Saitama Hidden Gems
Tokyo's northern neighbour, where an Edo-era merchant town, river valleys and long-standing craft traditions sit half an hour from Ikebukuro.
6 spots
Climate & Best Season
Hot, humid summers (Kumagaya regularly tops Japan's charts) and dry, sunny winters. Spring and autumn are most comfortable.
Famous For (Food)
- Soba
- Unagi
- Sayama tea
- Kusadango
Signature Sights
- Kawagoe 'Little Edo'
- Chichibu valley & Mitsumine Shrine
- Nagatoro river boating
- Hitsujiyama Park shibazakura
Kawagoe Kurazukuri Street — Little Edo Merchant District
Kawagoe's Kurazukuri Street (蔵造りの町並み) preserves one of Japan's most complete Edo-period merchant districts — over 30 cla…
Toki no Kane — Time Bell Tower Ringing Since 1624
The Toki no Kane (時の鐘, 'Bell of Time') is Kawagoe's symbol — a wooden bell tower rising 16 meters above the merchant dis…
Chichibu Night Festival — Fire, Floats, and Fireworks
The Chichibu Yomatsuri (秩父夜祭, Night Festival, December 2–3) is one of Japan's three greatest hikiyama festivals — six ma…
Railway Museum — Japan's Train History Cathedral
The Railway Museum (鉄道博物館, Tetsudo Hakubutsukan) is one of the world's finest train museums — 28,000 square meters housi…
Omiya Bonsai Village — Living Art Garden District
Omiya Bonsai Village (大宮盆栽村) is a unique neighborhood dedicated entirely to bonsai cultivation — six historic nurseries…
Moomin Valley Park — Finnish Forest in Saitama
Moomin Valley Park (ムーミンバレーパーク) is Japan's only theme park dedicated to Tove Jansson's beloved Moomin characters — a 40-…