Kumagaya: Cherry Blossoms, Silk History and Hotels

Kumagaya offers several distinct reasons to stay: a designated cherry blossom spot, its industrial silk heritage, local specialties and a summer festival. The station is in the city center and helps you find your way around. If you’re looking for a hotel in Kumagaya, start with the purpose of your trip: would you like to focus on cherry blossoms, the history of silk production, regional food culture, cycling or a festival? Then compare specific hotel offers based on the features that matter for your trip.

The Station and Getting Around

From Kumagaya Station, which is in the city center, it’s a five-minute walk from the south exit to 熊谷桜堤, heading straight south. Check this route information again before your trip. The station is also the starting and ending point of the Paleo Express, a historic steam locomotive. If you plan to ride the Paleo Express, check its operating days and times in advance. The cherry blossom spot and the historic steam locomotive offer two different starting points for planning your trip.

Cherry Blossoms and Silk History

熊谷桜堤 is one of Japan’s 100 designated cherry blossom spots. It offers a clear reason for travelers to include cherry blossoms in their trip plans. Another way to explore Kumagaya is through the history of silk processing: 片倉シルク記念館 was established in a cocoon warehouse belonging to the former Kumagaya silk mill operated by Katakura Industries. It displays historic silk-spinning machines and valuable documents from the mill’s operating years. The tour explains the production process from cocoon to raw silk. This offers a way to explore the machines, documents and production stages as interconnected parts of the region’s industrial heritage.

Udon and New Ice Creations

The local specialties also differ in their origins and concepts. 熊谷うどん is a regional udon brand: at least 50 percent of the wheat used comes from Kumagaya, and the udon is made there. 雪くま, on the other hand, centers on a network of participating shops. As of July 1, the network included 30 shops; new, colorful ice creations are developed for it every year. If you want to visit a particular participating shop, check whether it will be taking part during your travel dates. The two examples offer different points of interest: for the udon, the key factors are the origin of the wheat and where it is made; for 雪くま, they are the participating shops and their creations.

Walks, Cycling Routes and a Festival

Kumagaya Arakawa River Park has walking paths. In addition, five of the 100 cycling routes designated by Saitama Prefecture pass through Kumagaya to places of interest. The related municipal information was updated on July 7, 2020; keep this information date in mind when planning your route. Walking in the park and cycling along one of the routes are different ways to experience Kumagaya.

One of Kumagaya’s festivals is a summer Gion Festival, regarded as the best of the summer Gion festivals. It features a colorful parade with festival floats, portable mikoshi shrines, music, special events, and food and drinks. If the festival is the reason for your trip, check the dates for your planned travel period. This will help you weigh nature, industrial history, local specialties, outdoor activities and festival culture when choosing the focus of your trip.

Discover more destinations: Misato, Chichibu, Kōnosu, Iruma, Fujimi, Ageo, Yashio, Sayama.

For the overview of the wider region: Saitama Prefecture.