For the first time in four years, Hanno will host their popular spring, aka cherry blossom, festival in 2023. Within Hanno, Hanno Central park and the area around Mt Tenran are particularly well known for their beautiful sakura trees. The festival is on in the former: Hanno Central Park. InRead More →
Before the pandemic, the 1300 year old Koma Shrine had two different cherry blossom festivals each year. One is a blessing for all the cherry blossoms in the precinct. It also celebrates the 300 year old Higanzakura and 400 year old weeping cherries on the grounds. It is normally heldRead More →
Hanno Hina – Almost every city and town in Japan display Hina dolls for the dolls festival leading up to girls day, March 3rd, annually. But some towns or cities celebrate the dolls festival in a bigger way. In Saitama the four cities best known for their dolls festival hinaRead More →
Metsa is the largest Nordic Lifestyle recreation spot in all of Japan. It incorporates Metsa Village and Moominvalley Park. Metsa Village is the ‘free’ part of the Nordic and Finnish theme park in Hanno, Saitama. Each year they have a Christmas Village, but it has been quite different since theRead More →
The Iruma Air base air show normally happens annually on the 3rd of November. Even in 2022 when there were still measures against COVID spreading it was held on that date. However, in 2022 it was nothing like a usual year. Furthermore, you had to apply in advance to participateRead More →
The 51st annual Hanno festival will be bigger and better than ever for the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Hanno City! The festival was on in 2022 too, but it was a festival lite. The “Hanno Festival” is Hanno City’s main festival and is held annually in November. TheRead More →
To me, Kato Farm in Hidaka is a farm for the foodies, rather than the kiddies! It is a dairy farm that is quite small and, frankly, quite lackluster. But there is a reason their produce has won numerous awards over the years. They produce and sell premium milk andRead More →
In praise of Culture Cafe Grandir and 5½ other reasons to visit “Little America”, Johnson Town, in Saitama Prefecture. Johnson Town Johnson town, at the site of the former American military Johnson Air base, is a collection of stores, cafes & restaurants and private residences in Iruma City, Saitama Prefecture.Read More →
The 2022 winter event at Moominvalley Park (in Metsa, Hanno, Saitama Prefecture) is called Moomin Valley Night Walk, “Illu-mori-no-oto” . The ‘illu’ is short for illumination, ‘mori’ means forest and ‘oto’ means sound. The ‘no’ marks possession, so in English it might be translated as the ‘sound of the illuminatedRead More →
Sai no Mori Iruma Park is a park that is always buzzing – in both senses of the word. For one, you have the constant hum of aircraft, a sound I personally love. Moreover, anytime I have ever visited it, no matter what time of year, the park is alwaysRead More →