In a regular year, the 1300 year old Koma Shrine has two different cherry blossom festivals. One is a celebration of the 300 year old Higanzakura on the grounds. The other a more typical “sakura matsuri”. But this is not a typical year. In 2021, it seems that Koma shrineRead More →
Kinchakuda in spring: cherry blossoms, rapeseed (canola flowers) and purple flowers Kinchakuda needs little introduction. If you don’t know it by name, you’ll know it as the most famous place for red spider lilies in Japan. However, what you might not know about Kinchakuda is that it is not justRead More →
Kinchakuda Red Spider Lily Festival 2020, Hidaka, Saitama Japan – The festival has been cancelled this year on account of the Coronavirus outbreak. And on the 17th of September the city will cut the spider lilies that have grown. There is nothing to see here this year folks! The famous redRead More →
There is no Seibu Train festa in 2020 due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The festival was expected to be held on the first Saturday of June, but Seibu announced earlier in the year that they would not proceed with the festival this year, 2020. 2019 Seibu Train Festa Information TheRead More →
Saiboku No Mori, Saiboku Headquarters, Hidaka, Saitama, Japan! In September 2019 Saiboku Ham opened a new play area for kids where the putter golf used to be. It is a beautifully manicured hilly area of grass, with ten pieces of athletic playground equipment. Saiboku Saiboku Ham is the headquarters ofRead More →
Komazan Shoden-in Shorakuji commonly spelt Shotenin in English stands proud at the top of the Koma peak in Hidaka. It is like a beacon for all enthralled by religious architecture. It is easy to spot it from a distance with its impressive temple structure, but more so thanks to theRead More →
Gojo waterfall, Hidaka. When I first wrote this post in 2016 there was no information in English anywhere around the web. I looked up information in Japanese and it said that the falls are named after The five virtues of Confucius, which is written “gojou” or “gojyou” in English. ButRead More →
The Japanese sougou 総合 is used to indicate a multi-purpose park and that is exactly what Hidaka Sougou park is. It is often translated into Hidaka Total Park in English. The park is free in, with free parking. It is close to the golf course for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. HereRead More →
Saiboku Ham and Hot spring, in Hidaka City on the border of Kawagoe in Saitama, near Tokyo. This food centered leisure village (with hot springs and play areas) is located very close to the Kasumigaseki 2021 Olympic golf course. Saiboku hot spring near Tokyo is often described as a food themeRead More →