October is a great month to get out and about in Saitama, and all of Japan. The night time temperatures have cooled right down and by mid October the day time temperatures are cool and comfortable. The occurrence of typhoons also decreases, but do bear in mind that there haveRead More →
Tobu Super Pool is one of the many offerings of what is officially called the Tobu Hybrid Park, but most commonly referred to as Tobu Zoo park. The pools are officially located in Shiraoka City, but as the vast majority of the Tobu Zoo park is in Miyashiro City theyRead More →
Third times a charm! Finally, the Hasuda Sunflowers are coming back in 2022. In both 2021 and 2020 they planted the sunflowers in the hope of opening to the public, but both times they had to cancel the festival due to the pandemic. However, the fields did actually open, lastRead More →
Saitama Prefecture Day Information for Saitama Citizen’s Day or Prefecture Day or Saitama day, kenmin no hi 県民の日 in Japanese. Saitama Citizen’s day is on the 14th of November each year. Kenmin no Hi literally means citizen’s day, but when I first came to Japan and until very recently itRead More →
Saitama Summer Pools 2022 – where is open and where is not. Plus a map of Saitama’s outdoor seasonal pools. The information is accurate, to the best of my knowledge, as of the last update on July 2nd 2022. However, all seasonal events and facilities can and have been influencedRead More →
Each year in early April, we are absolutely spoiled for choice for things to see in Saitama. There are so many flowers and blossoms in bloom. And accordingly there are literally hundreds of flower festivals on. Usually the cherry blossoms steal the limelight, but their ‘sister’, the peach blossoms, areRead More →
Tsuchiuchi Camping Grounds is deep in a valley in the former Otaki village in Chichibu. Pitched on the staggered sides of the ravine, the camp and cabin grounds are hugged by beautiful forest on all sides. Natural moss grows thick on craggy rock with fresh water rolling over forming beautifulRead More →
Saitama Aquarium in Hanyu It was a pleasant surprise revisiting Saitama Aquarium this past week. We hadn’t been in around eight years. And the last time was a bit of a disappointment so we left it this long to visit again. In the eight years since we’d been there thoughRead More →
Setsubun Saitama- Setsubun is a religious ceremony practiced every year on February 3rd. However, in 2021, for the first time in 124 years, Setsubun fell on February 2nd. In 2022, it will once again fall on February 3rd. Historically setsubun, which literally means seasonal division, was a four day periodRead More →
Hanazono Forest: Cakes, pastry and sweets specialist, dairy free tofu sweets, sweets outlet, bakery, ice-cream, restaurant, rose garden, playground and free factory view Hanazono Forest, Fukaya, Saitama Hanazono Forest in Fukaya City is a type of wholesalers or outlet for confectionery and pastry. It is a very popular spot withRead More →