Just 30 minutes from Ikebukuro, Kawagoe earned its nickname 'Koedo' (Little Edo) because its distinctive kurazukuri black-plastered storehouses — built fireproof after an 1893 blaze — closely resemble the merchant streetscapes of old Edo. The iconic toki-no-kane bell tower has tolled the hour since the early 1600s and remains the city's symbol. Kashiya Yokocho (Candy Lane) is a narrow alley of old-fashioned sweet shops beloved since the Meiji era, while the Kawagoe Festival in October fields enormous lacquered parade floats and is designated an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
- Type
- Venue
- Category
- Culture
- Season
- Autumn
- Month
- October (festival); Year-round for townscape
- Region
- Kanto
- Prefecture
- Saitama
- City
- Kawagoe
Highlights
- ◆Kurazukuri Street — best-preserved Edo merchant townscape near Tokyo
- ◆Toki-no-kane bell tower ringing since the 1600s
- ◆Kashiya Yokocho retro candy alley
- ◆Kawagoe Festival floats (UNESCO Intangible Heritage, October)
- ◆Easy 30-minute train ride from central Tokyo