Kawagoe Day Trip
Saitama Prefecture is a brewery townscape in Kawagoe City. A famous tourist destination in the Kanto region.
Just 30 minutes from central Tokyo, Kawagoe in Saitama Prefecture feels like stepping into another century. With preserved Edo-era architecture, merchant history, and retro storefronts, this city known as 'Little Edo,' is a rewarding day trip from Tokyo's high-rises.
Whether you're chasing cultural landmarks, local snacks or quiet charm, a Kawagoe day trip offers more than enough for a full-day adventure—especially for photographers, families or anyone burnt out on the bustle.
The heart of Kawagoe's historic district is Kurazukuri Street. Here, low-slung buildings made of clay and tile evoke the fire-resistant warehouse style of the Edo Period. Some were rebuilt after the devastating 1893 fire, while others have been lovingly preserved. Shops line the street selling everything from handmade ceramics to roasted green tea, and on weekends, you'll spot locals in kimono browsing side by side with tourists.
Don't miss: The architecture along Taisho Roman Dori
Souvenir shops tucked into old kura storehouses
The occasional aroma of roasted sweet potato
Rising above the rooftops is the Toki no Kane (Time Bell Tower), which still chimes four times a day. Originally built in the 1600s, this wooden landmark has been rebuilt several times but remains Kawagoe's most enduring symbol.
It's not just a photo stop—it's a soundscape, too. Time your visit with the chime at noon for the full effect.
Candy Alley, or Kashiya Yokocho, is pure joy. This narrow lane is lined with old-fashioned candy shops that feel untouched by time. It began in the Meiji Period and still thrives today.
Inside the shops, you'll find: Bright red candied apples
Soy sauce-flavored rice crackers
Whimsical handmade candies in animal shapes
Classic Japanese toys and tops
The vibe is playful, chaotic and sweet. Kids will love it. So will grown-ups who remember when candy came in paper bags—not plastic.
Kawagoe's nickname, 'Koedo' or 'Little Edo,' isn't just clever branding—it reflects the city's historic role as a commercial outpost that helped support the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo Period. Because of its strategic importance and proximity to Edo (now Tokyo), Kawagoe prospered as a merchant town and was known for its fire-resistant kura storehouses and samurai residences. Learn more about the historical significance of fire safety in our article: Edo's Inked Heroes: Edo Firefighters.
Much of this legacy survived—or was rebuilt—after major fires in the 1800s. Today, its layout and architecture still reflect that Edo influence, earning it the designation as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
Kawagoe's museums are small, local and personal. Skip the giant exhibitions and enjoy these more intimate spots: Kurazukuri Museum: Housed in a former tobacco merchant's residence. Dive into Edo fire safety and merchant culture. (Note: the museum is currently going through Earthquake-related renovations and is temporarily closed.)
Yamazaki Art Museum: Features a modest but meaningful collection from local artists inside a former warehouse.
Osawa Residence: Built in 1792, this is the oldest remaining storehouse in town. It's free to admire from outside and worth seeking out.
Each stop feels like a secret—perfect for travelers who prefer to wander slowly and soak things in.
All that walking and sightseeing builds an appetite. Kawagoe has plenty of food options—from traditional sweets to stylish cafés and hearty teishoku [set meals]. Unagi Denbe – A popular spot for unagi [grilled eel], a long-standing specialty in Kawagoe.
[grilled eel], a long-standing specialty in Kawagoe. Pizzeria Pino – Unexpectedly authentic Napoli-style pizza.
Yamawa – A cozy café inside a local gift shop, known for its sweet potato mini-kaiseki and seasonal drinks like iced matcha in summer and red bean soup in winter.
Rengetsu Café – Known for its vintage interiors and fluffy French toast. Tsubakiya Foot Spa Tearoom – Sip on tea and sweets while resting your feet in a warm outdoor footbath.
Koedo Kurari – A renovated sake brewery turned food hall and souvenir shop. Try their sake tasting set and grab some handmade snacks.
The Kawagoe Festival is one of the region's most beloved traditions. Held every third weekend in October, the celebration includes towering floats, music, and dancing that overtakes the whole city.
Can't make it in the fall? Visit the Kawagoe Festival Museum to see the floats up close and learn about the tradition year-round.
Kawagoe is surprisingly walkable, but if you want to rest your feet, the Koedo Loop Bus is convenient. It runs every 30 minutes and links all the main stations—Kawagoe, Hon-Kawagoe, and Kawagoe-shi—with stops near all major landmarks.
On foot, you'll likely stumble into cozy cafés, retro kissaten, and quiet backstreets that offer their own charm. Stop for a coffee, browse a tiny antique shop, or just sit and take it all in.
For more day trip ideas from Tokyo, check out our other guides:
Tokyo Neighborhood Guide: A Day Trip to Okutama
Enoshima Day Trip: Caves, Shrines, Sea Views and a Taste of Mythology
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Japan Today
9 hours ago
- Japan Today
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The Mainichi
12 hours ago
- The Mainichi
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He also wrote that "at every spot the cherry blossoms had just reached their peak," meaning that he likely traveled there between mid and late April. Details of this journey were published in the June 1955 issue of the literary magazine Chuo Koron under the title "Komo Oku no Hosomichi" (loosely translating as "Westerner's narrow road to Oku). Below, we draw on this travelogue, originally written in Japanese, and Keene's translation of "The Narrow Road to Oku." Shiogama After passing through Nikko and Shirakawa Barrier, Keene arrived in Sendai. At that time, the occupying forces were still stationed in the city, likely reminding him of his past role as a Japanese language interpreter for the military. On arriving at Shiogama Shrine in the evening, he first sought out the "lantern presented by Izumi no Saburo in the third year of Bunji [1187]," and wrote, that he was thrilled to realize that Basho had seen the same lantern. The lantern still stands as it did then, to the right of the main hall. Let's read Keene's translation of "The Narrow Road to Oku." Shiogama Early the next morning we visited the Myojin Shrine in Shiogama. As rebuilt by the governor of the province, the shrine has imposing pillars, colorfully painted rafters, and flight upon flight of stone steps. The morning sun was shining brightly on the vermilion lacquered fence around the shrine. I was profoundly impressed to think that it was typical of our country for the miraculous manifestation of the gods to have occurred in so distant a place, at the very end of the world. Before the shrine is an old lantern. A metal door bears the inscription, "Presented by Izumi no Saburo in the third year of Bunji [1187]." It was strange how these words evoked scenes of five hundred years ago. Izumi was a brave and loyal warrior whose fame has lasted to the present; there is no one who does not hold him in esteem. It has been truly said: "A man should practice the way and maintain his righteousness. Fame will follow of itself." It was already close to noon. We hired a boat and crossed to Matsushima. After another five miles on the water we arrived at the beach of the island of Ojima. Matsushima Keene entered Matsushima, one of Japan's three most scenic spots, via Tagajo, traveling by train. Having heard negative comments like "Matsushima is a dirty place" from people along the way, he boarded the sightseeing boat "preparing to be disappointed." However, a woman's voice came over the loudspeaker carefully explaining the names of the islands, and though it was raining, he said, "I was neither disappointed nor impressed." Furthermore, the twilight view from his inn was magnificent, leading him to conclude, "I was moved no less than Basho was. If 'the finest scenery in the land' exists in Japan, I believe it is in Matsushima." Perhaps this was an example of the large difference between hearing and actually seeing. Below is Keene's translation of Basho's description of Matsushima in "The Narrow Road to Oku." Matsushima No matter how often it has been said, it is nonetheless true that the scenery at Matsushima is the finest in Japan, in no way inferior to Tung-t'ing or the Western Lake in China. The sea flows in from the southeast forming a bay seven miles across, and the incoming tide surges in massively, just as in Che-chiang. There are countless islands. Some rise up and point at the sky; the low-lying ones crawl into the waves. There are islands piled double or even stacked three high. To the left the islands stand apart; to the right they are linked together. Some look as if they carried little islands on their backs, others as if they held the islands in their arms, evoking a mother's love of her children. The green of the pines is of a wonderful darkness, and their branches are constantly bent by winds from the sea, so that their crookedness seems to belong to the nature of the trees. The scene has the mysterious charm of the face of a beautiful woman. I wonder if Matsushima was created by the God of the Mountains in the Age of the Gods? What man could capture in a painting or a poem the wonder of this masterpiece of nature? On Ojima, an island connected to the mainland that thrusts out into the sea, are the remains of the Zen master Ungo's hut, and the rock upon which he used to meditate. I caught glimpses here and there under the pines of priests who had abandoned the world. They live quietly in thatched huts from which even at that moment smoke from the fallen pine needles and cones they use as fuel was rising. I did not know what manner of men they might be, but I felt drawn to them. As I walked in their direction I could see the moon shining on the sea, and the scenery of Matsushima quite unlike what it had been during the day. I returned to the shore and took a room at an inn, a two-story building with open windows looking out over the bay. When I lay down to sleep in the breeze and the clouds, I experienced a feeling of strange pleasure. Matsushima ya / tsuru ni mi wo kare / hototogisu (Sora) At Matsushima / Borrow your plumes from the crane / O nightingales! I lay down without composing a poem, but was too excited to sleep. I recalled that when I left my old cottage I was presented by Sodo with a poem in Chinese about Matsushima, and with a tanka by Hara Anteki on Matsugaura Island. I opened my knapsack and made these poems my companions for the night. There were also hokku by Sanpu and Jokushi. On the eleventh we visited the Zuigan-ji. Many years ago, thirty-two generations before the present abbot, Makabe no Heishiro entered Buddhist orders, went to China for study, and founded this temple after his return to Japan. Later, the seven halls of the temple were rebuilt as the result of the virtuous efforts of the Zen monk Ungo. Now the temple has become a great hall of worship, the golden walls shining with a splendor worthy of Buddha's paradise. I wondered where the temple of the Holy Man Kenbutsu might be. Keene himself visited Zuiganji temple, and was moved, writing, "Having been repulsed by the gaudiness of Toshogu Shrine (in Nikko), I was impressed by the solemn beauty of Zuiganji." This was a typical reaction for Keene who preferred simplicity over extravagance. The row of cedar trees that once stood in front of the temple's gate fell to the tsunami following the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and young trees now grow in their place -- a lone display of the passage of time. Keene noted that he enjoyed the famous "Koren senbei" rice crackers at a nearby teahouse saying they were delicious, so we stopped by as well. Although the building had been newly rebuilt, the delicately flavored senbei remained unchanged. Hiraizumi Keene proceeded to Hiraizumi via Ichinoseki. The persisting rain amazingly cleared, and he visited the local temple Chuson-ji amid the full bloom of cherry blossoms. He wrote, "Until I embarked on the journey of 'The Narrow Road to Oku' I couldn't understand the Japanese attachment to cherry blossoms." He drew a comparison with his visit to Yoshino in Nara Prefecture the previous year (1954). The fact that Yoshino was renowned as one of the best cherry blossom spots in the Kansai region may have raised his expectations, but he was left disenchanted with the cherry blossoms in the tourist area, which had become secularized, writing, "I noticed the lunch boxes, drunks, and vulgar music blaring from loudspeakers." Hiraizumi, on the other hand, offered a different experience. "After the long Tohoku winter, the cherry blossoms blooming in the black forest show their true beauty," he wrote. It was here that his ideal cherry blossom landscape stretched out. Among this, the brilliance of the temple's Golden Hall (Konjikido) was even more stunning. Keene praised it, saying, "Since coming to Japan, I've been captivated by wonderful Buddhist statues, feeling they embody absolute beauty. ... However, it was when I saw the inner sanctum of Chuson-ji that I was struck by beauty to the point of trembling, losing myself and entering a world beyond this one. ... I believe it is one of the finest expressions of paradise created by humans in the world." Later, Hiraizumi would be registered as a cultural World Heritage site, but Keene had already sensed its value. Incidentally, Basho visited Hiraizumi in the fifth month of the second year of Genroku (1689) according to the old lunar calendar, which would have been during the rainy season. How did Basho evaluate Hiraizumi? Let's read the original text translated by Keene. Hiraizumi The three generations of glory of the Fujiwara of Hiraizumi vanished in the space of a dream. The ruins of their Great Gate are two miles this side of the castle. Where once Hidehira's mansion stood there are now fields, and only Golden Cockerel Mountain retains its old appearance. We first climbed up to Palace-on-the-Heights, from where we could see the Kitakami, a big river that flows down from Nambu. The Koromo River circles Izumi Saburo's castle, then flows into the big river below Palace-on-the-Heights. The ruins of Yasuhira's time are on the other side of the Koromo Barrier, seemingly to protect the Nambu gateway from intrusion by the Ainu. It was at Palace-on-the-Heights that Yoshitsune and his picked retainers fortified themselves, but his glory turned in a moment into this wilderness of grass. "Countries may fall, but their rivers and mountains remain; when spring comes to the ruined castle, the grass is green again." These lines went through my head as I sat on the ground, my bamboo hat spread under me. There I sat weeping, unaware of the passage of time. natsukusa ya / tsuwamono domo ga / yume no ato The summer grasses -- / Of brave soldiers' dreams / The aftermath. unohana ni / Kanefusa miyuru / shiraga kana (Sora) In the verbena / I seem to see Kanefusa-- / Behold his white hair! The two halls of the Chuson-ji, whose wonders I had heard of and marvelled at, were both open. The Sutra Hall contains statues of the three generals of Hiraizumi; the Golden Hall has their coffins and an enshrined Buddhist trinity. The "seven precious things" were scattered and lost, the gem-inlaid doors broken by the wind, and the pillars fretted with gold were flaked by the frost and snow. The temple would surely have crumbled and turned into an empty expanse of grass had it not been recently strengthened on all sides and the roof tiled to withstand the wind and rain. A monument of a thousand years has been preserved a while longer. samidare no / furinokoshite ya / Hikari-do Have the rains of spring / Spared you from their onslaught, / Shining Hall of Gold? (Japanese original by Tadahiko Mori, The Mainichi Staff Writer and Donald Keene Memorial Foundation director) This is a spinoff article related to a 60-part Mainichi Shimbun series about Donald Keene, exploring the near-century of the Japanologist's life along with his own writings. Spinoff articles are posted irregularly. The original text of Donald Keene's autobiographies is used with permission from the Donald Keene Memorial Foundation. The foundation's website can be reached at:
Kyodo News
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- Kyodo News
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