Kumagaya, Fukaya, Gyoda Travel Guides

The Kumagaya, Fukaya, and Gyoda areas offer tourist attractions such as Onuma Park, Shorinji Temple, and Ichijyoji Temple; sightseeing events such as the rooster market, rice field art, and Kumagaya Fireworks Festival; and local delicacies such as Gokaebo, Jumangoku manju, and suittate.

Fukaya is located in the northern part of Saitama Prefecture and is sandwiched between the Tone River and the Ara River, an area with sunny days throughout the year. Agriculture is the main industry, including the cultivation of Fukaya leeks and tulips. In addition, since the area has prospered as an inn town since the Edo period, Kamishiba New Town and large shopping centers have been built.

Kumagaya is a special exception city in the northern part of Saitama Prefecture, and along with Tajimi City in Gifu Prefecture, is a very hot place. This is due to the Tokyo heat island phenomenon and the foehn phenomenon. Gyoda is adjacent to Gunma Prefecture, bordered by the Tone River.

A typical local dish of Fukaya is nibotou, a thick, soy-sauce-flavored one-pot dish of wide noodles and locally grown vegetables such as Fukaya leeks. This dish was born from the easy availability of flour. In Fukaya, there is a line of nibotou restaurants, and this dish is especially popular in winter.

In Gyoda, there is a snack called fry that has been eaten since before the war. Fry is a mixture of flour, green onions, and pork, baked in a frying pan, and there are 30 fry shops in Gyoda. Jelly fries, in which potatoes and okara (bean curd) are shaped into small balls and deep-fried in oil, are also famous. They are like croquettes without the batter and are loved as a snack.

In Fukaya, the Fukaya Tanabata Festival is held in July, with bamboo decorations with wishes placed on them and live performances at the brick warehouse. There is also the Fukaya Festival, which includes the Hanakoi Soran and float pulling.

In addition, the Kumagaya Uchiwa Festival, where floats are paraded through the city center of Kumagaya, is known as the best gion in the Kanto region. The Kumagaya Fireworks Festival, held in August, is one of the largest fireworks displays in Saitama Prefecture.

The Kumagaya Sakura-zutsumi (Cherry Blossom Bank) is located on the north bank of the Arakawa River in Kumagaya. 500 cherry trees are planted along the bank. They bloom beautifully during the season and have been selected as one of the 100 best cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan. Gyoda is home to Oshijo Castle, built in the Edo period and one of the seven best castles in the Kanto region. Fukaya is home to the Kashima Tumulus Group, consisting of more than 100 burial mounds, and has been designated as a historic site by Saitama Prefecture.