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 →
The Naked Men Festival, Kamikawa, Saitama. Naked Men Festival The naked men festival is on the 19th of November annually, in Kamikawa town, Saitama prefecture. And during the time the festival is on there is also a winter cherry blossom festival on a ten minute drive away. The cherry blossomsRead More →
The Chichibu area is known for its Dahlia. The Dahlia Garden at Mt Ryokami Fumoto Hana no Sato is one of the largest and most popular places to see Dahlia in Saitama. The garden have confirmed that they will open to the public in 2021. Mt Ryokami Dahlia Garden TheRead More →
The 2021 Inohana Amazake Festival is cancelled. Inohana Amazake Festival or Inohana Sweet Sake Festival is one of those “only in Japan” type of festivals. And even within that category it is one of the more unusual ones. Near naked men, donning only a lion cloth, throw sake at eachRead More →