The International Fair at the Saitama City Flower and Greenery festival is back for the first time in four years. Before the pandemic, the Flower and Greenery Festival with the popular International Friendship Fair, was on during Golden Week annually. It is celebrated on May 3rd and 4th at Shimin no Mori where there is a free chipmunk zoo.
International Friendship Fair
The International Friendship fair is just one element of the larger festival. Dozens of foreigners living in Saitama Prefecture participate in the fair. Many have festival stalls introducing cuisine and / or culture from their homelands. In addition, there are live performances showcasing traditional dance and music from various countries. Countries represented at the 2023 fair include:
- Peru
- Togolese Republic
- Nepal
- Indonesia
- Thailand
- Russia
- Vietnam
- Taiwan
- China
- Korea
- Bangladesh
- India
- Pakistan
- Turkey
- Kenya
- Guatelama
- Laos
- Bolivia
- The Republic of Ecuador
- Mexico
Information
Event: International Friendship Fair at the Flower and Greenery Festival 花と緑の祭典2023の国際友好フェア
Dates: May 3rd and 4th
Time: from 9 am to 4 pm on May 3rd and until 3 pm on May 4th
Cost: free to enter the festival area
Venue: Shimin no Mori / Minuma Green Center, 2 Chome-94 Minuma, Kita Ward, Saitama, 331-0803. View on Google Maps.
Access
The park is located relatively close to Toro Station – it takes less than 10 minutes on foot. Toro Station is on the Shonan Shinjuku line and the Utsunomiya Line. The station is less than 30 minutes from Northern Tokyo’s Itabashi Station on the Shonan Shinjuku line. And just 30 minutes from Ueno station on the Utsunomiya (Ueno-Tokyo) Line.
By car, it is about six kilometers west of the Iwatsuki Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway. It is also close to the Saitama Minuma Interchange on the Metropolitan Expressway Shutoku Saitama Shintoshin line. There is free parking on both the South and North East end of the park. However, parking is limited and congestion is expected during all of Golden Week.
Editor’s note: this event was temporarily removed from the website during the pandemic. It was republished on April 21st 2023.