Saikasai – Asaka City Festival. For the last two years, due to the Olympics, they scheduled the Saikasai festival for Autumn. But in 2022 for the first time in three years, they are planning to have the festival in August again. This festival is on the first Sunday of AugustRead More →
The Kazo Citizen’s Peace (Heiwa) Festival is held on May 3rd annually. May 3rd is a national public holiday that falls during Golden Week. The festival is a type of spring festival, but the highlight is the jumbo carp streamer. It is the world’s longest carp shaped windsock. The carpRead More →
The Kasukabe Wisteria Festival was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021. However, the Wisteria of Ushijima – Tokaen, which is just one location of the Kasukabe Wisteria Festival, was open to the public. It is opening in 2022 too: from April 11th to May 5th. Update May 2nd 2022: TokaenRead More →
Oshi Castle Ruins are located in Gyoda City in Eastern Saitama Prefecture. Nicknamed “the floating castle”, and sometimes “Turtle Castle”, due to its position on elevated land surrounded by water, the story of the castle is particularly famous. In its day, the castle was considered one of Kanto’s seven strongholds.Read More →
The Setsubun festival at Fudougaoka Fudouson Souganji Temple in Kazo is famous throughout Kanto and beyond. It is probably Saitama’s most famous setsubun-kai? So much so, champion sumo wrestlers, even yokozuna have participated in the mamemaki bean throwing in the past. Apart from the common practice of mamemaki, throwing beansRead More →
Izumo Iwai Shrine, the Yabusame shrine, in Moroyama town in the Iruma-gun of Saitama Prefecture. Following on from yesterday’s post about the horse blessing temple, today a shrine known for its horse back archery! Moroyama Town is known as the yabusame town thanks to the yabusame that is performed atRead More →
The Batou Kannon Ema market is an only in Japan festival. Actually, there are only a few places in Japan that have an ema festival or market, so this festival is quite unique even in Saitama Prefecture too. Ema are the wooden prayer plaques or votive tablets you see atRead More →
The plum blossom grove at Chichibu Muse Park is particularly beautiful. There is something about it and Shinrin Park’s plum blossom grove that sets them apart from the other “bairin”, plum blossom groves, in Saitama Prefecture. Possibly, the clever design that makes them more picture perfect than others. And inRead More →
Every year on January 3rd, Kitain temple in Kawagoe have a Daruma market as part of their New Year celebrations. January 3rd marks the final day (of three) of the official New Year period at Kitain. Thousands of people visit over those three days for the first prayers of theRead More →
The “Hanachozu Week” in Gyoda often features on local and even national news, as well as on social media platforms. The “Hanachozu Week” is actually two weeks long monthly. It is usually on the first two weeks of each month. However, in the months of November and January it isRead More →