Kawagoe Walking

Kawagoe walking

If you want to feel the old fashioned Japan such as Edo period, the best place is Kawagoe. This small town is call “Little Edo” located around 1 hr commuter train from the center of Tokyo and contains everything you want – historical clay-wall warehouse street, temple and gardens related to ancient Edo castle, unique shrine, huge majestic floats used for traditional festival, penny candy shop lane, and sake tasting experience.
This tour is walking tour using public transportation. During the tour, guide may recommend a suitable lunch according to guest’s request – restaurant or first food.

Places of interests

– Kitain Temple & 500 Disciples of Buddha
– Kawagoe Castle
– Hikawa Shrine
– Kawagoe festival museum
– Kura-no-machi (old town) first street & Time bell tower
– Penny candy Lane
– Koedo “Kurari”

Model Itineraries

  • Model 1 (One day – 7 hrs)
    • Meet at your hotel or major train station)
    • Train from Ikebukuro Stn to Kawagoe (30 min)
    • Visit Kitain temple, 500 Disciples of Buddha, Japanese garden
    • Visit Kawagoe castle
    • Visit Hikawa shrine
    • Lunch
    • Kura-no-machi & Time bell tower
    • Penny candy lane
    • Visit Kawagoe festival museum
    • Sake tasting at Koedo “kurari”
    • Train back to Tokyo
  • Model 2 (Half day – 4 hrs)
    • Meet at your hotel or major train station)
    • Train from Ikebukuro Stn to Kawagoe (30 min)
    • Visit Kitain temple, 500 Disciples of Buddha, Japanese garden
    • Kura-no-machi & Time bell tower
    • Penny candy lane
    • Sake tasting at Koedo “kurari”
    • Train back to Tokyo

Pricing

  • Tour fee
    • One day
      • 1 or 2 persons : 22,000 JPY
      • Group upto 5 persons : 32,000 JPY
    • Half day
      • 1 or 2 persons : 16,000 JPY
      • Group upto 5 persons : 22,000 JPY
    • For more than 5 persons, please contact me
  • Included
    • Guide fee
    • Public transportation fares for guide
  • Not included
    • Transportation fares for guests
      • around 1,500 JPY per person round trip from Tokyo to Kawagoe
    • Admission fees for guests and guide
      • Kitain : 400 JPY, Kawagoe castle : 100 JPY, Festival museum : 300 JPY
    • Lunch for guests and guide

Contact Us

What you can expect during the tour

Kitain Temple
Many relation to Tokugawa Shogunate. Some rooms are relocated from old EDO castle, and some landscape artworks by famous Japanese painter, Kano Tanyu, are also seen. Japanese waterless garden is also beautiful. It is interesting to find the different facial expressions at 500 Disciples of stone Buddha statues.

Kawagoe Castle
It does not have main tower building such as Himeji Castle, however, you can feel the Samurai period in the real palace. The staffs in the castle will welcome you with the samurai costume on special days.

Hikawa shrine
As 5 deities including two couples are enshrined in this shrine, this shrine is good for couples, families and relations.  Not only big Torii gate and old trees, the tunnel of wooden wishing tablets, fishing fortune teller and nice kawaii-design talismans are the highlight spots.

Kura no machi (old town) first street
Rich Japanese homes (such as rich merchant) had a strong building called “Kura” to store important properties.  Since this Kura is very much fire-resistant, people developed into residential building and stores in Kawagoe.  The zone is culturally significant area.  You can feel an atmosphere of a town of 100 years ago.  In this area, you also find the Time Bell Tower that is still operating 4 times a day.

Festival museum
Kawagoe is famous its festival that is held at the third week end in October. The museum displays various materials, photographs, actual floats used for the festival that has more than 360 years history. You can experience the liveness and exciting atmosphere on the festival through the video and audio.

Penny candy lane
Traditional sweet shops, senbei (rice cracker) shops along a narrow street. Many Japanese traditional sweet such as hard candy, fugashi (wheat gulten sweet) can be tasted.

Koedo Kurari
Used to be a sake brewery founded in 1875 in Meiji period, now renovated to shopping complex. Sake tasting is available from more than 30 sake breweries in Saitama prefecture.