Autumn leaves Ranzan Valley

Autumn leaves 紅葉 (koyo/ kōyō) Festival at the Ranzan valley / Gorge in 2023. Ranzan Valley¹ is a beautiful nature spot with several hiking routes in the Hiki area of Saitama Prefecture. It is particularly popular in Autumn when the leaves are in various shades of red, yellow and green.Read More →

Hodosan Nagatoro

General information about wintersweet aka Japanese allspice aka Robai, as well as the latest information for the Wintersweet and Wintersweet festival at Hodosan Robaien (Nagatoro) in January 2024. In this post: Wintersweet Wintersweet, also known as Japanese Allspice, or by its scientific name Chimonanthus praecox, is a winter blooming deciduousRead More →

John Deere tractor at park in Hatoyama Town, HIki District, Saitama prefecture

The John Deere Park is a work in progress, but it has huge potential. It is a “Satoyama” flower park in rural Hatoyama. A place unscathed by telephone or electrical wires, which is rare even in the Hiki District which is largely countryside. Initially, the ‘real’ name of the parkRead More →