JAPAN PHOTOS by Philbert Ono

Hitsujiyama Koen Park is most famous for Shibazakura or moss pink during mid-April to early May. Over a million people visit the park during this period to see eight varieties of moss pink. A spectacular carpet of flowers spread over 16,000 sq. meters. Easily walkable from Yokoze Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line. Harder to walk from Seibu Chichibu Station.

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Held on Dec. 2-3 by Chichibu Shrine, this is one of Japan's Big Three Hikiyama Float Festivals. Ornate floats are pulled along the city's main streets until they reach a large plaza at night where they are lit with lanterns. Fireworks then serve as the climax. Also see the video at YouTube.

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Other sights in Chichibu, Saitama Pref.

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Sakitama Fire Festival in Gyoda, Saitama. Photos were taken on May 4, 2005. Also see the video at YouTube.

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This park has numerous ancient burial mounds called "kofun" in Japanese. The word "Sakitama" is also the precursor for the name "Saitama."

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Hanno in Saitama Prefecture holds its Hina Matsuri as a citywide exhibition of hina dolls and hanging decorations centering on two main streets in central Hanno, near JR Higashi Hanno Station and Hanno Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line. The festival is held from mid-Feb. to March 3.

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Scenes around Hanno Station and the main roads.

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Giant Kite Festival held on May 3, 2005. The sunny weather and wind conditions were perfect for giant kite flying. Showa-machi has merged with Kasukabe. Also see the video at YouTube.

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Pictures of the Giant Kite Museum near the river bank where the Giant Kite Festival is held in early May.

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A parade of ornate floats during the day and evening in the city's old town of traditional buildings. Around 15 floats appear during the festival. Held on the third weekend in Oct. These photos were taken in Oct. 2004. Also see the video at YouTube.

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Tendai Buddhist temple and one of the city's most famous sights, best know for 500 stone statues of Rakan Buddhist disciples with diverse and unique facial expressions.

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The Honmaru Goten Palace offers a hint of the castle's glory days. There is no castle tower. The castle was originally built in 1457 upon the order of Lord Uesugi Mochitomo. During the Edo Period, the castle served as Edo's northern guard. The Honmaru Goten was built in 1848.

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Other sights in Kawagoe, also called "Ko-Edo" or Little Edo.

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Toyama Memorial Museum is a most impressive thatched-roof home built in 1936 by Kawajima-native Toyama Gen'ichi (遠山元一 1890–1972), the founder of Nikko Securities, as a home for his mother. After the death of his mother, he used the home to entertain guests. The home is now owned by the Toyama Memorial Museum Foundation.

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Kinbue Syoyu Park offers a factory tour of their soy sauce (shoyu) factory operated by Fueki Syoyu Brewing Co. (笛木醤油株式会社). Their shoyu products are sold under the "Kinbue" brand name (金笛). They've been in business since 1789.

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One of Japan's biggest Hina Matsuri doll festivals is held at Konosu, Saitama from mid-February to March 3, Girls' Day. The main site is Konosu City Hall lobby with its huge, 7-meter-high pyramid with over 1,800 hina dolls. On weekends when it's not raining, they also display 2,000 hina dolls on the front porch. Another festival site is the Elumi Konosu Shopping Mall in front of Konosu Station. They have a smaller pyramid of dolls and stage entertainment on the 1st floor's Central Court.

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A 30-40 min. train ride from central Tokyo is Shin-Koshigaya Station on the Tobu Isezaki Line (via Hanzomon/Hibiya subway line) and JR Minami-Koshigaya Station where one of the largest Awa Odori festivals in the Kanto region is held during a weekend in late Aug. It's unique for having numerous venues both outdoors and indoors where over 60 dance troupes performed. These photos were taken on Aug. 22, 2009. Also see my YouTube video here.

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Menuma Shodenzan Kangiin temple's main Honden Hall is a magnificent work of art with numerous wooden sculptures. Menuma Shodenzan Kangiin temple features the colorful Gongen-style of architecture which is also found in Toshogu Shrine in Nikko, Tochigi. Saitama Prefecture's sole building designated as a National Treasure. A short bus ride from JR Kumagaya Station.

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The climax of this festival of ornate floats on the final evening on July 22, 2013. Twelve floats with noisy musicians paraded around central Kumagaya, Saitama, Japan from 5:30 pm and gathered at the main festival plaza for the climax at 8:45 pm. I followed them from Nakasendo Road near Yagihashi Dept. Store to the main festival plaza. After 30 min. of useless speeches (not recorded in the video) by local politicians, etc., the 12 floats converged at the plaza at around 8:45 pm. The floats have mannequins depicting legendary figures like as emperor, samurai, etc. The climax included a ceremony to transfer the Nenban job (festival chairman) to the next group for next year's festival. Also see my YouTube video.

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Rugby World Cup 2019 match at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture. Argentina vs. USA on Oct. 9, 2019. Los Pumas vs. Eagles. Great hospitality by all in Kumagaya.

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Kumagai-shuku was the 8th station on the old Nakasendo Road. Today, it's near JR Kumagaya Station. Hardly nothing is left of the shukuba, but it is interesting to see the old Nakasendo Road going through a department store named Yagihashi.

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Okegawa-juku was the 6th lodging town (shukuba 宿場) on the old Nakasendo Road (中山道) that connected Tokyo (Edo) and Kyoto through an interior route passing through Saitama, Gunma, Nagano, Gifu, and Shiga Prefectures. It was about 526 km long and had 69 lodging towns where travelers could lodge and water their horses. A few buildings from this era still remains.

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Benibana Furusato-kan Hall (べに花ふるさと館) is mainly a restaurant for udon and soba noodles. It was originally a late 19th century home of an industrialist. It also offers udon-making lessons. From JR Okegawa Station, take the bus and get off at "Benibana Furusatokan-mae."

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Opened in October 2007, the Railway Museum in Saitama is one of Japan's largest train museums. The highlight exhibits include the first locomotive that was used for Japan's first train line between Shimbashi and Yokohama, the 0 Series first-generation Tokaido shinkansen, the 0 Series first-generation Tohoku shinkansen, and sleeper trains. Near Tetsudo-Hakubutsukan Station on the New Shuttle line, one stop from Omiya Station.

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Before merging with the city of Saitama in 2001, Omiya was a city in itself. It is now a ward (Omiya-ku) of Saitama city. Omiya (Great Shrine) is named after Hikawa Shrine, a short distance from Omiya Station.

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Multi-purpose indoor arena and Tokyo 2020 Olympic venue for basketball. Capacity around 20,000. Opened in 2000. Unique for its movable seat blocks and movable ceiling. Near JR Saitama Shin-toshin Station.

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Large soccer stadium built for the Soccer World Cup in 2002 and now home of the Urawa Reds. These photos were taken during the Vodafone Cup with the Urawa Reds vs. Manchester United on July 30, 2005. Over 58,000 fans attended. Also see the video at YouTube.

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The 32nd Kita-Urawa Awa Odori folk dance was held on September 5, 2009 from 6 pm to 9 pm near JR Kita-Urawa Station on the Keihin-Tohoku Line in Saitama, Japan. A total of 11 awa odori troupes participated. Also see my YouTube video here.

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Gogendo Park is famous for cherry blossoms and rapeseed flowers (nanohana) blooming together in a large, slender park. About an hour by train from Tokyo. Highly recommended and well worth the trip from Tokyo. I like the meaning of "Satte" which means "happy hand."

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Spectacular air show at Iruma Air Base in Saitama, Japan on Nov. 3, 2010. A bevy of aircraft put on a show for 280,000 people climaxed by the awesome Blue Impulse Aerobatic Team. Also see my YouTube video here.

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Near Toda Koen Station on the JR Saikyo Line, the Toda Boat Course is Tokyo's main venue for rowing clubs and races. During Aug. 24-27, 2006, the 33rd All-Japan Intercollegiate Rowing Championship was held (won by Nihon Univ.). These photos were taken on the first and last days of the regatta. 第33回全日本大学選手権大会・第46回オックスフォード盾レガッタ

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Tokorozawa is noted as the location of Japan's first airport built in 1911 with a 400-meter runway. The facility soon expanded with an aviation school and air force base which was taken over by the US after WWII in 1945. After the base was returned to Japan in 1971, the base was converted into a public park called Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park (Tokorozawa Koku Ki'nen Koen 所沢航空記念公園). The original runway is now a road in the park, and the Aviation Museum (Tokorozawa Kōkū Hasshō Kinenkan) opened in 1993.

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