Kawagoe
Introduction
Kawagoe is a city in Saitama Prefecture, known locally as "Little Edo" after the old name for Tokyo, a nickname earned by its many historic buildings. The city covers just over 109 square kilometres.
If you are drawn to the atmosphere of old Japan, this is the character that defines a visit here: the historic architecture that gives Kawagoe its nickname shapes how you experience the city.
Before you go
Kawagoe is served by two tourist information offices: the main Kawagoe Tourist Information Office at Kawagoe Station, and a branch in Nakacho. Both can help you orient yourself on arrival, and the local tourist association also runs a multilingual guide site, Koedo Kawagoe Web, which is worth checking before you set out. Plan your sightseeing around the Nakacho area, where the branch office puts you within reach of the historic streetscape the city is known for.Getting there
Kawagoe is served by two train stations. Kawagoe Station sits on the JR Saikyo Line and the private Tobu Tojo line; from Tokyo the quickest approach is the Tobu Tojo express from Ikebukuro, while from Omiya the Saikyo Line is the direct option. Hon-Kawagoe Station, on the private Seibu-Shinjuku line, is closer to the temple district, with express trains running from Shinjuku. Long-distance buses also reach the city, connecting it with Osaka, Nagoya, Kanazawa and Toyama. Limousine bus routes serve Haneda Airport and Narita Airport, and there is daytime bus service from Fujisawa and Tokyo Disney Resort.Getting around
Kawagoe's sightseeing core is compact, so walking is genuinely practical. The Warehouse District is a short walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station, and from there Kitain and Honmaru Goten are each about a ten-minute walk away, roughly the same distance from each other. Bicycles are another easy way to cover the city. Which station you arrive at matters, since the three sit at different distances from the historic sights: Hon-Kawagoe Station, on the private Seibu line, is slightly closer to the main attractions than Kawagoe Station, shared by JR and the Tobu line, or Kawagoe-shi Station, also on the Tobu line. If your priority is reaching the historic district with the least walking at the far end, the Seibu line into Hon-Kawagoe has the edge.
Beyond walking, a bus network connects Kawagoe Station and Hon-Kawagoe Station with the main sights, and two tourist loop buses run similar routes for hopping between attractions without retracing your steps. The Tobu Koedo Loop Bus serves all the main attractions and offers a one-day pass, running roughly hourly on weekdays and more frequently on weekends and national holidays. The Co-Edo Loop Bus is a vintage-style shuttle that also loops around the main attractions, with single trips or a day pass that is discounted on certain dates each month; it operates on two different routes, generally one to two times per hour. For a day of moving between several sights, a day pass on either loop bus is the simplest way to pay. Fares and schedules are subject to change, so confirm current details locally.
Where to stay
Most visitors treat Kawagoe as a day trip from Tokyo, and the town's sleeping options are limited enough that this is a reasonable plan. If you do want to stay overnight, the choice is narrow. For a mid-range stay, the Kawagoe Prince Hotel on Shintomi-cho is the main option, with restaurants and a salon on site. Budget accommodation is essentially absent from the listings, so plan your overnight stay around the mid-range choice or return to Tokyo for the night.Food & drink
Kawagoe's signature food is the violet sweet potato, and you will find it worked into all sorts of things: as imokenpi (fried sticks), as imokoi (potato and red bean in glutinous rice), and even as ice cream. For a cheap-sweets fix, head to Kashiya-yokocho near Youjyuin Temple, a former temple town that grew up around dagashi production and still sells inexpensive sweets, including some made from sweet potato.
For something more substantial, Crea Mall, the shopping strip between Kawagoe and Hon-Kawagoe stations, has plenty of chain restaurants and numerous ramen shops, plus a good kaiten sushi place towards the Kawagoe end. You can also seek out eel kabayaki and other fish at Azumaya, handmade buckwheat soba at Hyakujyo, or udon at Fujidana Udon Kawagoe. When you want a drink, the Wakitamachi area has Japanese-style izakaya and cocktail bars, and there is a wine bar in Shintomicho. Coedo Brewery the Restaurant, a short walk from the west exit of Kawagoe station, is run by a local brewery and pairs sweet-potato beer with Chinese and Asian dishes.
What to see and do
Kawagoe earned the nickname "Little Edo" for its old wooden houses in the Ichiban Gai area, and the warehouse district remains the main draw for travellers seeking a glimpse of the elusive "old Japan". After the Kawagoe Great Fire of 1893, wealthy traders who had supplied the old Edo capital by boat down the Shingashi river rebuilt their storehouses in the Kurazukuri style: fire-resistant construction crowned with steep tile roofs and immense, fire-deflecting Onigawara, or ogre tiles. A preservation movement arose in the mid-1960s, after much of the historic district had already been demolished, and today the district covers a few hundred square metres about 1.5 km north of Kawagoe station. Narrow sidewalks along a fairly trafficked road take away some of the charm, but it remains a worthwhile excursion from Tokyo. Within the district, look for Toki no Kane, the bell tower known as the "Bell of Time", near the Kashiya Yokucho. Several small museums let you step inside the old buildings and learn how they were made: the Museum of Kurazukuri occupies an old wholesale tobacco warehouse built after the great fire, the Osawa Residence is the oldest storehouse in Kawagoe and survived the fire itself, and the Hattori Museum of Folklore, housed in the old Hattori family warehouse, displays old medicines, advertisements and sandals. The Kawagoe Festival Museum exhibits the great floats used in the yearly October procession and screens a short film about it. Beyond the warehouse district, the City Museum explains how the warehouses were built and sits next to a small art museum, while Kawagoe Castle, dating to the 15th century, retains only its tower and primary hall, now a small museum. Kitain temple is notable for a main hall that was part of the original Edo Castle and was moved here by the Shogun to rebuild the temple after a fire, as well as statues of 540 Rakan, disciples of the Buddha. For something different, you can visit a local onsen or play a round at a golf course.Three days in Kawagoe
Day one: Arrive in Kawagoe and get your bearings. The Kawagoe Tourist Information Office is the place to pick up maps and local advice, and Kawagoe Station is your gateway to the rest of the city. From there, head into Nakacho and the Warehouse District, the heart of Little Edo, where the streets are lined with traditional buildings. If you have come from Tokyo, the JR Saikyo Line, Tobu Tojo from Ikebukuro, or Seibu from Shinjuku all bring you into Kawagoe, and Omiya is another useful connection. Long-distance travellers arriving via Osaka, Nagoya, Kanazawa or Toyama can plan onward travel, while Limousine buses serve Haneda Airport and Narita Airport, with links also possible from Fujisawa and Tokyo Disney Resort.
Day two: Give the day to Kawagoe's historic sights. Kitain and Honmaru Goten are the landmarks to seek out, and the Warehouse District rewards a slower wander. Bicycles are a practical way to cover more ground between the sights. Which route you take depends on whether you arrived by JR or Tobu, but the Station area remains a handy reference point. Beyond the central streets, the city opens up, and the Kawagoe Tourist Information Office or the Koedo Kawagoe Web resource can help you plan the details.
Day three: Use your final day to revisit the parts of Kawagoe that appealed most, whether that is Nakacho, the Warehouse District, Kitain or Honmaru Goten. Plan your departure from Kawagoe Station, with the JR Saikyo Line, Tobu Tojo and Seibu offering routes back toward Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture. If your onward journey involves Haneda Airport or Narita Airport, the Limousine services are worth checking in advance.