DISTANCE: 40km (25 miles) north from Tokyo to Kawagoe; walking tour: 8km (5 miles)
TIME: A full day
START/END: Kawagoe Station
POINTS TO NOTE: Kawagoe is served by three train lines: JR, Seibu-Shinjuku and Tobu. The Tobu line express from Ikebukuro in Tokyo offers the fastest journey (30 min; ¥450), but the JR service only takes a few minutes longer and passes through Kawagoe Station, the start of this walk. Seibu-Shinjuku line trains (43 min from Shinjuku; ¥480) terminate at Hon-Kawagoe Station, about 1km (0.6 mile) closer to Kawagoe’s historic core. Avoid Mondays, when several of the museums are closed.
Affectionately known as ‘Little Edo’, the old castle town of Kawagoe is a favourite of television directors looking for a ready-made set for historical dramas. The rivers that surround Kawagoe made it a strategic location on the way to the capital, and the town prospered as a supplier of goods to Edo (Tokyo) during the Tokugawa era (1603–1867). Now part of the Greater Tokyo area and a commuter suburb, it provides a glimpse of what most of the capital looked like before World War II and relentless modernisation both took their toll.
There’s a tourist information office (www.koedo.or.jp; daily 9am–4.30pm) at Kawagoe Station, where you can pick up a map of the town and an English pamphlet on the sights.
Kurazukuri rooftops
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Kumano-jinja
From Kawagoe Station, it’s a 15-minute walk to the town’s historic core around Ichiban-gai. Follow the walkway on the left in front of the station to the Atre Department Store, walk down the steps and across the traffic lights to the Crea Mall, a busy pedestrian shopping street leading towards Ichiban-gai. At the first major intersection after about a 0.5km (0.3 mile), head one street to the left to reach Chuo-dori. On the right you will pass Kumano-jinja 1 [map], a small shrine housing one of the floats (called dashi) used in Kawagoe’s lively annual festival.
Competitors march during the Kawagoe Festival
Corbis
Around Ichiban-gai
A couple of short blocks later, you will know you have reached Ichiban-gai when you see the first kurazukuri, to the right. This impressive merchant building used to house the Kameya sweet shop and factory, and is now the Yamazaki Museum of Art 2 [map] (Thu–Tue 9.30am–5pm; charge), displaying screen paintings by the 19th-century artist Gaho Hashimoto. Entry includes a cup of tea and a traditional Japanese sweet (okashi). Around the corner on Ichiban-gai is a functioning sweet shop and café, Kurazukuri Honpo, see 1.
As well as confectionery shops, Ichiban-gai is lined with other interesting stores, including ones that specialise in ceramics, knives, swords and woodwork items. Inside an old tobacco wholesaler you will find the Kurazukuri Shiryokan 3 [map] (Tue–Sun 9am–5pm; charge). This is one of the first kurazukuri to be rebuilt after the great fire of 1893 that wiped out over a third of the city.
Across the road from the Kurazukuri Shiryokan down a lane to the right is the Toki-no-Kane 4 [map], a three-storey wooden belltower that has become synonymous with Kawagoe. The tower was originally constructed in the 17th century and has since been through four editions, the most recent being this one dating from after the 1893 fire. Listen out for the bell, which tolls four times daily – at 6am, noon, 3pm and 6pm.
Further along the Ichiban-gai is the Osawa Jutaku 5 [map]. Dating from 1792, it is Kawagoe’s oldest kurazukuri and now a handicraft shop that sells traditional products like Japanese masks and dolls.
Opposite is the Kawagoe Festival Hall 6 [map] (daily Apr–Sept 9am–6pm, Oct–Mar 9am–5pm, closed 2nd and 4th Wed of the month; charge), in which you can view two more of the ornate floats paraded around in the Kawagoe Festival, along with videos of past events.
At the next main intersection after the Kawagoe Festival Hall turn left and walk a block to reach the narrow stone-paved lane on the left that is Kashi-ya Yokocho 7 [map], ‘Confectioners’ Row’. Souvenirs and trinkets have been added to the 22 nostalgically old-fashioned shops that sell traditional candies, crackers and other sweet treats such as purple sweet-potato ice cream.
Remains of Kawagoe Castle
Return to the belltower and walk east until you come to a school at the end of the street. You will need to loop round the school to find the one-time location of Kawagoe Castle. All that remains of the original fort is the entrance and main visitors’ hall of the palace building, Honmaru Goten 8 [map] (Tue–Sun 9am–5pm; charge). Built by a local lord, Matsudaira Naritsune, in 1848, it’s now a museum containing beautifully painted screens and waxwork dummies of samurai and lords of old.
Taisho Romance Street
Retrace your route from Honmaru Goten back to the Yamazaki Art Museum. Running parallel to Chuo-dori one block to the east is Taisho-roman-dori 9 [map], meaning Taisho Romance Street. The handsome stone façades of the shops here date from the Taisho era (1912–26) and contrast nicely with those of the nearby kurazukuri. Before the street leads back into the Crea Mall turn left and walk east for one block to find the grilled-eel restaurant Ichinoya, see 2.
A short walk east of Ichinoya is the temple Naritasan Betsu-in ) [map]. On the 28th of each month, a flea market is hosted in its grounds.
Kita-in
Immediately after the temple turn right and head a few blocks south, past the noodle restaurant Kotobukian, see 3, to reach Kita-in ! [map] (www.kawagoe.com/kitain; daily 9am–4pm; charge), an important Buddhist temple-museum that dates back to 830. It has been destroyed several times by fire, but after one conflagration in 1638, the third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, ordered that parts of the original Edo Castle (situated where the Imperial Palace now stands) be transported here to aid in the reconstruction. From these historic wooden buildings you can admire a traditional Japanese garden planted with plum, cherry and maple trees as well as hydrangea and azaleas.
Kawagoe Festival
Considered to be one of the Kanto area’s top three festivals, Kawagoe’s grand matsuri, held on the third Saturday and Sunday of October, attracts huge crowds. The tradition, which started back in the late 17th century, now sees some 25 extravagantly decorated floats, each representing a different area of the city and attended by costumed teams, parade through the streets around Ichiban-gai. The highlight of the festival is the Hikkawase – the Pulling of the Floats – when passing teams square off against each other in a cacophonous performance of music and chanting.
Statues at Gohyaku Rakan
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Gohyaku Rakan
Apart from the Edo Castle remains, Kita-in’s other crowd-pleaser is the Gohyaku Rakan @ [map] grove of stone statues carved between 1782 and 1825. Meaning ‘500 statues’, there are actually 540 depictions of the disciples of the Buddha, no two alike.
While at the temple you can also admire a mini-version of Nikko’s Tosho-gu, built to honour Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun.
Exit the temple to the south, turn right and walk around 1km (0.6 mile) back towards Crea Mall and either the Hon-Kawagoe or Kawagoe Station to return to Tokyo.
Food and drink
1 Kurazukuri Honpo
Ichiban-gai; daily 10am–5pm; ¥
Kawagoe is famous for edible creations made from satsaimo (sweet potato). You can try some at this confectionery shop and café.
2 Ichinoya
1-18-10 Matsue-cho; tel: 049-222 0354; www.unagi-ichinoya.jp; daily 11am–8:30pm; ¥¥
The delicacy unagi (grilled eel) is served at this popular two-floor restaurant. Sit on tatami mats and enjoy a set lunch of the savoury-sweet fish with rice.
3 Kotobukian
1-2-11 Kosemba-cho; tel: 049-225 1184; Mon–Tue and Thur–Fri 11.30am–5pm; ¥¥
Located beside Kita-in, this restaurant specialises in wariko-soba – green-tea buckwheat noodles served in lacquered bento boxes with a variety of other dishes.