Kasukabe

Kasukabe is a city of over 200,000 people, in eastern Saitama prefecture. It is the setting of the manga cartoon stories Lucky Star (らき☆すた) and Crayon Shin-chan (クレヨンしんちゃん).

The city's Haru Bus serves three routes, on Monday through Saturday, for a few hundred yen per ride. Given that, you might find a taxi (about ¥1000 across town) to be faster and more convenient, though more expensive.

• 🌍 Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel (首都圏外郭放水路), 春日部市上金崎720, ☏ +81 48-746-0748. Tu-F 10:00-16:00. This massive underground flood-control system, also known as G-CANs, was finished in 2009 at the cost of hundreds of billions of yen (a few billion US dollars), with the aim of preventing the perennial floods which have plagued this part of the Kanto plain. The centrepiece is a huge underground tank with dozens of pillars. It has been called the "temple", and serves as a setting for TV commercials. A 90-minute group tour is offered each Tuesday-Friday, at 10:00, 13:00, and 15:00. It is free, but you must reserve (in Japanese) by phone or over the internet 1-28 days in advance. The tour is in Japanese, and someone in each party must be able to translate safety instructions for non-speakers. About 10 minutes of the tour is actually spent in the "temple". Tours are subject to cancellation if, say, the tanks are full of floodwater. Free, reservation required. 
• 🌍 Crayon Shin-chan Buriburi Cinema Studio (ゲーセン クレヨンしんちゃん 嵐を呼ぶ ブリブリシネマスタジオ), 1 Chome−1−1 (On 3rd floor in LaLaGarden mall), ☏ +81 48-731-6822. 10:00-20:00 daily. Museum dedicated to Crayon Shin-chan. You can find movie posters, DVDs, and life-size Crayon Shin-chan characters to take pictures with. You can buy Crayon Shin-can souvenirs here. (updated Sep 2023)

• 🌍 Ito Yokado Kasukabe (イトーヨーカドー 春日部店), 1 Chome-13-1 Central, ☏ +81 48-763-3111. 10:00-20:00 daily. Fans of Crayon Shin-chan will instantly recognize this grocery store just from its exterior. This real-life grocery store is portrayed frequently in the anime where Shin-chan's mother (Misae Nohara) frequently shops, especially when items go on sale. Due to the unique feature of this grocery store, it carries far more daily necessity products with Crayon Shin-chan characters on them. (updated Sep 2023)

• 🌍 Hotel Kasukabe (ホテル春日部), 1 Chome-6-5 Central (5 min walk from Kasukabe Station), ☏ +81 48-761-3411. Check-in: 16:00, check-out: 11:00. ¥8200+. (updated Sep 2023)
• 🌍 Yamaya Shinkan (やまや新館), 1 Chome-44-9 Central, ☏ +81 48-734-1211. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 10:00. Free overnight parking for hotel guests (first come first served) from 17:00-10:00. ¥6800+. (updated Sep 2023)
• 🌍 Super Hotel Kasukabe Station Natural Hot Spring (スーパーホテル埼玉・春日部駅前天然温泉), 1 Chome-7-9 Kasukabe, ☏ +81 48-752-9000. Check-in: 15:00-24:00, check-out: 10:00. As the name implies, the hotel includes natural hot spring for guests from 15:00-09:00. Free breakfast included. ¥8400+. (updated Sep 2023)

• Koshigaya
• Sugito
• Miyashiro
• Matsubushi
• Noda
• Satte
• Saitama
• Hasuda
• Shiraoka