Kawagoe

Tourist Information

• Kawagoe Tourist Information Office

  phone: +81 49 222 5556
  address: 24-9 Wakitamachi

• Nakacho Branch

  address: 2-3 Nakacho

By train

Kawagoe Station (川越駅) is a stop on the JR Saikyo Line and the private Tobu Tojo line. From Tokyo the fastest route is the Tobu Tojo line from Ikebukuro, which takes 30mins on the express and costs ¥450. From Omiya the Saikyo line takes 17 mins and costs ¥320.
Hon-Kawagoe Station (本川越駅) is closer to the temple district and is part of the private Seibu-Shinjuku line. Express trains from Shinjuku take 47 mins and cost ¥480.

By bus

Long-distance buses from Kanazawa and Toyama, Limousine Bus Route from Haneda Airport and Narita Airport, Daytime bus service from the Tokyo Disney Resort.

While it's perfectly feasible to walk around to the main sights, the city also has a network of buses. The most interesting for visitors are the Koedo Kawagoe loop bus, a regular bus that covers all the main attractions in a 40 minute loop, a one day pass costs ¥300. And the vintage Koedo Loop Bus that also loops around the main attractions in about an hour and cost ¥500 for a day pass.

Kawagoe is known as "Little Edo" (小江戸 Koedo), after the old name for Tokyo, and its old wooden houses of the Ichiban Gai area, still draw tourists looking for a taste of days gone by.

Warehouse district

Following an event known as the Kawagoe Great Fire in 1893, wealthy traders supplying the old Edo capital with boats down the Shinagashi river, began to reconstruct their warehouse in the Kurazukuri style. While very costly to build, this method of construction - while still looking distinctively Japanese - is made from fire-resistant materials, rather than the clay and wood traditionally used. The buildings are crowned with steep tile roofs featuring immense, fire-deflecting Onigawara (Ogre tiles). Although virtually all of Japan has lost such buildings in the pre world war II era, unusually a preservation movement arose in the town in the mid 1960s, after a great deal of the traditional warehouses had been demolished, to preserve what was left of the historic district, and develop it as an attraction.
Today the warehouse district covers a few 100 square meters, about 1.5 kilometers north of Kawagoe station. While narrow sidewalks along a fairly trafficked road takes away some of the charm, it is still a worthwhile excursion from Tokyo, for those interested in catching a fleeting glance of the elusive "old Japan".

• Toki no KaneThis bell tower (litt. "Bell of Time") is a famous landmark.

• Hattori Museum of Folklore

  phone: +81 49-222-0337
  address: 6-8 Saiwai-cho
  While there is, in fact, nothing relating to folklore in the folklore museum, the old Hattori family for which is warehouse is named, morphed into a medical company. So you'll find a small display of old medicines, advertisements... and sandals.

• Kawagoe Festival Museum

  phone: +81 49-225-2727
  address: 2-1-10 Moto-machi
  If you don't happen to be in Kawagoe during the yearly festival held in October, you can get a feel for it in this museum, which exhibits the great floats used in the procession and screens a 5 minute movie about the festival. Naturally the museum also details the history of the festival in Japanese.

• Museum of Kurazukuri

  phone: +81 49-222-539
  address: 7-9 Saiwai-cho
  Built after the great fire, in 1893, this old wholesale Tobacco warehouse of the Koyama family, gives you a chance to look inside the warehouses, and learn about the history of Kurazukuri construction.

• Osawa Residence

  phone: +81 49-222-7640
  address: 1-15-2 Moto-machi
  Built it in 1792, this warehouse from where the Osawa family traded Miso and Soy, survived the inferno of the great fire, and today stands as the oldest storehouse in Kawagoe. The first floor contains a store while the second floor houses a small exhibition.

Other attractions

• City Museum

  phone: +81 49-222-5399
  address: 1-20-1 Kosemba-machi
  Useful after visiting the warehouse district as it contains information on how the warehouses were build. Otherwise your average local museum detailing local history with artifacts and models. Next door is a small art museum with a collection of local art.

• Kawagoe Castle

  phone: +81 49-222-5399
  address: 2-13-1 Kuruwa-machi
  Kawagoe's castle dates back to the 15th century, unfortunately the castle was disassembled in the 1870s and only the "Yagura" (tower) and primary hall (Honmaru Goten) still remain. These days the main hall serves as a small museum.

• Kawagoe History Museum

  address: 11-8 Kubomachi

• Kitain temple

  phone: +81 49-222-0859
  address: 1-20-1 Kosemba-machi
  This temple is notable for its main hall, part of the original the Edo Castle in downtown Tokyo, which was moved here by the Shogun to rebuild the temple after a fire. Also of note is the statues of 540 Rakan, disciples of the Buddha.

• Syuuntei Hall

  phone: +81 49-222-1311
  address: 1-7-3 Nishikosenbamachi
  This noodle shop doubles as a small museum with small collection of sketches, documents and edo era tools and armor.

• Chiisanatabi Kawagoe Onsen

  phone: +81 49-249-4126
  address: 41-7 Kaminodamachi

• Kasumigaseki Country Club

  phone: +81 49-231-2181
  address: 3398 Kasahata
  A golf course.

Kashiya Yokocho (菓子屋横丁) – This is a traditional shopping district. You can buy many kinds of cheap candies. One of the most popular foods is fugashi. It is very long, like a sword. Its taste is sweet.

• Fukazen

  phone: +81 49-222-1339
  address: 7-4, Saiwaichou

• Machikan Knife Shop

  phone: +81 49-222-1516
  address: 7−3, Saiwaichou
  Kitchen knife store.

• Maruhiro Department Store

  phone: +81 49-224-1111
  address: 2-6-1, Shintomichou
  Traditional department store.

• Matsumoto Soy Sauce Shop

  phone: +81 49-222-0432
  address: 10-13, Nakacho
  All kinds of soy sauce, you can taste several. Free visits of the cave every weekday at 1PM.

Kawagoe is known for its violet sweet potato, which can be eaten as imokenpi (fried sticks), imokoi (potato and red bean in glutinous rice), or ice cream.

• Crea Mall

  phone: +81 49-225-0269
  address: Wakita-machi
  The shopping strip running between Kawagoe and Hon-Kawagoe stations, offers many of the usual chains and numerous ramen shops. There is a good kaiten sushi place towards the Kawagoe end.

• KoedoAn unagi restaurant that serves sweet-potato beer. This drink is a sweet beer made from the area's famous purple sweet potatoes.

• Kashiya-yokochoIt was prospering as temple town of Youjyuin and one of the places which started to make dagashi (cheap sweets). In the beginning of Showa period, in its peak, there were about 70 shops. It is still mirthful and selling cheap sweets, and including those made from sweet potato, one of the well-known products of Kawagoe.

• Azumaya

  phone: +81 49-222-0757
  address: 1-16-1 Nishi-Kosenbamachi
  Eel kabayaki and more fish.

• Hand made Soba Hyakujyo

  phone: +81 49-226-2616
  address: 1-1-15 Motomachi
  Buckwheat noodle (soba).

• Fujidana Udon Kawagoe

  phone: +81 49-247-7887
  address: 4-1-5 Arajukumachi

• Café Colorado

  phone: +81 49-226-6705
  address: 1-9-12, Shintomicho
  A coffee shop.

• Black tea Roman Maison Shimano

  phone: +81 49-222-2715
  address: 5-1, Nakacho
  Specialty black tea shop.

• Coffeehouse Jazz

  phone: +81 49-224-0051
  address: 6-1, Sankubocho
  Jazz and coffee.

• Izakaya Big

  phone: +81 49-225-5519
  address: 18-11, Wakitamachi
  Japanese-style bar.

• Mana Clipper

  phone: +81 49-290-5094
  address: Sujino buil B1 11-3, Wakitamachi
  Many cocktails.

• Italian bar Takeya

  phone: +81 49-225-2220
  address: 1-2-1, Shintomicho
  Wine bar.

Most people choose to make Kawagoe a day trip from Tokyo, but there are some options:

Budget

• Capsule Inn Kawagoe

  phone: +81 49-223-3211
  address: 18-3 Wakitamachi
  If you are looking quickly for a place to spend the night, there is a capsule hotel located near the Kawagoe Train Station that offers rooms for around 3,000 yen per night. The hotel can be easily spotted from the train station by the giant red cap on the top of its building, reading CAPSULE HOTEL in large white letters. The hotel has a sauna, showers, locker rooms, laundry machines, and a lounge. It is staffed 24/7 by Japanese employees and has procedures on hand for English-speaking customers.

Mid-range

• Kawagoe Prince Hotel

  phone: +81 49-227-1111
  address: Shintomi-cho 1-22
  Includes restaurants and salon.

• Saitama
• Kawajima
• Tsurugashima
• Hidaka
• Hanno
• Tokorozawa
• Sakado
• Kumagaya
• Chichibu