Chichibu Poppy Festival – In both 2020 and 2021 there were no “poppies in the sky”! In 2020, the Chichibu Poppy Festival “Poppies in the Sky” was not only cancelled, the flowers weren’t even grown. But in 2021 they grew the flowers and scheduled the event and then the dayRead More →
This is an update of an older post about the Sakura in Saitama. For a sakura guide written specifically for 2021: Saitama Sakura 2021 Saitama Sakura – Saitama may not be particularly well known for our cherry blossoms, but we still have plenty of places to enjoy cherry blossoms, cherryRead More →
Anitamasai – Saitama’s largest Anime / Manga festival normally takes place in October annually in Omiya. Entry to the grounds is free. However, in both 2020 and 2021 on account of the Coronavirus the event was moved online. The organizers have confirmed that the 9th annual Anitamasai will definitely goRead More →
For the third year in a row the Tokorozawa Festival will not go ahead. In 2019 they cancelled the festival last minute on account of typhoon in Hagibis. In 2020 they cancelled the event early on in anticipation of a second or third wave of the Coronavirus outbreak. Furthermore, theyRead More →
Horo festival Kawagoe – a religious celebration and unique cultural event. Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus the event didn’t go ahead in both 2020 and 2021. With the blog changes in September 2021 the map and details for this event got wiped, I’ll replace them in time for the 2022Read More →
The Misato “Big Bon” dance festival is held annually on August 11th, a public holiday for mountain day. It takes place in Niodori Park in Misato City, near Misato Chuo Station on the Tsukuba Express line. The dance festival starts at 4 pm and ends around 8.30 pm. However, inRead More →
For the second year in a row, the Iruma Nouryou Firework Festival has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Iruma Nouryou Firework Festival Nouryou is one of those Japanese words that is difficult to translate. It literally means coolness, but when it is used with “sai ” it meansRead More →
Omiya Summer Festivals are planning to go ahead with the Omiya Nisshin Tanabata Festival. This will be the first time in three years that the festival is on. Furthermore, it is the 50th anniversary of the festival. Moreover, they are doing it in support of the Ukraine. They will beRead More →
Todabashi fireworks are one of the biggest in Saitama. What makes them particularly special is that they are run in conjunction with Itabashi fireworks. The Itabashi fireworks launch the same night on the far side of the Arakawa River in Tokyo. Todabashi fireworks during the pandemic In 2020 they wereRead More →
Tokorozawa Sunflowers / Sunflower Field and Festival also known as the Mikajima Sunflower fields. The sunflower fields are located in the Sayama Hills area relatively near Kurosuke House where a life sized Totoro lives! In 2020, they didn’t really make an official announcement, but the festival was not on. However,Read More →