Missing Kawagoe more than ever

I am currently out of Japan for five months. I miss my family back in Japan, I miss the seasonal flowers, I miss some of the food, but more than ever, I miss Kawagoe this week. The reason I am missing Kawagoe, my second home, so much this week is because it is the week of the Kawagoe Festival. A festival I attend every year and the highlight of my annual event calendar.

The festival isn't on until Saturday and Sunday (18th and 19th of October 2025), but what most people don't realize is that the festival bunting goes up a few days in advance. Usually the Tuesday, today, before the festival. I have a long standing tradition of visiting the tourist area of Kawagoe the days before the festival to take in the atmosphere. It really gears me up for the main event. Moreover, on those walks I often get to see the festival floats being taken out of their storage sheds and assembled from scratch, as you can see in this City-cost post.  I also get to see the individual districts practising for the festival, be that traditional music, dance, ohayashi or hashigo-nori.

If you can't make the Kawagoe Festival, but have free time this week, how about popping along to Kawagoe to soak up some of the pre-festival atmosphere. While you're there, try some of Kawagoe's famous sweet potato - its prime season for them too!