You only have to glance at Instagram to see that the wisteria season is in full swing in Saitama and all over Japan. For many, the emergence of the delicately hanging flowers make up for the end of sakura season. They are one of about a dozen ornamental flowers thatRead More →
The Lupine flowers have started to bloom around Saitama Prefecture. You can see small displays of them in private gardens and occasionally public places such as parks or shrines. However, there is one location in Saitama where you can see a large display of Lupine (Lupines / Lupinus); Musashi KyuryoRead More →
Chipmunks, Saitama City – a free chipmunk garden in an agricultural area in Saitama City. Chipmunks in Saitama City “Squirrel House” is the official English name of the free furry friends attraction in Saitama City. Contrary to what that conjures up, it is an outdoor attraction. Not large enough toRead More →
Sun Amenity Kitamoto Camp Field and outdoor activity center is ideal for an inexpensive camping experience. Just 500 yen for the night – one coin camping! Open all year round, but it is particularly scenic in spring with cherry blossoms and ‘hanadaikon’, a flowering plant similar to bluebells. Furthermore, theRead More →
Fukaya Green Park Fukaya Green park is a small park beside the indoor pool and leisure center Aqua Paradise Patio. The park isn’t particularly big, but it has some beautiful cherry blossoms. Interestingly ANA describes it as a “vast park”, it makes me wonder did we accidentally miss a wholeRead More →
Jigenji Temple and Sakado’s secret sakura spots Jigenji’s weeping cherry is a natural monument of Sakado City. It is also an image on a 2021 postal stamp! Honestly, while the weeping cherry is famous and attracts hundreds of visitors annually, it wouldn’t make any of my personal “top 10” orRead 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 →
Seasonal flowers at the Shimoyatsubayashi flower field where flower picking is allowed and free Flower picking Unlike in my home country, you can’t pick flowers in Japan unless you have permission to do so. Not even flowers growing on the side of the road. Like Singapore, Japan also frowns onRead More →
Do you recognize the featured image? This used to be the “iconic” cherry blossom and rapeseed photo for Saitama Prefecture. You couldn’t look up 埼玉県 and 桜と菜の花 (Saitama Prefecture and cherry blossoms with rapeseed) without pulling up pages and pages of this image. It was used in blog posts, brochures,Read More →
Saitama Sakura Watch 2021 Hi! Apologies in advance that is quite basic, but I want to make the information available asap. I am getting a LOT of direct messages with queries about Saitama Cherry Blossoms. Thank you so so much, it means a lot to me. However and very unfortunately,Read More →