Kawagoe: One of the Easiest Old-Town Walks From Tokyo

Why this town is worth the trip

Kawagoe is surprisingly close to Tokyo. The Tobu Tojo Line express reaches Kawagoe Station from Ikebukuro in about 30 minutes; the Seibu Shinjuku Line's "Koedo" limited express runs from Seibu-Shinjuku to Hon-Kawagoe in about 45 minutes; and via JR it's roughly 20 minutes from Omiya. Three rail lines feed in, so a half-day out from Tokyo actually works.

What waits there is a townscape of kura-zukuri storehouses. The style spread in Edo as a fire-resistant form after repeated great fires, when the shogunate pushed tiled roofing—and it took root in Kawagoe, which was tied to Edo by trade. The city is promoted for tourism as "Koedo" (Little Edo). The point isn't one headline sight; it's that the streets themselves are the thing you come to walk.

What to see first

• Toki no Kane (the Bell of Time). Kawagoe's symbol: a roughly 16-metre, three-tier tower whose current form was rebuilt the year after the great fire of 1893. It still rings four times a day (6am, noon, 3pm, 6pm).
• Ichibangai (the kura-zukuri street). The area including the bell was designated a preservation district in 1999, and some thirty-plus storehouses remain. The oldest, the Osawa Family Residence (built 1792), is a national Important Cultural Property. This street is also where the snacking and shopping happen.
• Kitain temple. It flourished after the monk Tenkai became abbot in 1612, and rooms from Edo Castle—"the room where Iemitsu was born" and "Kasuga-no-Tsubone's dressing room"—were relocated here. Its "Gohyaku Rakan," 538 stone statues, is a highlight.
• Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. Said to date to 541 and the town's chief guardian shrine, it has long been worshipped for matchmaking, since its five deities include two married couples. In summer it hangs about 2,000 Edo wind chimes for the "Enmusubi Furin" event.

The one detail to remember

If you take one thing home, make it the bell's backstory. The tower was rebuilt the year after the 1893 great fire burned it down, and it still rings four times a day. The kura-zukuri storehouses themselves spread precisely because they resisted fire. So this townscape isn't "Edo left untouched"—it's what remains after a town burned and rebuilt, again and again. Keep that in mind as you walk, and each storehouse starts to read differently.

How to spend half a day here

From Kawagoe or Hon-Kawagoe Station, head first to Ichibangai. Walk the storehouse street to the Bell of Time, then slip into Kashiya Yokocho ("Candy Alley"), a cobbled lane of about thirty candy shops selling old-style sweets, karumeyaki and dagashi (named one of the Ministry of the Environment's "100 Fragrant Scenes"). Along the way, the standard move is snacking on sweet-potato treats from the "Kawagoe-imo" tradition—imo-yokan, imo-senbei, candied sweet potato, imo-koi. Plenty of visitors do it in a rented kimono. If the dates line up you'll hit the Kawagoe Festival (the float event of the Hikawa Festival, the third Sunday of October and the day before); if not, you can still see two real festival floats year-round at the Kawagoe Festival Museum. To add the shrine or Kitain, walk a bit farther or take the local loop bus.

Who should visit

• Travelers based in Tokyo who want a half-day walk through an old townscape, reachable by train
• People who enjoy street snacks (sweet-potato sweets), strolling in a kimono, and photos
• Anyone who wants a taste of "old Edo" without a long trip into the countryside

Who can skip it

• Travelers after a quiet rural town to slow down in (Kawagoe is a busy suburb and gets crowded)
• Anyone not drawn to townscapes, street food, or temples and shrines
• Visitors who can't match the festival dates and don't enjoy a town walk enough to brave the crowds

Before you go

• Access: about 30 min from Ikebukuro (Tobu Tojo express), 45 min from Seibu-Shinjuku (Koedo limited express), 20 min from Omiya (JR). Times can change.
• Ichibangai, the Bell of Time and Candy Alley sit close together, but the shrine and Kitain need a longer walk or the loop bus. Walking times between spots and bus frequencies are not yet confirmed in our sources [needs verification].
• The Kawagoe Festival's dates shift year to year (generally the third Sunday of October and the day before) — check the schedule first.
• The Kawagoe Festival Museum is 300 yen (general); admission fees and opening hours vary by site.
• We have not yet collected official lodging information [needs verification]; this article assumes a day trip.