Information for the Cosmos at Konosu’s Cosmos Arena Fuikage and the two day cosmos festival. Information for the poppies and Nadeshiko flowers (in May) has been moved to its own post here. Cosmos Arena Fukiage On the flood lands of the Arakawa river, millions of flowers grow annually in frontRead More →
The Shiki Halloween Fair, or Halloween ennichi ハロウィン縁日 in Japanese, is scheduled to take place at Pair Mall for the first time in three years. Pair Mall is in Shiki City, close to Yanasegawa Station. This is an area known for its beautiful cherry blossoms in spring, which also featureRead More →
If the AniTamaSai is on in 2023, it is the best kept secret in the world! I can find no information online for an event in 2023. However, I have a feeling, that the Acosta festival at the Tokorozawa Sakura Town Bunkasai, is replacing the AniTamaSai. I am on theRead More →
Yuruchara (Yurukyara) Mascot Summit – Kanto’s largest character and mascot summit. Formerly, the world’s largest mascot event with a Guinness World Record certificate to prove it! Last year (2022), it was held at-venue for the first time in three years, but they also had an online segment. Moreover, it wasRead More →
Information for the Cainz Super Mall, Kawajima Interchange, and its annual Rainbow Festival. The Rainbow Festival is a small local type mascot event, with the mascots from each of the Rainbow Cities of Saitama Prefecture. The Rainbow Cities are Kawajima, Kawagoe, Moroyama, Ogose, Sakado and Tsurugashima. More information about theRead More →
Information for both the Natsumode in Summer and Akimode in Autumn, at Kawagoe Kumano Shrine. Kawagoe Kumano Shrine is famous for many things, including warding off back luck. Thus, it is a popular place for good fortune rituals such as Chinowa Kuguri and Yatagarasu Suzu no Wa. Chinowa Kuguri isRead More →
Finally, the official information for the much loved Tokorozawa Festival in 2023 has been released (September 20th 2023)… Tokorozawa Festival In previous years you could enjoy the festival over two days. However, since 2018 the main parade, music and street performances all happen on the one and only day ofRead More →
The Chichibu Rocket Festival is most commonly referred to by its Japanese name “Ryusei Matsuri” even in English, possibly due to the uniqueness of this 400 year old festival. Ryusei literally means dragon power. The Ryusei Festival, or “Chichibu Yoshida Dragon Power”, is a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural PropertyRead More →
The International Fureai Fair is held around the east exit area of Urawa Station. It was cancelled in 2021 and in 2020 due to the pandemic, but they had an online event. But it was on last year, as I shared here at the time, and is once again scheduledRead More →
A highlight of October in Saitama Prefecture are the Konosu fireworks display, famed for launching the largest firework in the world. I have been in Japan for twenty years. I have seen fireworks all over Japan, indeed even saw them in Konosu a few times, but few were as memorableRead More →