TRAVEL JOURNAL: KEITA-San From OMIYA!

KAWAGOE

Kawagoe (川越) is not too far from Minamiurawa. It takes about 30 minutes by train (JR lines). It became known as the town of Kurazukuri: it means old town, and it had been existing from the Edo period. Due to the effort from the local people, this district has retained its scenery until now. Nowadays, it is called "Little Edo", and it is famous as "a day trip destination" from Tokyo. By the way, I love food, especially traditional ones, and I must say that the food in Kawagoe is so tasty, that will be impressed in your mind, and taste buds, for a long time...as it happened to me! One of my favourites is Fu-Gashi (Japanese traditional sweet snack): it's about 1m long. Moreover, you get very thirsty when you eat it because it deprives of moisture from your mouth. If you're a person who likes challenges, you can't miss it!

“Omiya Ardija”(A professional soccer team in Japan League, “J-league”)

There are two soccer teams in Saitama Prefecture, such as Urawa Reds and Omiya Ardija (like AC Milan and Inter Milano). Two have been belonging on the Japan pro-soccer league (like Serie-A). They are well known to be rivals since their creation. Therefore, this match is known as the hottest game in J-league. The road leading the home stadium of Omiya Ardija is a long leafy street (it takes about 20min from Omiya Station). After walking that street, you can find the Hikawa shrine, which is famous in the Saitama prefecture, because surrounding the shrine there is a large park in which there are many cherry blossom trees, a zoo and a museum. This shrine is on the same site as the stadium. I strongly recommend taking the time and wandering around that area, especially after watching the soccer game.