Summer sunflowers AND Autumn sunflowers, Ancient Lotus, Cosmos and Hydrangea in the Isanuma area of Kawagoe. At Isa Marsh and the Isa marsh East Bank Flower Garden or Isanuma Tōgan Hanabatake in Japanese. Jump to Autumn Sunflowers. New cafe with a great outdoor seating area added in spring 2021. IsaRead More →
Hachimangu is one of several shrines in Kawagoe with a long rich history. It is a “ichinomiya” meaning it was the first shrine of the Hachimangu sect in Kawagoe. (There are older shrines, such as Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, in Kawagoe). Kawagoe Hachimangu was founded in 1030 A.D. by Minamoto Yorinobu.Read More →
Kawagoe summer pools – Kawagoe Suijo Kouen, or Kawagoe Water or 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, in 2021 its only opening for four weeks. In 2020 they didn’tRead More →
Continuing with the take-out series, today I am introducing Modesty a creative cuisine restaurant in local Kawagoe. I say local, because this is one is off the beaten tourist path of Kawagoe. It is in Crea Mall, a pedestrianized shopping area, that is popular with locals for shopping, entertainment andRead More →
Kawagoe Bakery Raku Raku is possibly the most popular bakery in Kawagoe. It is certainly one of the busiest and most famous. Raku Raku is one of dozens of eateries in Kawagoe offering take out and delivery services during the Saitama State of Emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak. Furthermore,Read More →
Things to see in Kawagoe – stunning weeping cherry blossom tree and sakura at Nakain Temple in Kawagoe. Nakain is also renowned for its autumn leaves. Read More →
Tea Berry Kawagoe: Intimate dining room with delicious homemade afternoon tea … and medicinal curry! Tea Berry is a quirky little spot, off the tourist trail of Kawagoe. It is a small café and craft space with some unusual offerings. It is possible to walk in off the street, butRead More →
Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine by night – an illuminous “Hikaru Kawa”, glistening river, and wind chimes lit up at night. Legend goes that the Iruma River used to glisten at night. And the source was the Hikawa God. The Hikaru Kawa is a tribute to this legend, outlined below. All theRead More →
The Tanabata Festival (Star Festival) is normally held from August 4th to August 7th annually in Hikawa Shrine Kawagoe. They have a Wind Chime event simultaneously. In 2020, due to the Coronavirus, they did not open the religious services to the public, just priests. But they did have the stripsRead More →
What started out as a 100 participant parade in 2014 has grown exponentially with an estimated 1000 parade participants in 2016, and around 5000 spectators in 2017. By 2018 the event was the largest Halloween event in Saitama. In 2019 – the largest in Kita-Kanto! 2020 – cancelled. 🙁 TheRead More →