The newly formed city of Saitama that is just half an hour by train from north of Tokyo, has several undiscovered spots including beautiful cherry blossom viewing spots, old streets, splendid natural locations and a few historic towns!
Kawagoe
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The historic town of Kawagoe is filled with historical buildings, souvenir shops, restaurants, shrines, and an old castle town of the 19th century (Edo Period)!
Don't miss out on tasting Japan's longest candy, about 95cm long, at one of the small candy shops in Kashiya Yokocho!
Yoshimi
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How about visiting a mysterious place and explore Japan's largest historic ruin? Once you reach Yoshimi, you will be greeted to a hundred small rock formations i.e. caves!
These caves are internally covered with natural luminescent moss towards the end of the hill, which is a rare phenomenon! Though walking to the end of the cave is prohibited, you can still witness the glow from a long distance, once you are inside the cave.
Hitsujiyama Park
3.
Located at the base of Mt. Bukoh, the planting of moss phlox began in around 2000 and with the increasing number of flowers, every year, the place is a popular tourist spot!
From mid-April to mid-May, the flowers of varied colors ranging from dark & light pink, white, violet, blue and of petals of different shapes, blossom at the park, creating a gorgeous scenery to witness!
Omiya
4.
The Railway museum located in Omiya is the largest museum of its kind in the country. From old to modern locomotives on display, the museum is a great place to visit with kids!
At the museum, don't forget to experience the driving simulation of locomotives and modern trains!
Hikawa Shrine
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The Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Shrine used to be the head Shinto shrine of the Musashi Province! The shrine has a tall torii gate and a lot of secondary shrines, and a two-storied Romon Gate.
The God of Seas and Storm, Susanoo, sits at the shrine, making it one of the most important one. On the hatsumode occasion, it is the most-visited shrine in Japan.
Misotsuchi
6.
If you are visiting Saitama during winters, you can witness the beautiful icicles at Misotsuchi! These naturally-formed marvels are about 30m wide x 10m high.
You can witness this spectacular scene during mid-January to mid-February, with colorful illumination settings at night.
Nagatoro
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With several camping sites available in the lap of nature, at Nagatoro, there's no dearth of things to do here! You can get on a river cruise on a wooden boat and enjoy a ride.
Don't forget to visit the long tunnel of 1500 cherry blossom trees which is a popular tourist attraction. The cherry blossom trees during spring and red-tint leaves in autumn are a delightful sight to witness!