Saitama Prefecture Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)

Little “Edo” Kawagoe

Kawagoe is known as little edo as it has an area which preserves all the edo houses. This is where you get a chance to see a glimpse of the historical buildings in Japan. It’s a day trip out of central Japan, about 45mins train ride from Shinjuku. The place definitely gives out a quaint small town vibe, peaceful and definitely lesser crowd compared to other more famous attractions in the central Japan. One of the #mustvisit is the Starbucks! It is designed in the tradition warehouse style which blends in so nicely with the rest of the buildings. It has a outdoor section behind which customers can get a drink and sit to enjoy the lovely weather. There are also shops around which sells delicious snacks. Something different compared to the usual attractions that slow us down to appreciate the traditional side of Japan. #japan #mustdo

A nearby area to visit in Tokyo is Kawagoe. 30 minutes away from the city by train. It is known as "Little Edo". Get to experience the traditional Japan. Make sure to purchase also the Kawagoe Discount Pass for access to buses in the area. #happynewyear #wandermye #kawagoe #japan #happynewyear

Oedo Kawagoe-Tokyo tour is the most recommended niche tourist city As an old city traditional building, temple , stone road in the suburbs of Tokyo, people seem to walk The Edo period in Japan. Compared with the commercialization and crowds of downtown Tokyo, the tourists here are less and quieter, more suitable for travel photography~, you can visit: Glacier Shrine, Fruit House Terrier, Yifan Street, Sesame Futang, Bell Tower , Kumano Shrine have shooting and clothing plans can choose to rent a kimono shooting here. Asakusa Temple is not recommended, too many tourists. Transportation: Take the subway and get off at Kawagoe Station. Exit at the east exit and get off the stairs. It is a bus stop. The 1st car is directly accessible (remember to pick up the watermelon card on the back door and get off at the front door) jacket / skirt / T-shirt: WJS only Jane photography / late: big wing classmates

Travel through time to the Edo period, and visit Kawagoe City in spring

👍Kawagoe City, you really know how to enjoy yourself! ❤The 33rd edition of the Kawagoe Spring Festival, a seasonal tradition of 'Little Edo' Kawagoe, is now grandly open. 🌟The festival dates from March 24th to April 21st, lasting nearly a month. This year, the cherry blossoms are blooming a bit later, so friends visiting Japan in April can still enjoy the cherry blossoms. 🖼Kawagoe City is located in the southwestern part of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Since the Edo period, it has entered a prosperous era. The Kawagoe domain's castle town area is nicknamed 'Little Edo'. Kawagoe City is home to many castle ruins, shrines, temples, historical sites, and historic buildings. The number of cultural properties in Kawagoe ranks third in the Kanto region, after Kamakura City in Kanagawa Prefecture and Nikko City in Tochigi Prefecture, and is recognized by Japan as the only 'Historical City' in Saitama Prefecture. Due to the lack of destruction from domestic wars and natural disasters in Japan, Kawagoe City retains a large number of historical features, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists for sightseeing each year. ✅The year 2024 marks the 33rd edition of the Little Edo Kawagoe Spring Festival. At the festival, you can see performances of matchlock and arquebus by the Kawagoe domain. At the Nakamachi Cross Street intersection, the Kawagoe Tobi Association performs a ladder rolling act, where performers gracefully climb a six-meter-high ladder supported by spires. In the central district of the streets, there is also a local fire brigade band playing the music of 'Spring in Little Edo Kawagoe' every day. ❤In addition to the events held in the Edo district, you can take a boat ride along the Kishikawa River next to the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine to enjoy the scenery, with each boat trip lasting 10 minutes. Kitain, Renjakuji, and Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin are also great places to enjoy the cherry blossoms. 🚉From within Tokyo, you can reach Kawagoe in less than 2 hours by taking multiple lines from places like Shinjuku and Ikebukuro.

A good place to travel | Japan Railway Museum I think the railway is an indispensable factor in Japan's travel, whether it is a special theme sightseeing train, or a unique railway landscape, criss-crossing, railroad crossing In a country with an extremely developed system, the railway has become the most important part of Japanese culture. When you come to Tokyo with convenient transportation, you must go to the Railway Museum in Saitama not far away! After purchasing the commemorative ticket, took a short section of the railway, this exciting museum is in front of you, the high-end avant-garde decoration style and a wide range of surrounding goods, is my first impression of ta, But the good play is still behind. When we enter the train exhibition hall, it seems to have passed back to the past. From the rickshaw to the business train of the Showa era, the retro and elegant 1:1 train model can not only visit but also "ride", and some even move Come to the real thing.

#freehotelstay Japan was amazing! Here’s a photo from the train museum

The Railway Museum Saitama 🇯🇵

#2024wish Just had a train-tastic day at The Railway Museum in Saitama! 🚂 The 1,300 JPY entrance fee was a small fare for a journey through Japan's fascinating rail history. 💸 The museum is a paradise for locomotive enthusiasts – from vintage steam engines to sleek shinkansen, it's a rail lover's dream come true. 🚆 The interactive exhibits allow you to hop on and experience different train models firsthand. 🎟️ The outdoor railway park is a highlight – a lineup of retired trains you can explore and even step inside. The miniature train ride was a hit – felt like a kid again! 🚄👧 Located near Omiya Station, the bonsai village and Hikawa Shrine are perfect nearby spots for post-museum exploration. And don't forget the themed cafe inside the museum for a train-shaped treat! 🌳🍵 #RailwayMuseumAdventure #TrainLoverDream #SaitamaExploration #AllAboardJapan

Life Lessons from a Bonsai Tree

When in Saitama-ken, never miss to visit the underrated Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum is the first public museum in the world which is primarily dedicated to the traditional Japanese art of bonsai. Bonsai trees, aside from being famous for being elegant and resilient, were originally known as dwelling place of deities. Personally, there are many life-lessons that I learned from seeing these miniature trees: 1. Any living art, Bonsai as an easy example, requires patience and rootedness amidst the wavering seasons for it to beautifully grow. Humans as we are, we too are living arts. Thus, in order for us to come out as a masterpiece, we also have to deepen our roots and embrace the changing seasons while being patient with our growth. 2. It takes vision to come up with something great. Any bonsai artist needs to have a plan in mind before the process begins -- from the lines of its branches to the curves of its stems, an artist has to bear in his mind the way how he wants the outcome to be. In the same way, in life, it also makes a difference when we know the direction we want to head in. 3. It takes a high level of commitment and time to cultivate a bonsai tree and see its fullest potential. I even saw an eight-hundred-year-old bonsai tree in the museum! Nonetheless, it still stood strong! So to speak, a bonsai tree can endure so many generations, and its longevity and full potential are highly dependent on the generation being passed on. In the same way, we can learn from a bonsai tree that nothing beautiful happens over night. Things may even have to first endure the test of time to see its beauty unfold in the future. All in all, this trip taught me one striking concept: living life and growing a bonsai -- same difference! We are meant to grow. We are meant to endure life's seasons. Most importantly, we are meant to submit to the Greatest Artist, who knows how to grow, prune, break, and mend our branches in order to create a masterpiece in us.

Bonsai Art Museum in Saitama

#2024wish If you are interested in Bonsai, this is definitely worth a visit as the trees are the creme de la creme of bonsais. You will also have an opportunity to see a leafy suburb of Tokyo. There are no refreshments on site but a little restaurant opposite (which also doubles as a bonsai tool sales shop) which does a decent and inexpensive Japanese meal and the staff spoke good English when we visited. In 2024, I want to give my friend bonsai. She would love it.

Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Saitama 🗺️

#2024wish Just plunged myself into the peaceful realm of bonsai at Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Saitama! 🌳 Bonsai artistry provided a peaceful journey with the 700 JPY entrance fee as little investment. 💸 It is a masterpiece – from trees that have lived for centuries to modern recreations, such as each tree has its story of patience and craftsmanship. The seasonal exhibitions offer a glimpse of the ever-changing beauty in these tiny masterpieces. 🍃 Bonsai Garden is an oasis of green – 🏡 The interactive exhibits give an understanding of the art and methods used in bonsai cultivation. To watch this delicate pruning and artistic arrangements is quite fascinating. ✂️ Close by is the Omiya’s Railway Museum to link up with nature and technology, or visit Hikawa Shrine that offers an ideal cultural escape. #BonsaiBeauty #SaitamaSerenity #ArtistryInNature #OmiyaBonsaiJourney

Cherry Blossom

Kamagaya Sakura Tsutsumi is one of the famous places in Japan to enjoy cherry blossom views. “Tsutsumi” in Japanese means “embankment” or “patio,” and “sakura” of course refers to cherry blossoms. So,Kamagaya Sakura Tsutsumi is perhaps the embankment or terrace in Kamagaya which is famous for its beautiful cherry trees. Places like this are often favorite spots for picnics and enjoying the beauty of cherry blossoms during the flowering season in Japan. #cherryblossom2024

Kumagaya Tsutsumi Amazing Sakura

#cherryblossom2024 Top 100 From the end of March to the beginning of April, cherry trees along the banks of the Arakawa River dress in pale purple. You can walk along the river or have a picnic under the sakura tree. Recommended to do Stroll along the Arakawa River, admiring the cherry and rapeseed blossoms Sit with friends, food and drinks under the shade of flowering trees How to get there The Arakawa River can be reached by train. From Tokyo, go to Kumagaya Station. It's a seven-minute walk to the river from there. Trains of the Takasaki, Shonan-Shinjuku, Ueno-Tokyo and Chichibu Railway lines and the Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines stop at Kumagaya Station. Pink and yellow During the period of admiring sakura, five hundred cherry trees on two kilometers along the bank of the Arakawa River are covered with flowers. At the same time, rapeseed blooms, in Japanese - nanohana. The contrast between the lilac, pink, white flowers at the top and the yellow ones at the bottom is an impressive sight. During cherry blossom, people of all ages usually flood the quiet shore. Merchants set up kiosks here and sell snacks and drinks. There is a path along the riverbank, which is pleasant to walk along. On the way from Tokyo to Kumagai, you can watch the cherry blossoms in Omiya Park and Hikawa Temple.

Breathing 🥰 in the Beauty 😍 of Sakura🌸💎

#cherryblossom2024 Just watching people enjoying the cherry blossom festival freely makes me happy too.🥰 That was the view.😍 It was about an hour and a half by car from Saitama City... After crossing the bridge in front of the venue, I waited for an hour to enter the free parking lot🥳 It is a 5 minute walk from Kumagaya Station, so we recommend coming by train.🚆 Today, there was a Yosakoi dance performed by the locals, which entertained us.🤩 The cherry blossoms had begun to fall, but the view was still beautiful. There were more flowers left near the bridge.🌸 I was surprised to hear the steam locomotive blowing its whistle from time to time, but I was lucky to see the nostalgic Sakura train.🚂

Chichibu Railway to Chichibu for Flower Viewing.

I took advantage of the holiday to ride the Chichibu Railway to Nagatoro for a river trip to see the rock formations in mid-April, then went to the Shibazakura Hill at Hitsujiyama Park in Chichibu's Makkaji area. Chichibu also has a whisky distillery, and the Chichibu Shrine features richly colored carvings. This trip was a very satisfying nature journey, during which I also enjoyed a variety of delicious foods. The hotels there are affordable, grateful!

Hitsujiyama Park

#springblossom Hitsujiyama Park, Chichibu, is known for its attractive moss-pink field. Open hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the festival from mid-April to early May. The ticket price was just 300 yen per adult, and it’s really worth it. The ticket counter staff and other staff were really kind and friendly. The park is well maintained, and they have some beautiful flower decorations too. They had 10 types of flowers there, and those flowers are lovely and take away all stress. This hillside park is pretty crowded during festival season, but you can still enjoy it. You can enjoy a variety of foods from stoles in addition to the moss pink yard.There are plenty of food styles, which include Japanese traditional cuisine. The food was really yummy, and the vendors were really nice. When you go a few steps further, you can see a few sheep on their small farm. Sometimes we can’t actually watch sheep at the zoo, so I feel so happy. However, take my advice: if you go during peak season, please be ready to walk, or else you can get on a taxi too. I walked from Chchibu station to Hitsujiyama Park, and it took me 20 minutes, but it was a nice experience. This gorgeous park gives you fresh air to breathe. It was worth visiting this garden again, and I hope to go there next year too.

Have you ever seen a vast field of flowers? Yes, I did. And it was in Chichibu's Hitsujiyama Park. This picturesque view is blooms during the end of Spring around April and early May. The park is quite big, and these moss pink fields are located at the southern part of it. What's also great when visiting this park is that, you won't starve. They also have a lot of food stalls around. #wintergetaway