Gu Choki Pan ~ a small but quaint bakery, and picturesque natural garden in golf country Hatoyama. Meaning of Gu Choki Pan Gu Choki Pa is the Japanese for Rock, Paper, Scissors. Gu is for rock, choki for scissors and pa for paper. Instead of Pa, the bakery replaced paRead More →
This was the very first English guide to Moomin Valley (also written Moominvalley) on the whole world wide web! And still going strong eight years later. It was initially written on July 11th 2015 – four years before the park opened! It has been updated, several times over the yearsRead More →
The life size Totoro and the House of Kurosuke were closed to the public from the start of the pandemic until May 2022. They did have a few special events at the house during that period. They reopened to the public in June 2022. However, there have been some majorRead More →
Hiking in the Totoro Forest in Sayama Hills in Tokorozawa. Information on an easy hiking trail for families in the Totoro Foundation area of the Sayama Hills. Read More →
Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin Hongyoin Temple is a branch of the Naritasan Shinsoji Buddhist Temple of Narita, Chiba. It has a very interesting, but complex history with many layers of detail. The founder Ishikawa Tomegoro, with the financial backing of wealthy locals, restored what was previously the ruined Hongyoin Temple toRead More →
Finland No Mori in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture where you can meet the real Santa in his grotto. You can also hang out in a Hammock cafe, get ice-cream in a Moomin mug and / or pick up some delicious cheese too! Information for the 2025 Santa Claus meet and greetRead More →
The first and the best post online about the amezaiku edo period candy craft you can do in the Penny Candy Alley, Kawagoe! … Amezaiku Candy Craft in Kawagoe Today, we went to watch the Candy Man in Kawagoe. Mr Suzuki is a performance artist, who sculpts candy into differentRead More →
Manhole Cover Art, Saitama prefecture, Japan Manhole Cover Art I used to think I was an observant person, until my cousin sent me an article about manhole covers in Japan. I was in Japan more than 10 years when she sent me the link about the ornate manhole covers here. MyRead More →
I really enjoyed visiting Tokyo Dome City with my kids. It took us two hours to reach our final destination, but it was completely worth the journey. First, we went to Tokyo’s first themed café, the Moomin Bakery and Café. We escaped having to queue to be seated by opting to haveRead More →