Coedo Beer Festival 2019

Every year, local brewery Coedo throws a little shindig to celebrate the joys of craft brewing. They invite tons of local vendors, do some interesting collaborative brews, and offer all sorts of entertainment for the fine people of Kawagoe.

Kawagoe Million Light Festival

Japan has no shortage of festivals, especially not in a city with lots of history and culture like Kawagoe. Towards the end of July, the city strings up lanterns and other lights all along the historic Coedo (Kurazukuri) district to celebrate the Million Light Festival (Hyakuman Matsuri – 百万灯まつり ).

Japanese Fortunes and Luck: Ema and Omikuji

Aside from washing your hands and praying, there are a few fortune-related activities one can partake in at a traditional Shinto Shrine or Buddhist Temple: Hanging an Ema and braving the Omikuji. For your consideration, here is a brief primer on each as they relate to my personal experiences visiting many, many different Shinto shrines […]

Dinner at Hatsuneya Garden

Ever since we gave a course meal a go at Commander’s Palace, we’ve been intrigued by what different restaurants have to offer. Luckily, we have a very well-established restaurant in our very own city that offered a course menu with some more Western-styled offerings, but, was nonetheless, a very Japanese experience.