Trending...
- KLEKT Announces Appointment of Jay Kimpton to Board of Directors
- Tacoma City Council Restricts Unauthorized Use of Public Property for Civil Immigration Enforcement
- Tacoma: City Manager Hyun Kim to Present 'Roadmap to Recovery' on May 12
OGAWAMACHI, Japan - Washingtoner -- About 90 minutes northwest of Tokyo's Ikebukuro Station, on the Tobu Tojo Line, Ogawamachi, in Saitama Prefecture, prospered as a bustling town with numerous markets during the Edo period. Often called a "Little Kyoto," it is today designated as "Saitama Prefecture's Historical Model District," where buildings such as Nagaya townhouses and warehouses still remain. Here, visitors can experience laid-back Saitama culture, tour a saké brewery, enjoy hot springs and stay overnight at Ogawa Onsen Kawara no Yu, and try Japanese papermaking, a 1300-year-old local craft. The technique for making Hosokawa-shi – the specific regional Saitama washi, which uses only Japanese kozo – mulberry fiber, was designated one of Japan's Important Intangible Cultural Properties in 1978, and was registered as an Intangible Cultural Property by UNESCO in 2014. Visitors can experience making this traditional paper at Ogawa Washi Learning Center.
More on Washingtoner
This charming town is also famous for its festivals.
In Ogawamachi, seasonal flowers such as cherry blossoms, dogtooth violets and spider lilies bloom in profusion, and there is also a butterfly release event for Oomurasaki, the Japanese "national butterfly," the Great Purple. Other festivals are also held throughout the year. The Tanabata Festival in July is particularly colorful, making abundant use of Ogawa's washi paper, and the Washi Paper Festival itself in November celebrates this town's most famous traditional craft.
Events and Festivals
April
Yotsuyama Shrine Festival at Yotsuyama Shrine - Yotsuyama Peak, Takami Castle (1125 Takami, Ogawamachi or 1008 Takami, Ogawamachi)
June
Purple Emperor Butterfly Festival at the forest of dogtooth violets and purple emperors (25-minute walk from Ogawamachi Station)
July
77th Ogawamachi Tanabata Festival - The main area is around Ogawamachi station and fireworks at the Miharashi no Oka Park. More info: Ogawamachi Tanabata Festival Executive Committee, Tel: 0493-72-0280 (Japanese only)
November
Ogawa Washi Festival throughout the town
For more information on Ogawamachi its attractions, experiences, and festivals, visit: https://saitama-supportdesk.com/courses/post-29108/. Phone calls can also be made to Ogawa Town Hall, Lively Creation Division, Tel: 0493-72-1221, but in Japanese only.
More on Washingtoner
***Festival Dates and contents are subject to change.
About Tobu Railway Group
TOBU Railway Co., Ltd. is a major Japanese corporation consisting of approximately 80 companies. The Tobu Railway covers the longest operating distance in Metropolitan Tokyo, leading to numerous tourist attractions including: Asakusa and TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN in Tokyo; Nikko and Kinugawa-Onsen, famous for its world heritage sites and hot springs; the Tatebayashi and Ashikaga areas, known for their blooming flower fields; and Kawagoe and Tochigi City, where the atmosphere of the old Edo era lives on. Tobu is also invested in a portfolio of hotels, including the newly opened The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko and FUFU Nikko Onsen Resort. For more information visit: https://www.tobu.co.jp/en/sightseeing/recommend/tourism/
More on Washingtoner
- $224 Billion Growing Market in Life Settlements Presents Major Opportunity for New Policy Acquisition Business Plan: DLT Resolution Stock Symbol: DLTI
- Fyt-02 Launches on Kickstarter The Smart Sensor That Turns Any Chair Into a Posture & Movement Track
- YieldOMega Launches $DOUB Airdrop Campaign Ahead of TimeCurve Launch
- Kaltra Expands Microchannel Water Coil Line for U.S. HVAC Market With New Corrosion-Resistant Tube Technology
- Collectibles EvoRelic Celebrates Stellar 4.8-Star Customer Rating
This charming town is also famous for its festivals.
In Ogawamachi, seasonal flowers such as cherry blossoms, dogtooth violets and spider lilies bloom in profusion, and there is also a butterfly release event for Oomurasaki, the Japanese "national butterfly," the Great Purple. Other festivals are also held throughout the year. The Tanabata Festival in July is particularly colorful, making abundant use of Ogawa's washi paper, and the Washi Paper Festival itself in November celebrates this town's most famous traditional craft.
Events and Festivals
April
Yotsuyama Shrine Festival at Yotsuyama Shrine - Yotsuyama Peak, Takami Castle (1125 Takami, Ogawamachi or 1008 Takami, Ogawamachi)
June
Purple Emperor Butterfly Festival at the forest of dogtooth violets and purple emperors (25-minute walk from Ogawamachi Station)
July
77th Ogawamachi Tanabata Festival - The main area is around Ogawamachi station and fireworks at the Miharashi no Oka Park. More info: Ogawamachi Tanabata Festival Executive Committee, Tel: 0493-72-0280 (Japanese only)
November
Ogawa Washi Festival throughout the town
For more information on Ogawamachi its attractions, experiences, and festivals, visit: https://saitama-supportdesk.com/courses/post-29108/. Phone calls can also be made to Ogawa Town Hall, Lively Creation Division, Tel: 0493-72-1221, but in Japanese only.
More on Washingtoner
- Phoenix Hip-hop Artist Rhymi Hits 23k Monthly Listeners 12 Days After Album Release
- Pediatrician Launches "Confessions of a Detective Doctor" Children's Book Series
- Integrated Maintenance Platforms Are Transforming Aircraft Operations
- T. Jones Group's Cameron Jones Serves as Judge for the 2026 CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence
- Derek Advanced Tracking Systems Revolutionizes Asset Monitoring with Advanced Technology
***Festival Dates and contents are subject to change.
About Tobu Railway Group
TOBU Railway Co., Ltd. is a major Japanese corporation consisting of approximately 80 companies. The Tobu Railway covers the longest operating distance in Metropolitan Tokyo, leading to numerous tourist attractions including: Asakusa and TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN in Tokyo; Nikko and Kinugawa-Onsen, famous for its world heritage sites and hot springs; the Tatebayashi and Ashikaga areas, known for their blooming flower fields; and Kawagoe and Tochigi City, where the atmosphere of the old Edo era lives on. Tobu is also invested in a portfolio of hotels, including the newly opened The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko and FUFU Nikko Onsen Resort. For more information visit: https://www.tobu.co.jp/en/sightseeing/recommend/tourism/
Media Contact
Marian Goldberg Marketing Communications, LLC
in Asso. w/ QBIC Factory Inc. for TOBU Railway
marian@mariangoldbergcomm.com
347-559-6462
Marian Goldberg Marketing Communications, LLC
in Asso. w/ QBIC Factory Inc. for TOBU Railway
marian@mariangoldbergcomm.com
347-559-6462
Source: Tobu Railway Group, LTD
0 Comments
Latest on Washingtoner
- T. Jones Group Named Finalist Across Multiple Categories at the 2026 Georgie Awards
- The Simplest Small Business You're Probably Not Thinking About
- San Francisco Writer Wins Webby Award, Internet's Highest Honor, for Website Based on her Novel
- EDC Weekend Comedy Special Featuring Don Barnhart & Friends — Use Promo Code FRIEND for 50% Off
- N Y S E: OTH Off The Hook YS Is Building a Vertically Integrated Marine Empire — And Investors Are Starting to Notice
- Concierge Title Agency Merges with Independence Title, Inc. to Deliver an Expanded Concierge Closing Experience Across South Florida
- Grow My Security Company Launches Next-Generation Website and Expands Strategic Marketing Solutions for the Security Industry
- $4.8M in Contracted AI Revenue with Projections of $30M Over 6-12 Months for Diversified AI Software and Platform-Based Services Provider XMax Inc
- Michelangelo's Great Secret Hiding in Plain Sight
- Longevity Academy Launches The Longevity Leaders Project with Interview of Respira Global CEO
- From Blank Page to Published Book
- Virginia Marchese's Paradox: A Nation Still Deciding Who Belongs Examines Race, Migration, Law, and America's Unfinished Struggle for Equality
- Larry R. Wasion's Jump Gate III RoadMaker Blends Cutting-Edge Sci-Fi with High-Stakes Space Exploration and Complex Technologies
- American Mensa and Davidson Institute Join Forces To Strengthen Support for Profoundly Gifted Youth
- SpeedyIndex Rolls Out Automated API for Mass URL Verification, Solving the Backlink Blind Spot for SEO Agencies
- KLEKT Announces Appointment of Jay Kimpton to Board of Directors
- Michigan Attorney General Closed FGM Licensing Investigations Months Before Federal Case Ended, Records Show
- Mensa Foundation Event Reframes Brain Health for Every Age
- DLT Resolution, Inc. (Stock Symbol: DLTI) Expands Into the $224 Billion Life Settlements Market While Accelerating Telecom Growth Across Canada
- Ashley Wineland's 'Love + Heartbreak' Tour Brings her Emotional and Empowering Album 'Wineland' to Nationwide Audiences




