Hikawa Jinja (氷川神社) is a Shinto shrine located in Kawagoe, Saitama. It’s just a short drive from Takeshi/Kojima’s flat in Sayama, so we took a day trip to visit the neighbourhood.

(above & below) A network of paper windmills decorate the main entrance of the shrine, spinning prettily in unison whenever a breeze comes by.

(below) An Instagram video I took of the paper windmills in action.

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(above & below) Fortune telling charms in fish form – the reason why they are fishes is a wordplay on the Japanese expression Ichi-nen-an-tai (一年安泰), which is a blessing that means “a year of stability/peace”. Here the expression is written as (一年安鯛), which reads the same but the last kanji character (鯛 “tai”) means “sea bream”. Its also the same character found in Taiyaki, a popular fish shaped confectionary/dessert.

A corridor lined with Ema ! ( wooden boards with scribbled prayers/wishes ).

(above) After the visit to the shrine we headed for lunch, locating a restaurant serving delicious soba; they taste especially good in summer.

(below) Beautifully embroidered dolls and colorful figures on display at a craft shop along the main street of Kawagoe.

The streets of Kawagoe are lined with many old, historic buildings that you won’t usually see in central Tokyo, and makes for a nice day trip away from the hustle and bustle of the city. You can take the Koedo limited express train from Seibu Shinjuku station which will get you there in about an hour or less.