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, except August . Also, in the months of November andRead 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 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 →
Unfortunately due to the Coronavirus outbreak the pools did not open in 2020. And they have confirmed that they will not open in 2021 either. Toda Summer Pool for kids at Kodomo No Kuni. Kodomo no Kuni is the name of the Children’s Center in Toda city, Saitama. Among theirRead More →
The Nakasendo matsuri is just one of many festivals that is normally held in Omiya at the end of July and start of August each summer. They are collectively called “Omiya Summer Festival”. Unfortunately, but understandably, they were all cancelled in 2020 due to the Coronavirus outbreak. And just thisRead More →
The Okegawa Gion Festival has been celebrated for the last 280 years. Okegawa city is not a particularly famous or popular city in contemporary society, but once upon a time it was a key commercial hub along the Nakasendo Path. The Nakasendo Road was like a highway that connected KyotoRead More →