Cafe Mozart is the cafe on the grounds of the former Ogawa Town Shimozato school. The school is known to many as Ashigaoka school from the Non Non Biyori anime. The cafe is attached to the acclaimed school, which has become a popular destination for fans of the anime. ButRead More →
Herbal House, Shabby Chic Open House and Garden, Yoshimi, Saitama★500 yen entry fee which includes a herbal tea and small slice of cake Herbal House in Yoshimi has been described on Instagram as “relaxing”, “other worldly” and “like something from a Ghibli movie”. Google Maps reviews consolidates the high praiseRead More →
The former Shimozato (Shimosato) Elementary School in Ogawa Town, also known as the Ashigaoka School from the anime Non Non Biyori. A popular spot for cherry blossoms and one of the few places you can see sunflowers in the month of June. Shimozato Elementary School is a historic building andRead More →
Kawagoe Styrofoam Art by Yajima Kimio in Kawagoe. This post was originally written in 2015. But as Mr Yajima continually adds to his incredible art styrofoam collection, I added his most recent work in 2019. You will also find some of his 2023 works, but they are not on theRead More →
Meiji Chocolate Factory Tour in Sakado, Saitama Prefecture – commutable from Tokyo. Meiji have seven factories with a free guided tour in the whole of Japan. We are lucky here in Saitama, that not only do we have one, but we have one of the chocolate and snack ones! AndRead More →
The life size Totoro and the House of Kurosuke were closed to the public from the start of the pandemic until May 2022. They did have a few special events at the house during that period. They reopened to the public in June 2022. However, there have been some majorRead More →
Bio Resort O Park Ogose opened at the former You park in 2019. It is a resort by Onsen Dojo, an award winning hot spring management company, with several facilities in Saitama Prefecture. O Park is one of their largest, with several different facilities and services. O park Ogose TheRead More →
Cafe Puisto in Tove Jansson’s Akebono Children’s Forest Park, aka the original Moomin Valley. However, since Metsa Village and Moominvalley park opened it is no longer referred to as Moomin Valley. But there are some of us to whom this will always be Moomin Valley! The Original Moomin Valley OnceRead More →
This is the third part of a four part series about the rather unusual and entertaining Santome Village (Santome Community) in Miyoshi Town, Saitama. It is also referred to as Konjaku Mura. In this segment, I introduce the Kunugi no Mori Environmental School and what Ishizaka has called an “AmusementRead More →
Santome Group Environmental and Educational Factory Tour (Plant tour) After 8.5 years of touring the many attractions of Saitama prefecture, it is always refreshing to find something different that engages all the family. I previously wrote how the Santome village was our favourite find of 2017 for just that reason.Read More →