Exploring Prefectures: Saitama, Japan

Hi Everyone, 

My name is Izavelle Martos and this is when I spent the weekend in Saitama! 

While my host university was in the heart of Tokyo, Japan (Aoyama Gakuin University)…I found myself craving more country side views. I pitched to my friends that we could spend less money while still having a great time IF we chose to do a weekend stay-cation in Saitama. Saitama is only 2 hours of a train ride away from Tokyo and for 6 people we each paid $35 each for our Air-Bnb! Which was a steal because our place was so cute!

More Importantly, we spent the weekend exploring the neighborhoods which allowed us to talk with the locals…they held a festival in the neighborhood and what felt like an Ewa Beach Block Party was really a Saitama Neighborhood Summer Festival. I ate tons of fresh food from many family businesses and even got myself an Chiikawa masks to sit on the side of my head during the festival. A lot of people do this at festivals especially of characters they really like. I had such an amazing time, I explored a new neighborhood, and I got to destress before finals. 

I highly recommend that when you study abroad in Japan…visit the close by prefectures like: Yokohama, Nikko, and especially Saitama! Also, don’t forget to find the time to sit at the park, watch the sunset, and cut open a watermelon! Thanks for Reading. (*^ω^*)