When to travel?
The weather in Saitama is mild, with a hot temperature in summer. There is no snow during winter time.
Best season: Mar-Nov (Jun is monsoon, Jul-Aug could be too hot)
Cherry blossoms: end of Mar to early Apr
Foliage: mid Nov to early Dec
Events / Festivals
May: Yorii Hojo festival (寄居北條まつり), Yorii 寄居
July: Oze Shishimai lion dance festival (大瀬の獅子舞), Yashio 八潮
July: Kumagai fan festival (熊谷うちわ祭), Kumagai 熊谷
Aug: Tokorozawa festival (ところざわまつり), Tokorozawa 所沢
Nov: Hanno festival (飯能祭), Hanno 飯能
Dec: Chichibu night festival (秩父の夜祭), Chichibu 秩父
Touristic spots
Capital city: Saitama (さいたま)
Capital of Saitama is Saitama city, which is also the capital of north Kanto region. With more than one million of population and the small land, the population density is quite high. As many people are commuting from this city to Tokyo, the difference of the population during a night and day is quite big as well.
Kawagoe (川越)
This is the number one touristic spot in Saitama which is also known as Little Edo. Edo is a former name of Tokyo and this name is given only to the cities that reminds us of good-old times of Tokyo.
You may walk on the old street full of nostalgic items wearing Kimono, visit Kitain temple (喜多院) and the very best local cuisine, which is eel, and then ship a cup of Japanese tea with traditional red bean sweet.
Chichibu (秩父)
Chichibu is a city located at the western part of Saitama, which most of the city is nominated as the National Park of Chichibu Tama Kai (秩父多摩甲斐国立公園). In December, a famous festival called Chichibu night festival (秩父夜祭) is held, which has more than 300 years of history. The festival is also nominated as the Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
Nagatoro (長瀞)
Nagatoro is another touristic spot in Saitama. Nagatoro is a name of the gorge that is located in the mountains of Chichibu area in Saitama. With the stream of Arakawa river (荒川), we can enjoy a boat ride, which is full of exciting moments with beautiful sceneries. The area also has some camping sites.