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Saitama

Little Edo, rivers, and room to breathe.

Mayuno · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗

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Nagatoro

Hodosan Okumiya

A ropeway runs to the summit, looking down on the rock terraces of Nagatoro.

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Carbonium · CC BY 3.0 ↗

Nagatoro

Hodosan Jinja

Its name is said to come from a legend in which a fire was stopped: the mountain where fire halted. A ropeway runs up to the inner shrine.

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Carbonium · CC BY 3.0 ↗

Hanyu

Kenpukuji, Hanyu

The temple that is the setting of the novel Inaka Kyoshi.

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Abasaa · Public domain ↗

Ogano

Ryokami Jinja

It worships Mount Ryokami. Wolves stand in place of guardian lions.

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Ebiebi2 · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

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ChichibuFood & Markets, Shrines & Temples · 21 entries

SaitamaShrines & Temples, Art & Crafts · 17 entries

KawagoeShrines & Temples, Historic Districts · 11 entries

GyodaHistoric Districts, Shrines & Temples · 11 entries

HannoHistoric Districts, Shrines & Temples · 10 entries

NagatoroHistoric Districts, Shrines & Temples · 9 entries

FEATURESaitama now (autumn)Brilliant foliage transforms Nagatoro and Nakatsu Gorge.See the feature Nori Norisa · CC BY 4.0

Enter the Flood TempleTour the vast columned chamber of the Metropolitan Area Outer Discharge Channel.

Tour Chichibu TemplesVisit temples of the historic Chichibu 34 Kannon pilgrimage.

Stroll Little EdoWalk among traditional storehouses and the iconic Toki no Kane bell tower.

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REGIONAL SPECIALTIES

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It is not only the big cities. The regions are full of charm, and special experiences you can only have in each place are waiting.

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THINGS TO DO / 6

Things to do in this prefecture

Choose from what you can only do here.

01Stroll Little EdoWalk among traditional storehouses and the iconic Toki no Kane bell tower.See related entries →江戸村のとくぞう · CC BY-SA 4.0

02Cruise NagatoroRide the Arakawa River past rapids and Nagatoro's layered rock formations.See related entries →Umako · CC0

03Tour Chichibu TemplesVisit temples of the historic Chichibu 34 Kannon pilgrimage.See related entries →fum3670045 · CC BY 3.0

04Explore Railway HistoryDiscover Japanese railway history through real trains and simulators.See related entries →kanegen · CC BY 2.0

05Enter the Flood TempleTour the vast columned chamber of the Metropolitan Area Outer Discharge Channel.See related entries →東京『財界人物選集』刊行会 · Public domain

06Discover Bonsai CultureExperience living bonsai traditions in Omiya Bonsai Village and its museum.See related entries →Umako · CC0

NEED TO KNOW

At a glance

AirportNearest: Haneda Airport (Tokyo)
ShinkansenOmiya Station
From TokyoAbout 30 min by train (Tokyo–Omiya)
Best seasonAll year (highlights change by season)
Local specialtiesMusashino udon · Soka rice crackers · Waraji katsudon
Typical temperatureSummer: around 27°C / Winter: around 4°C

See all 296 entries in this prefecture →

BEST TIME TO TRAVEL

What each season brings

Takashi Hososhima · CC BY-SA 2.0

Spring

MAR–MAY

Moss pink and cherry blossoms brighten Hitsujiyama Park and Nagatoro.

See recommendations for this season →

ちちびあん · CC BY-SA 4.0

Summer

JUN–AUG

Cool off with river boating in Nagatoro and walks through Chichibu's valleys.

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Nori Norisa · CC BY 4.0

Autumn

SEP–NOV

Brilliant foliage transforms Nagatoro and Nakatsu Gorge.

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panotest001 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Winter

DEC–FEB

Floats and fireworks electrify the winter night at the Chichibu Night Festival.

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LOCAL FOOD / 12

Local food

What people have long eaten in this place. We collect the dishes themselves, not restaurants.

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Saitama no udon

Hand-made udon, kneaded from wheat flour with salt and water, rested, then rolled out with a rolling pin and cut. Besides being boiled and dipped in broth, it is also eaten simmered together with vegetables. It is made all over the prefecture against the background of its wheat production.

Area：Throughout the prefecture

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

Hiya jiru/Suttate

Sesame and miso are ground together in a suribachi (mortar), plenty of vegetables such as cucumber, green shiso and myoga are added, and it is thinned with cold water. Udon is dipped in it, or it is poured over rice. In Kawajima the vegetables are ground in the mortar too, and the dish is called suttate.

Area：Kawajima, Iruma area, northern part of the prefecture

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

Niboto／Himokawa

A noodle dish in which raw noodles, made by kneading wheat flour with water and salt, rolling the dough thin and cutting it into wide strips, are simmered in dashi with daikon, carrot, Chinese cabbage and taro, and seasoned with soy sauce. In Fukaya, plenty of Fukaya green onion is added.

Area：Fukaya, Iruma District, Hiki District, Chichibu area

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

Jelly Fry

Okara soy pulp and boiled, mashed potato are mixed with stir-fried carrot and green onion, shaped into an oval, deep-fried without batter, and then dipped in sauce.

Area：Gyoda

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

Furai

A flour-based dish in which wheat flour dissolved in water is poured thinly onto an iron griddle, chopped green onion and pork are added, and both sides are pressed down as it cooks, then brushed with sauce or a soy sauce glaze. Green laver may be sprinkled on, or an egg cracked in.

Area：Gyoda

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

Miso Poteto

Potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces and boiled are coated in a batter of wheat flour and water, deep-fried, and topped with a miso sauce made from miso with sugar and sake added.

Area：Chichibu region

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

Iga manju

A sweet made by wrapping a bun filled with red bean paste in sekihan red rice and steaming it. Some cover the whole bun and some have the red rice only placed on top, and sesame is sometimes sprinkled on the red rice.

Area：Konosu, Kazo, Hanyu, Gyoda

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

Shio anbin

A sweet in which red bean paste seasoned with salt instead of sugar is wrapped in mochi pounded from glutinous rice. When eaten, it may be dipped in sugar, or brushed with soy sauce and grilled.

Area：Kuki, Kazo, Gyoda

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

Katemeshi

Vegetables such as dried shiitake mushrooms, zuiki taro stems, carrot and daikon, together with fried tofu and shirataki noodles, are stir-fried and simmered with soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar, then mixed into cooked rice, vinegared rice or tea-cooked rice. In the Chichibu area a version with wild mountain vegetables is also handed down.

Area：Chichibu region, Saitama, Hiki District, Iruma area

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

Yakitori

Kashira, the meat from a pig's head, and green onion are put alternately on skewers, grilled over charcoal and sprinkled with salt. It is eaten with a miso sauce made by mixing white miso with chili pepper, garlic, sesame oil and mirin.

Area：Higashimatsuyama

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

Tsumikko

A soup in which dough kneaded from wheat flour and water and left to rest is torn by hand into a dashi broth in which shiitake mushrooms, carrot and long green onion have been simmered, cooked through and seasoned with soy sauce.

Area：Chichibu area, Honjo

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

Shoten-zushi

A combination of inari sushi, made from large pieces of fried tofu about 13 centimeters long simmered sweet and savory in soy sauce and sugar and stuffed with vinegared rice, and rolled sushi with dried gourd strips or denbu fish flakes at the center.

Area：Menuma area, Kumagaya

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

MICHI-NO-EKI / 21

Michi-no-Eki roadside stations

RestInformationLocal links

Rest facilities registered by Japan's national government. Each has parking and toilets open 24 hours, and by definition includes a facility that sells local products. This is where the making and the food of this prefecture can actually be bought.

ArakawaChichibuRegistered April 1993Official site
OgawamachiOgawa, Hiki DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
Kawaguchi AngyoKawaguchiRegistered March 1994Official site
Otaki OnsenChichibuRegistered August 1995Official site
OkabeFukayaRegistered April 1996Official site
HanazonoFukayaRegistered April 1998Official site
Doyo-no-Furusato OtoneKazoRegistered April 1998Official site
Ryusei KaikanChichibuRegistered April 1998Official site
Ryokami Onsen Yakushi-no-YuOgano, Chichibu DistrictRegistered August 1999Official site
KawamotoFukayaRegistered August 2000Official site
MenumaKumagayaRegistered August 2000Official site
ChichibuChichibuRegistered August 2001Official site

There are 21 stations in this prefecture in all (national registry).

Source: MLIT register of Michi-no-Eki

LOCAL ACCOUNTS / 2

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CITIES & TOWNS / 47

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INTERESTS / 15

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Saitama

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Meet the Japan you don't know yet.

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Things to do in this prefecture

At a glance

What each season brings

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

Local food

Saitama no udon

Hiya jiru/Suttate

Niboto／Himokawa

Jelly Fry

Furai

Miso Poteto

Iga manju

Shio anbin

Katemeshi

Yakitori

Tsumikko

Shoten-zushi

Michi-no-Eki roadside stations

People posting this area

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Where locals eat!7 entries

Shrines & Temples30 entries

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