For many years, Japan had been a country that foreign tourists overlooked. This might seem a bit funny at first, considering how influential Japanese cuisine, manga, anime, video games, and technology have been. It was not uncommon to see Western media talk about Japan and the wonders of The Land of the Rising Sun, from…

by Zoria Petkoska Author’s Photo Puffing and smoking, the SL Paleo Express pulls into Kumagaya station and it seems we’ve all found ourselves in a time slip. Yet, that very time slip magic is what people come for every weekend – some riding the train, some waiting along the tracks to see it passing. Some…

Kumagaya City, host of three Rugby World Cup games in September and October, is a great place to enjoy the last of the summer months and cool down with some outstanding frozen dessert. Japan’s “hottest city” has a proud rugby history, spanning all the way back to 1967 when it hosted rugby matches during the…

  Heading to Kumagaya Stadium during your time at the Rugby World Cup this year? Saitama City is just a stone’s throw away, and it’s a great destination for sports fanatics looking to explore a local, welcoming city—one that loves sports as much as they do. Saitama City is just a 40-minute train ride from…

Rugby World Cup host city Kumagaya is offering international rugby fans the chance to sample Japanese sake while riding on its scenic mountain train, the SL Paleo Express. The SL Paleo Express is a steam locomotive that runs through Chichibu between Kumagaya City and Chichibu City in Saitama Prefecture. From September 1 through October 14,…

Around the world, the name Toyota (豊田) is most commonly associated with the wildly famous brand of cars. However, did you know that the car shares its name with a city in Aichi prefecture (愛知県) in central Japan? The birthplace of Toyota cars, the city actually changed its name in the 1950s to match the…