Kawagoe: City of Kurazukuri

Kawagoe: City of Kurazukuri

The city is just about 30-minute train ride from the center of Tokyo. Kawagoe is conveniently located in the southwestern Saitama Prefecture, which is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.

Kawagoe is famous for its sweet potatoes, and on the local “Kashiya Yokocho” (candy street) you can find such treats as sweet potato chips, sweet potato ice cream, sweet potato coffee, and even sweet potato beer, brewed at the local COEDO Brewery.

 Kashiya Yokocho (candy street)

 COEDO Beer

Some of its streets preserve the old castle town of the Edo period (1600 to 1867). Prominent sites include “Tokino Kane” (bell tower). The bell tower serves as the symbol for the city and rings three times a day even now. Other sites include the 500 Rakan statues at Kita-in, a prominent Buddhist temple believed to have been founded in 830.

  Tokino Kane (bell tower)

 500 Rakan statues

  Kita-in, a Buddhist temple of Tendai sect

The Kurazukuri Street is a section of a street lined with traditional warehouses constructed in a style called kurazukuri and maintains the old outlook of what the place was like more in Edo period. Within and beyond the Kurazukuri Street, many warehouses from the 18 and 19 centuries can still be seen.

 Kurazukuri Street  You can try rickshaws.

　MAKE THIS CLEARER and more FOCUS so that only SAITAMA, TOKYO and TWO airports are on the map. NO NEED TO TOCHIGI, GUNMA.

<Access by Railways>

Use Tobu Tojo Line　(From Ikebukuro to Kawagoe) and it takes about 30 minutes by express trains and costs 450 yen.

Use JR Kawagoe Line　(Shinjuku to Kawagoe) and it takes about 60 minutes and costs 570 yen.