JP · Saitama Prefecture · 35.93°N 139.49°E

kawagoe

'Little Edo': clay-walled warehouses, an old bell tower and sweet potato snacks.

Best time
Any time. Spring and autumn are most pleasant, summer brings wind chimes at Hikawa Shrine, and the Kawagoe Festival with its big floats is in mid-October.
How long
Half a day to a day
Getting there
Fly to Tokyo (about 7 hours from KL). Tobu trains from Ikebukuro reach Kawagoe in about 30 minutes, and Seibu trains run from Seibu-Shinjuku to Hon-Kawagoe.
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JP · Saitama Prefecturekawagoe35.93°N 139.49°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,'Little Edo': clay-walled warehouses, an old bell tower and sweet potato snacks.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingKawagoeJP, Saitama Prefecture
KLkawagoe
≈ 5,321 km from KL, as the crow flies
Quiet alley in Kawagoe, Saitama.

Photo: Collin Grady · CC BY-SA 2.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

A city in Saitama, about half an hour from Tokyo, known as Little Edo for its street of old clay-walled warehouse shops. It's an easy day trip for old-style streets, snacks and a couple of quiet temples and shrines.

Makan

  1. Sweet potato snacksKawagoe is famous for sweet potatoes: chips, soft serve, cakes and roasted whole.Map ↗
  2. UnagiGrilled eel on rice. The town has a long eel tradition and several old eel restaurants.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Kurazukuri streetThe main street of heavy, black-tiled clay warehouses, now shops and cafés.Map ↗
  2. Toki no KaneThe old wooden bell tower that still rings out over the town several times a day.Map ↗
  3. Kashiya YokochoCandy Alley, a short lane of old-fashioned sweet and snack shops.Map ↗
  4. Kitain TempleOver 500 stone statues of Buddha's disciples, each with a different face, plus rooms moved from Edo Castle.Map ↗
  5. Kawagoe Hikawa ShrineA shrine for matchmaking, hung with thousands of glass wind chimes in summer.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Weekends get crowded. A weekday morning is much calmer.
  • Hon-Kawagoe Station is closer to the old streets than Kawagoe Station, which is about 20 minutes' walk away.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.