April Flowers – the when and where of ten different flowers and their meaning in Japan. Whether you live in or are planning to visit Japan, you can be certain that in April you have a choice of flowers to admire. Moreover, April – specifically early April – is famousRead More →
Every November in Japan there are chrysanthemum festivals all around the country where you can see potted chrysanthemum displays. However, there are only a few places where you can actually see chrysanthemum flower beds. In Saitama anyway. One place you can see chrysanthemum growing in a manicured garden is theRead More →
In this time with Covid, off the beaten path scenery is increasingly in demand. To that end introducing one of several spots in Kawajima Town, Saitama Prefecture, that are completely off the tourist trail. The embankment near Tenjin bashi (Tenjin Bridge) in Kawajima Town, attracts photographers in both Autumn andRead 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 →
Summer flowers around the central gate of Shinrin Park, Namegawa, in 2020. The weather forecast predicted a cloudy day, not ideal for photographing flowers, but great for avoiding sunburn and sunstroke. I thought it would comfortable weather for a five kilometre walk to take in the summer flowers in ShinrinRead More →
Summer sunflowers AND Autumn sunflowers, Ancient Lotus, Cosmos and Hydrangea in the Isanuma area of Kawagoe. At Isa Marsh and the Isa marsh East Bank Flower Garden or Isanuma Tōgan Hanabatake in Japanese. Jump to Autumn Sunflowers. New cafe with a great outdoor seating area added in spring 2021. IsaRead More →
Summer in Saitama 2021 – Just like last year, summer will be quite different to life before the pandemic. We are still in the shadow of the Coronavirus outbreak in Japan. And with vaccinations having only really begun in May 2021, many of us will not get be able toRead More →
Seasonal blooms and Riverside hydrangea, Okegawa. Sometimes it pays to get lost. I was attempting to go to one of the three safflower fields in Okegawa today. The safflower were nowhere in sight and I thought that both I and Google had remembered the place incorrectly. So I opted toRead More →
Five year old really wanted to play in some water today. However, most of the water play areas in parks are closed on account of the Coronavirus. It was a blessing in disguise, because instead we went to a Suzumegawa Sabo Dam park with a natural river. My favorite kind!Read More →
Spring flowers at the flower oasis “Hana no Oasis” in Konosu. Hana no Oasis, Konosu Hana no Oasis is a community garden. Moreover, according to the prefecture it is the birthplace of flower production in Konosu City. It is located in a rural area of Konosu amid dozens of paddyRead More →