Big Mouse Coffee and Fermentation shop is a cafe in a ‘kominka’ (old Japanese country house) in a rural part of Nishi Ward in Saitama City. It is located in a former ‘Forest of Horses and Art’ that was destroyed by typhoon Hagibis. The Kominka used to house a bonsaiRead More →
Smiley is the name of a cafe in a Kominka in the Isanuma area of Kawagoe. The cafe is located in a Kominka: a traditional type of farmhouse, quintessential of rural Japan before the war. it is a ‘time share’ eatery – in the morning, until 2 pm, the kominkaRead More →
Cafe Chocotto is a very special place to me. I found it in on a cycle in the Kawagoe Satoyama Initiative area of Fukuda. I hit it off with the owner, one of the loveliest people you could meet. And so started a new relationship. The only reason I haveRead More →
The Turkey Bazaar is a Turkish (mosaic) lamp shop in Kawagoe. It is located up a quaint alleyway off Ichibangai, the main tourist thoroughfare of “Little Edo” as Kawagoe is called. The shop has been there quite a few years, but in 2021 they opened a cafe across the pathRead More →
A new wind chime cafe opened in Kawagoe on June 1st and don’t you know, I went to check it out! This is the first chance I’ve had to introduce it on the blog. As I am going on holidays soon, I needed to get event posts out first. ButRead More →
Dog friendly, Instagrammable, inorganic cafe in Kawagoe City. One month ago today, Cafe Magnolia opened in Kawagoe City. In just one month it has garnered quite a following on Instagram and is all over Tiktok! No doubt, the Instagrammable cheese cake, the piece de resistance of the cafe, has playedRead More →
When you think of Saitama’s famous shaved ice cafes, where comes to mind? For me, Azami Reizo, Kore ga kakigori, Craft Cafe and Yamadaya are the first that come to mind. We’ve been to three out of four and so far, and for us personally, Yamadaya is our top pick.Read More →
Kaigara Cafe in Johnson Town, aka Little America, is an instagrammable cafe all year round, but particularly when they put up their mini umbrella sky for rainy season. According to the official Instagram account the cafe was modeled on a sea theme. Thus the cafe is decorated in shades ofRead More →
Information for Cafe and Bar Kingyo-tei (Kingyo Tei | Kingyotei | 金魚亭) in old Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture. Kingyo-tei Kingyotei is located on the grounds of Matsumoto Shoyu. It opened in March 2022, replacing the once popular Cafe Kura which closed permanently in 2020. Retro cafes are all the rage atRead More →
Information for the all year round strawberry cafe, Strawberry Garden, and the seasonal – famous barrier free sightseeing – strawberry picking farm, Ichigo no Sato, in Moroyama town, Saitama (near Tokyo) Japan. Ichigo no Sato is one of the most famous strawberry picking farms in the Kanto plain. Moreover, itRead More →