Kawagoe

Located in southwestern Saitama Prefecture within 30 km of central Tokyo, Kawagoe is known as "little Edo." It provides an accessible out-of-the-ordinary experience characterized by streets lined with traditional kura-style buildings, temples, shrines and famous dining spots.

It's a city that provides beautiful scenery all year long, including the cherry blossoms along the Shingashi River and the autumn colors at Kitain Temple.

Tourist Spots

Tokinokane

A well-known symbol of Kawagoe, Tokinokane is a bell tower built during the Kan'ei years (1624–1644) of the Edo Period (1603–1867) by Sakai Tadakatsu, lord of Kawagoe Castle. Even today its soothing bell reverberates throughout the city four times a day. It was chosen as one of 100 audio spots in Japan worth preserving.

Streets lined with traditional kura-style buildings

Kawagoe's streets lined with traditional kura-style buildings are evocative of the commercial districts of the Edo Period (1603–1867). The present townscape was built using fire-resistant kura-style architecture after a massive fire in 1893. About 20 such structures remain today. In 1999 the government designated the district an important traditional architecture site.

Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine

"Kawagoe's central shrine, Hikawa Shrine, was build about 1500 years ago during the Kofun period. The shrine is beloved by local residents, who call it "O-Hikawa-sama." It honors deities who are husband and wife, who are revered as the gods of marital harmony. The main hall features precise woodcarvings made over seven years by the famed carver Shimamura Genzo about 170 years ago.

Kitain Temple

This historic temple was founded in 830. Its reception hall and study were relocated from Edo Castle, and it preserves the room where Tokugawa Iemitsu was born and Kasuga-no-Tsubone 's room. The temple site includes the 500 Statues of Rakan, consisting of more than 500 captivating stone statues depicting the full panoply of human emotions.

Traditional snack-shop district

This district is lined with traditional Japanese snack shops, like a nostalgic trip back in time to mid-20th-century Japan. The street is bustling with shops selling simple, old-fashioned snacks like Sweet-potatoes snacks. Visitors can return to childhood once they step inside this area. It has also been named one of the 100 most aromatic spots in Japan by its nostalgic aroma.

Taisho Roman Yume-dori Street

This atmospheric shopping street brings back the feel of the good old days of the turn of the 20th century. Rich with the romance of the Taisho Period (1912–1926), the street is lined with traditional Japanese-style and early Western-style shop buildings. Its power lines have been placed underground to ensure the blue sky provides a beautiful backdrop to the buildings, and in spring the sky is adorned with about 800 colorful carp streamers.