The Best Times to Visit Saitama

Hitsujiyama Park in Spring

Hitsujiyama Park is best known for its beautiful Shibazakura that blossom during April and May. Shibazakura are different from regular sakura in that, rather than blossoming in trees, they blossom on the rolling hills in fantastic colors of pink, red, and white. During the festival season of April and May, there are also farmer’s markets within the park that sell delicious locally-grown produce, making it a great place for lunch or a picnic as well!

 

If you’re into Ghibli, Kurosuke’s House and the surrounding forests are a must-visit if you are in the Saitama area. Kurosuke’s house is an old-fashioned Showa Era house-turned museum that also has a forest around it known as “Totoro’s forest”. Live out your fantasy of exploring and playing with Totoro in the Japanese summer! A Charity organization known as the Totoro Fund pays to preserve the forest in its original state, in honor of the movie. You can visit the museum, but there are specific days when the museum is open and the time it is open is also very specific, so be careful.

 

This park is inspired by the Finnish cartoon “Moomin”, as many of the buildings are straight out of the fantasy land. It is a popular children’s entertainment destination, and is especially beautiful during autumn when the surrounding mountainside is beautifully red and orange. You can also go inside of the buildings, including a “Big Mushroom” house full of furniture straight out of the cartoon.

Ofuro Café Utatane in Winter

Ever want to read a book, or drink tea and coffee, or just eat normally, while taking a bath? At Utatane, the Ofuro Café, you can do exactly that. Located in Saitama prefecture, Utatane is the perfect place to take a whole day to relax and enjoy a nice book, and for a little extra, get the spa treatment. The Café also has its own library with manga, as well as a computer to relax and watch videos online, and hammocks to take a nap before getting back into the hot springs once again. Relax your body after a tired, cold winter day.