Saitama prefecture
Saitama is close to Tokyo and it has taken me a long time to finally take a day trip here. We decided to venture out on Easter Sunday, after a small family breakfast. The plan was to visit 2 shrines during their Sakura goshuin season. And check out the historic Sakitama Kofun mounds, ancient Burial mounds shaped as Key holes, the largest grouping still remaining in Japan.
Our first visit was the Gyodahachiman Jinja. It was a beautiful shrine and had a lot of visitors. They have a very special spring Goshuin on a beautiful spring colored kami (paper).
Next stop was the Sakitama ancient burial mounds. As we were looking for things to do in Saitama, Blake came across the huge mounds, some shaped as keyholes and from google map, they are large. Amazing site and you can trek up the large mounds, go inside one of them. There is a museum of the Sakitama ancient mounds that is interesting. An amazing place to enjoy and wander around.
A short walking distance from the burial mounds is the Sakitama shrine. During the spring the Sakura trees adorn this shrine, which sits on top of one of the huge burial mounds. It is roughly 8 meter high. The shrine has a neko, cat motif on their goshuins and Ema boards.
