summer vacation excursion

I went a little further afield during the Obon holidays last week. "Obon" is a holiday in Japan from around the 13th to the 16th of August.

The Obon period is a very important period for Japanese people.

Because it is said that the souls of the dead can return to this world during that period.

Therefore, many Japanese take a break from work during this period, gather with family and relatives, and worship the souls of their deceased family members and ancestors.

I also took a week off during that period.

In the first half, I worshiped my relatives and the spirits of my ancestors, but in the second half, I went on a trip with my family a little further away.

The place I visited this time is an area called "Koedo" in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture.

It is a townscape that reproduces Japan when there were samurai, and it is very tasteful.

I've wanted to go there for a long time, so I visited during this vacation!

Rows of buildings recreating old Japanese townscapes

Feels like time travel 150 years ago

Many people strolling around the city were wearing yukata

By the way, there are several shops in this town that rent yukata for foreigners and tourists.

It was nice to see people wearing colorful yukata.

The shop sells many traditional Japanese arts.

This is a "chopstick rest"

Made of glass, various colors are very beautiful

This is a store specializing in chopsticks.

Chopsticks with various colors, patterns and materials are sold.

Especially foreign tourists seemed to buy a lot

Chopsticks with wonderful hand-drawn patterns may be nice to decorate as an interior decoration.

This is the mask of "Fox"

Traditional Japanese design

I saw a lot of people who bought this as an interior

It really has a "Japan!" feel to it, and it's sure to be irresistible for people who like old Japanese designs!

This is a "rickshaw"

You can ride a rickshaw that doubles as a tourist guide in this town

The displays in each shop also have an atmosphere of ancient Japan.

please look!

Even Starbucks Coffee is a Japanese-style building like this

What did you think?

There are several towns in Japan that retain such old Japanese styles.

If you ever come to Japan for sightseeing, visiting these towns might be fun!

I hope this article will spark your interest in Japan.

Thank you for reading it until the very end