Kawagoe: How to Take The Perfect Day Trip to Kawagoe

Take a one-hour train ride from Tokyo to get transported back three centuries. Japan during the Edo Period had closed borders to the outside world, leading to a period of economic prosperity and peace. Only a few places in Japan can you experience was life in the Edo Period was like, and one of those places is Kawagoe. It’s a short train ride away from Tokyo that makes for one of the best day trips on your trip.

Immerse yourself in traditional architecture and peruse through handmade goods as if you were living in older times. There’s so much to do in this small town, so here’s how to take the perfect day trip to Kawagoe. You can follow the one-day itinerary I provide or use it as inspiration for your own!

Where is Kawagoe?

Kawagoe is an hour northwest of Tokyo by train in the Saitama Prefecture. It’s about 30 km from the center of Tokyo. Its size is relatively smaller compared to other towns in Japan, with a land area of about 110 km. Both the Iruma and Arakawa River flow through the town.

What is the History of Kawagoe?

In the 15th century, Kawagoe was a castle town, guarding the Kawagoe Castle as a strategic defense. Because of its proximity to the castle and location on the route to Tokyo, it became an important supply city, mainly trading agricultural products, textiles, and furniture.

In 1892, the Great Kawagoe Fire ravaged through the city, burning down about a third of the houses in town. To fortify itself as a supply town and protect themselves from future fires, wealthy merchants built fireproof houses. These fireproof buildings are made of clay and steep layered tile roofs. However, building these special houses cost a lot of money and wealthy families could only afford one. However, with extra money, merchants built their shops in the same architecture, denoting high status.

What is special about Kawagoe?

Kawagoe is known for its Koedo or Little Edo district with kurazukuri architecture. It is a charming Edo-period town known as Saitama’s Little Edo. The architecture of the warehouses is associated with the Edo Period. The opulent fireproof buildings are ornately designed, signaling the prosperity of the past wealthy merchants. This architecture is called Kurazukuri, where ‘kura’ means warehouse and ‘zukuri’ means building style.

There are more than 200 standing kurazukuri buildings in Kawagoe, making up the famous Kurazukuri District. Back then, the kurazukuri held commerical goods like grains, wood, and textiles. Now, most of them are tourist shops selling traditional wares, snacks, and textiles. They all form the Little Edo neighborhood in Kawagoe that attracts 7 million visitors annually.

Besides the kurazukuri district, there are also other notable streets and historical landmarks in Kawagoe. But the start of the city is its architecture.

What can you see and do in Kawagoe?

Here are some of the must-do places to see and things to do in Kawagoe.

Kurazukuri no Machinami

The most popular place to see is the Little Edo district with its impressive kurazukuri buildings. Walk and shop around this historical district! There are so many incredible shops selling traditional goods, cute modern homeware, and souvenirs. If you want to immerse yourself further, you can rent traditional Japanese clothing like kimono or yukata for the day.

Kashiya Yokocho (Penny Candy Lane)

Near the historical district is a famous sweets street called Kashiya Yokocho or Penny Candy Lane. Back in the day, this street produced all the candy in Japan. At its peak, over 70 candy shops operated on this street. However, production slowed after Japan opened its borders and new goods poured into the country. Now, about 20 sweet shops remain, mostly preserving the traditional method of candy-making.

It’s called Penny Candy Lane because you can find cheap, simple sweets, but also because it is a style of candy store shopping. The owner displays candy in bulk and customers grab as much as they like, paying by weight. At Kashiya Yokocho you can find cheap traditional sweets like konpeito and karinto. Kawagoe’s also famous for sweet potato and you’ll find candied, steamed, and flavored versions on this street.

Taisho-Roman Street

Visit this street to see a recent era of Japanese history. Taisho-Roman Street is lined with concrete buildings from the late Meiji and Taisho Periods (late 1800s to 1920s). The architecture is a blend of Japanese and Romantic style architecture demonstrating the Western influence of the time. The retro neighborhood has many hip coffee shops, restaurants, and bookstores. It is also a popular background of many Japanese TV dramas and movies.

Toki no Kane

Built 400 years ago, the Toki no Kane bell tower is a historical landmark of Kawagoe that tells time just like it did back in the day. It’s been rebuilt several times after multiple fires, but the foundation of the bell tower is the original. The tower rings four times a day, at 6 AM, 12 PM, 3 PM, and 6 PM. It sticks out in the Kawagoe landscape and is an iconic symbol of the city.

Kurazukuri Starbucks

This Starbucks is in a kurazukuri-style building made to blend in with the surrounding architecture. It’s steps away from the Toki no Kane and is a unique Starbucks store. The interior is light and airy, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a zen garden in the back. Enjoy the amazing architecture with a cold drink.

Hikawa Shrine

Aside from the beautiful architecture, my favorite destination in Kawagoe is the Hikawa Shrine. It dates back more than 1500 years and has one of the largest wooden torii gates in Japan. Because some of the gods of the shrine are married, visiting the Hikawa shrine brings good luck in romance. Besides its romantic atmosphere, Hikawa Shrine offers unique omikuji or good luck papers. The papers are hidden in small carp charms that you fish for in a huge bin. Once you get your charm, you keep the charm as a souvenir!

There is also a divine river in the shrine where you can literally wash away your bad luck. The shrine is so beautiful, surrounded by Zelkova trees and, in the summer, the shrine hangs dozens of glass wind chimes around their site. Hikawa Shrine also has a picturesque ema (wood prayer plate) tunnel you can walk through.

The Perfect One-Day Itinerary to Kawagoe

To get the best experience in Kawagoe, you want to spend the morning to late afternoon in this town. Most shops and tourist attractions close around 5 PM (early, I know). Because of this time restriction, you want to get there early to maximize the things to do and see.

This itinerary prioritizes walking first, then busing back to the station. However, feel free to change the order and structure your day however you’d like.

Arrival

Arrive in the morning, around 10 AM is best!

Temple, Shrine, + Stores

Once you exit the JR station, walk 7 minutes to the Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine where you can visit the sacred peach and eye monument. Then, pop into the Maruhiro Kawagoe Store nearby for some window shopping and souvenirs.

Then, walk another 7 minutes to the Koedo Kurari to sample some sake and browse through more traditional souvenirs. It’s a souvenir shop that is in an old sake brewery that mainly shows products from Kawagoe.

Walk east 9 minutes to visit the Kawagoe Kita-in Temple and see the 500+ small Buddha statues. Then, walk another 10 minutes back to the main street for the Kawagoe Kumano Shrine with money-washing and fortune ring toss activities.

Historical Districts

In the same area is Taisho Roman Street, where you can pop in for a nice lunch and coffee. Try some famous Kawagoe unagi at Ogakiku, which has been around for over 2 centuries. Snap a pic on this street and pretend you’re in a Japanese film or drama!

From Taisho-Roman Street, walk north on the main road for 6 minutes and enter the Little Edo/Kurazukuri District. Browse the boutiques and stores, including the Miffy souvenir shop that is also attached to a Miffy bakery! Don’t walk too far ahead without checking out the Toki no Kane. Stop by the Starbucks here if you want a refreshment, or save it for after!

Then walk through the Kashiya Yokocho, grabbing some small candies if you want!

Hikawa Shrine + Castle Park

From here, you can either take the bus or walk depending on how tired you are to the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

If you’re up for it, from Hikawa shrine walk 8 minutes east to check out the Kawagoe Castle Honmaru Palace. Then, to go back to the station, walk back to the Hikawa Shrine where you can catch a bus that takes you all the way back.

At this point, it should be around 3 or 4 p.m., depending on when you arrive in Kawagoe. If you saved Starbucks for later, take the bus and grab a drink. Then, take the bus back all the way to the station.

Kawagoe Itinerary: Google MyMaps

Here’s a Google MyMaps route I made for an overview of the itinerary:

The route starts at Kawagoe Station, then you walk up until Hikawa Shrine, hitting spots along the way. Total walking time in one direction is about 45 minutes. Once you get to Hikawa shrine there is a direct bus back to Kawagoe Station.

Is Kawagoe expensive?

Kawagoe is not an expensive place to visit. Most (if not all) of the temples and shrines have free entry, and the only other money you’ll spend is on transportation. Obviously, you can spend money on souvenirs, but that is up to your discretion. Restaurant and cafe items are relatively similar to those in Tokyo, but it also depends on what kind of establishment you go to.

How do I get from Tokyo to Kawagoe Saitama?

There are multiple ways to get from Tokyo to Saitama. The easiest way is to take the JA Saikyo Line from Shinjuku Station to Kawagoe Station, which takes an hour. You can also take the Fukutoshin Line from Shinuku-Sanchome Station to Kawagoe Station which takes 45 minutes. Google Maps is very accurate in which trains to take, so if you’re near a different station Google Maps will help you out.

Is Kawagoe worth a visit?

Yes! It’s one of the best day trips you can do from Tokyo, especially if you want to escape the city and travel back in time. From the architecture to the religious sites, it’s a quaint city that you can explore all on foot. You can take your time and savor the Edo-period history while also seeing a different side of Japan. It’s incredibly convenient to get there by public transportation and it’s affordable, too.

Looking for other day trips to go on? Here are my picks for great day trips to do from Tokyo that aren’t Kyoto or Osaka. Kawagoe is on the list, but so are 9 other underrated cities.

Experience Kawagoe!

I loved visiting Kawagoe from Tokyo on my most recent trip to Japan and highly, highly recommend it. I always look back on my pictures and my pink carp omikuji as a reminder of good times. It’s charming, loaded with history and amazing architecture, which is my favorite part of any place I visit. Kawagoe is the perfect way to spend an afternoon and make it back in time for dinner in Tokyo. Hopefully, you get to experience this magical place on your trip to Japan. Happy travels!