. But there is a reason their produce has won numerous awards over the years. They produce and sell premium milk andRead More →
Information for the Cosmos at Konosu’s Cosmos Arena Fuikage. Information for the poppies and Nadeshiko flowers (in May) has been moved to its own post here. Cosmos Arena Fukiage On the flood lands of the Arakawa river, millions of flowers grow annually in front of the Cosmos Arena Fukiage. CosmosRead More →
If you’ve been to the natural outdoor ice rink in Tokigawa, you have no doubt seen the stable you have to pass to access the skate rink. If you haven’t yet been to the natural ice rink – here’s another reason to get there this season! Because the “Tokigawa HorseRead More →
The Capybara Onsen, aka hot spring, is one of the (thee?) most popular annual events at the Saitama Children’s Zoo. Indeed the love of the Capybara Onsen in general is a phenomenon hard to explain – you just have to go and see for yourself. I guarantee you, even theRead More →
Chipmunks, Saitama City – a free chipmunk garden in an agricultural area in Saitama City. Chipmunks in Saitama City “Squirrel House” is the official English name of the free furry friends attraction in Saitama City. Contrary to what that conjures up, it is an outdoor attraction. Not large enough toRead More →