Kawagoe City is located in the southwestern part of Saitama Prefecture and has the third largest population in the prefecture after Saitama City and Kawaguchi City. The city has abundant tourist resources. Recommended tourist attractions include the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, Kita-in Temple, popularly known as Kawagoe Daishi, and the warehouse-style townscape; the Kawagoe Festival, a tourist event held every October; and local specialties such as eels and sweet potato sweets made from the city's specialty sweet potatoes.
In Kawagoe's Motomachi area, there is an area called Kashiya Yokocho. In Kashiya Yokocho, sweets have been made since the early Meiji period (1868-1912), and Chitose candy, mizuyokan, and other sweets were produced in place of Tokyo, which was damaged in the Great Kanto Earthquake. Today, there are about 20 stores selling candy and rice crackers that evoke a sense of nostalgia.
Kawagoe prospered as a castle town during the Edo period (1603-1867) as it was an important transportation hub, and was even called Koedo (Little Edo). Many historic buildings such as castle ruins, shrines, and Buddhist temples have survived disasters and were selected by the national government as historical cities. With a well-developed railroad network, the area is also easily accessible from central Tokyo, making it an area where visitors can enjoy sightseeing at their leisure.
If you take the Tobu Tojo Line from Kawagoe to the north, you will find Higashimatsuyama, located almost in the center of Saitama Prefecture. Higashimatsuyama is famous for Higashimatsuyama yakitori, a local delicacy made from pork kashira, and is also called yakitori town. There are about 50 yakitori restaurants scattered around Higashi-Matsuyama Station, making the town a great place to eat and walk around.
In addition, the vast National Musashi Hills Forest Park, which stretches from Higashimatsuyama to the adjacent town of Namegawa in the north to part of Kumagaya City, was the first national park in Japan to be opened as part of the country's Meiji Centennial commemorative project.
The park has a 17-km long cycling course. Bicycles are available for rent, making it easy to enjoy cycling. For small children, the water playground and Musashi Kids Dome are recommended. Why not get in touch with nature at Forest Park?
The wooden bell tower is located about 300 meters northeast of Sengyo-kan, and was built in 1671 by Masaharu Abe, the lord of the castle, to announce the time. The bell is 182 cm tall, 76 cm in diameter, and weighs 750 kg, and is said to contain 20 large oval gold oval sheets. Since its construction, the bell has been ringing a clear tone at 6:00, noon, 15:00, and 18:00, except during the turbule...»
Koedo Kurari is a renovated facility that utilizes the buildings of the former Kagamiyama Sake Brewery, which was founded in 1875 (Meiji 8), while preserving the atmosphere of the time. The brewery, which was built between the Meiji and Showa eras, has been reused and is designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. It has three warehouses: "Souvenir Shop (Meiji warehouse)," "Makanai (Tais...»
Kawagoe Castle was built in 1457 by Mochitomo Uesugi of Ougitani, who ordered Michizane Ota and his son Michikan to build the castle. The main hall of Kawagoe Castle was built in 1848 by Matsudaira Natsunori, the feudal lord of Kawagoe at the time, and the entrance and hall still retain the appearance of those days. In addition, the ruins of the Fujimi-yagura (viewing tower), earthen mounds, and ...»
Located on rolling hills, the facility features approximately 450 herbivorous animals of about 40 species, including ponies, horses, rabbits, chickens, and sheep. Here, children can enjoy and learn while interacting with the animals. There is a horseback riding area, a dairy cow area where visitors can try milking cows, and even a dinosaur area and koala exhibit. The zoo is the largest zoo in Sa...»
The townscape, known as Ichibangai, is lined with buildings built in the kurazukuri style, a style of architecture that adds to the charm of the town. The kura-zukuri is an elaborate fireproof construction to prevent similar fires, and was developed as the machiya style in the Edo period (1603-1867). Known as "Little Edo," it retains the atmosphere of a castle town, and is characterized by its wa...»
Hikawa Shrine is worshipped as the chief guardian of Kawagoe. It is said to have been founded in the Kofun period (541), and construction of the current main shrine, built in 1842, began with beautiful carvings. Ota Michikan, a military commander in the late Muromachi Period (15th century) who built Edo Castle and Kawagoe Castle, revered the shrine and since then it has been regarded as the gener...»
Kashiya Yokocho is lined with candy stores that have preserved the simple, old-fashioned taste of sweets, making it a charming tourist attraction with the aroma of nostalgic sweets. There are numerous candy confections that bring back fond memories, such as the savory smell of burning soy sauce, Nikki and Hakka candies, dagashi, dango (dumplings), and other candy confections made using old-fashio...»
Shimada Bridge, a sunken bridge 77 meters long and 3 meters wide, is located on the Echibe River between Shimada, Sakado City and Miyahana, Higashimatsuyama City. This bridge was the location of the Kawagoe-Kodama Oukan during the Edo period and was passed by ferry (Shimada no Ferry). In the Meiji period (1868-1912), a wooden bridge was built, and the present bridge is also made of wood. For thi...»
The National Musashi Hills Forest Park is a vast park where visitors can enjoy the scenery and plants of the four seasons. The park boasts an area approximately 65 times the size of Tokyo Dome, and has 24 athletic facilities, a giant air trampoline, a seasonal water playground, and many other playground equipment that allow visitors to exercise their bodies to the fullest. A dog run is also very p...»
Kawagoe Suijo Koen is a year-round recreation spot where visitors can enjoy various seasonal pleasures such as cherry blossom viewing in spring, a variety of swimming pools including the prefecture's largest tube slide and running water pool in summer, autumn leaves and higanbana in fall, and pool fishing in winter. In spring, someiyoshino cherry trees and double-flowered cherry trees are in full...»