Shoboji’s Legendary Gingko Tree at Shoboji Temple, Iwadono, Higashimatsuyama ( previously Hatoyama) Previously I wrote about a summer drive we took in the Hatoyama and Higashimatsuyama area where I saw the most impressive gingko tree I’ve ever seen. Last Autumn we revisited the area to witness the famed Autumn colours inRead More →
The annual milk fair at Saitama Children’s Zoo will be held on Sunday June 2nd 2019 between 10 am and 4 pm. This event is a collaboration between the zoo and the Saitama Prefecture Milk Dissemination Association. There are a number of milk related events on the date such asRead More →
Aruzo Land – It was certainly a first for me to discover a free play center in a Real Estate Agency. Sure, lots of real estate agencies (plus car sales showrooms, dentists, phone shops…you name it), have play areas in Japan. But this is a full on PLAY CENTER, not justRead More →
Karaoke with kids – This post used to be about the Shidax Karaoke chain. However, in 2018 Shidax sold their karaoke business to rival B&V who operate the Karaoke Kan chain. The hand over was finalized in June 2020. The Shidax were a family friendly Karaoke chain that offer manyRead More →
JAXA Earth Observation Center is located in Hatoyama Town in the Hiki District of Saitama Prefecture. The town is probably the most famous place in Hatoyama, apart from the golf courses! To be upfront: my kids were too young the time we visited, so we ended up spending less thanRead More →
Information for The Baseball Shrine, Yakyū Inari Shrine, in Higashimatsuyma. Includes details for the popular peony festival and other seasonal events, such as setsubun. The baseball shrine is located in Higashimatsuyama city in Saitama. It is just 1 hour and 10 minutes from Ikebukuro on the Tobu Tojo line. ItRead More →
Named “Sole”, as in the Italian for sun, this community play center in Higashimatsuyama is particularly nice. In Japanese, these type of children’s community center are called either a Jidokan 児童館 or a Jido Center 児童センター. In Higashimatsuyama, they refer to them as Jidokan. More often than the children playRead More →
Higashimatsuyama Swimming Pool and School in Saitama Prefecture with beautiful cherry trees and the ‘cleanest pool water’ in the prefecture! Good Swimming School in Saitama Higashimatsuyama Swimming School Saitama – When we were starting our oldest in swimming classes we looked at a number of pools in the Ageo –Read More →
The Saitama Children’s Zoo is called the Saitama Children’s Animal Nature Park in Japanese. The zoo is in Takasaka, Higashimatsuyama on the Tobu Tojo line from Ikebukuro, Tokyo. It is fantastic value for money, but furthermore it is one of the best days out for children in Saitama prefecture. AsRead More →
Peony Walk is a large mall in the city of Higashimatsuyama. It’s nearest station is Takasaka, which is probably best known as the station for Saitama Children’s Zoo. Until the mall was built a few years ago, there wasn’t much in the area at all. Now there are a number ofRead More →