Let’s take a relaxing day trip around Saitama
The year 2024 has started.
Since the beginning of the year, there has been an earthquake, an accident, and a personal breakup, so it’s been a disappointing start to the year.
To cheer myself up, I took a leisurely day drive trip around Saitama.
It’s a trip where you can take a leisurely walk, so I think it’s a trip you can take with your pet.
Start your day drive trip at Musashinomori Coffee, which is a bit pricey
We started our trip by visiting Skylark Group’s Musashino Mori Coffee.
Since it is a chain store, there are several stores, but this time we went to the Asaka Honmachi store.
Parking is also easy and convenient.
It’s a bit pricey, but if you want to treat yourself, I recommend the Eggs Benedict drink set menu.
I had a ham and cheese toast drink set with clam chowder soup.
The dressing has a slightly sour lemon flavor that goes well with the meal.
The cheese and ham on the toast are delicious.
Unfortunately, this store does not have outdoor terrace seating, so you cannot dine with your pet, but there is “Miyama Coffee Asaka Honmachi Branch” next door.
The terrace seating is a dog space, so if you’re bringing an animal with you, why not use this space?
ミヤマ珈琲HPより
Driving to “Yoshimi Hyakana” which is familiar to Saitama residents
Now that I’m done filling my stomach, I’m off on a road trip.
I get tired of being in crowded places, so I decided to go to “Yoshimi Hyakuana” to enjoy a relaxing day drive.
Yoshimi Hyakuana is a spot that Saitama prefecture’s elementary and junior high school students always visit during their social studies field trip, so it may be a familiar place to Saitama residents.
There was also plenty of parking space.
The price is 300 yen per adult.
Fortunately, the soil was a mixture of salt and lime, making it easy to carve, and countless horizontal holes were neatly dug into the small hill.
It is said to be a place where ancient people dug graves to mourn their souls after their death, and from a distance, you can see the mysterious scenery of countless holes dug into a dense hill.
Apparently, during the war, a tunnel was dug underground to use it as a munitions factory, but as the war ended soon after its completion, it was never used as a full-fledged munitions base.
It used to be possible to see the inside of the underground munitions factory, but due to internal walls collapsing, you can only see the entrance now.
The wind coming from inside was very cool.
You can also eat at the teahouse right next to Hyakuana.
My recommendation is the Saitama famous confectionery “Gokabou” that you can eat here.
It has a dough similar to a wheat gluten confectionery inside, and there are several flavors to choose from, but I chose the standard soybean flour.
I am grateful that when I tell the staff at the restaurant that I am going to eat, they make me some tea.
It was easier to eat than it looked. It was delicious.
吉見百穴 (Yoshimi Hyakuana)
Address：〒355-0155 埼玉県比企郡吉見町北吉見３２７
Business Hours：8:30~17:00
Official Site：https://www.town.yoshimi.saitama.jp/soshiki/shogaigakushuk/7/909.html
Memo：We also offer group discounts and reductions in admission fees for social studies tours. Be sure to try the Gojiaho at Chaya.
岩室観音堂(Iwamuro Kannon Dou)
Right next to Yoshimi Hyakana is the magnificent Iwamuro Kannon-do Hall.
It is said that if you pray to the Jizo statues on either side of the entrance, you will receive the same blessings as if you went on a pilgrimage in Shikoku, so I put my hands on all the Buddha statues.
At least the pilgrimage has been completed.
There is a “Tainai Kuguri” in the back of Kannon-do.
Tainai Kuguri means that ancient people looked at a hole in a nature as a pregenancyway. So if you go through its path, your mind will re-born and you will be get away from bad luck and any bad circumstances.
You can climb up the mountain by following an iron rope, so be sure to cleanse your body and soul while your legs and back are still strong.
I didn’t do it with such a sacred feeling, but I thought it would be good if I could feel refreshed even a little.
Right next to Yoshimi Hyakuana and Iwamuro Kannondo, there was a relaxing bank.
The warmth of the sun was just right and I felt good.
After a short walk along the bank, I headed to my next destination.
岩室観音堂(Iwamuro Kannon Dou)
Address：〒355-0155 埼玉県比企郡吉見町北吉見３０９
Memo：It is located right next to Yoshimi Hyakana. If you climb the steep stairs of the temple, you will be greeted with a beautiful view. It is said that if you pray to the same Jizo statue as the 48 pilgrims in Shikoku, you will receive the same blessings as if you had gone on a pilgrimage. There are no restrooms, so please use the restrooms at Yoshimi Hyakuana.
ホンダエアポート(Honda Airport)
Next destination is Honda Airport in Okegawa City.
There are several restaurants around this facility, so we recommend having lunch around here.
The seafood bowl at Soma Suisan had a lot of reviews and looked good, but this time I ate the kamo soba at Kawabata on the way.
I had to wait a little while, but I was full with so many toppings.
Then, you can arrive at Honda Airport in a few minutes by car from Kawabata.
Here you can see Cessna planes taking off and landing right in front of you.
You don’t usually get to see planes take off and land, so it’s a mysterious place where you can experience something out of the ordinary.
On this day, I was able to witness the moment when a Cessna plane took off and landed.
You can hear the sound of a Cessna even when it’s flying high up in the sky.
I was surprised to hear the sound of the engine coming from quite high up in the sky.
Next to Honda Airport, there is a facility called Tokyo Skydiving Club where you can experience skydiving.
The process here was to register and prepare, then board a Cessna plane from Honda Airport and go skydiving.
There were about 10 skydivers on board the Cessna plane that had just taken off.
While I was there, there were many skydivers parachuting down from the sky.
I was nervous because I was worried that they would just fall because they were able to turn around so easily, but everyone successfully landed at the landing spot.
You can also sit on the bench here and relax and watch the Cessna planes, so it’s also recommended if you want to spend some time alone.
かわばた(Kawabata)
Address：〒350-0123 埼玉県比企郡川島町畑中４２−１
Business Hours：Mon、Tues、Thurs、Fri 11:00~14:00, 17:00~21:00. Sat&Sun 11:00~21:00
Closed：Wednesday
TEL：049-297-8185
Memo：A local restaurant with a large banquet hall. Smoking inside the store seems to be OK, so it’s OK for smokers, but for those who don’t like cigarette smoke, it might be a bit difficult if there are other customers smoking inside. The taste was full of volume and delicious.
ホンダエアポート(Honda Airport)
Address：〒350-0141 埼玉県比企郡川島町出丸下郷５３−１
TEL：049-299-1111
Honda Airport Official HP：https://www.honda-air.co.jp/
Memo：You can enjoy watching Cessna planes taking off and landing leisurely from below, or you can actually enjoy a scenic flight over Saitama and Tokyo on a Cessna plane.
It might be a good idea to use it on important anniversaries.
It seems that you can also enjoy skydiving using the Tokyo Skydiving Club right next door.
It is also a cycling road for people to enjoy cycling.
Enomoto Farm’s specialty ice cream
Enomoto Ranch is located near Honda Airport.
Parking space is located at the back of the building.
You can see the dairy cows eating and see the cows being milked.
You can even go inside the cowshed, so you can see the calves that have just been born.
It was interesting to read an anecdote from when she was born, “When we woke up in the morning, a new baby cow was walking down the aisle with his amniotic fluid licked off.”
You can also enter from the road along the embankment, so there is a signboard for special ice cream.
You can purchase gelato ice cream in the building next to the cowshed.
The most popular is definitely the milk gelato. We use fresh milk produced here.
You can eat inside or on the terrace in front.
There were many families with small children and dogs sitting on the terrace.
There is a cycling road along the bank behind Enomoto Farm, so I saw many people cycling along the bank stopping by to take a break.
The back embankment had a peaceful feel, and it looked like it would be nice to spend some time basking in the sun with my family and my dog.
榎本牧場（Enomoto Farm）
Address：〒362-0065 埼玉県上尾市畔吉７３６−１
Business Hours：9:30~17:00
Enomoto Farm Official Site: http://www.enoboku.com/
TEL：048-726-1306
Memo：You can see dairy cows up close, and you can also bring your children and pets with you. There was an automatic milking machine for dairy cows and time for artificial insemination.
Summary of leisurely drives in Saitama
This time, we enjoyed a half-day drive that took us around Yoshimi Town, Kawashima Town, and Ageo City.
As I was driving around, I realized that Saitama Prefecture is bigger than I expected.
I would like to continue driving around from time to time to discover the charms of Saitama that I still don’t know about.
I hope this will be helpful when you want to spend a leisurely drive.
