Streets lined with centuries-old buildings
vendors selling traditional street food and crafts
a storied temple around the next corner.
Traveling in Japan today, charming historical districts have become somewhat rare gems to
have become somewhat rare gems to find
amongst the concrete urban expanses of the country’s modern cities.
But, the city of Kawagoe is one such place.
Located just half an hour north of Tokyo via the Tobu Railway
Kawagoe was a booming trade hub during Japan’s Edo Period.
Merchants built the town’s wealth serving nearby Edo (now called Tokyo)
and showed off their success through architecture
creating an impressive and still well-preserved merchant district.
Combined with the town’s other fascinating historical sites
as well as some fun food and shopping choices
Kawagoe is a great day trip idea for those
staying in Tokyo looking for an interesting escape to the past.
I’m Joe Mignano, Web Developer and Staff Writer for japan-guide.com
and today I’m on assignment in the historical merchant town of Kawagoe.
Here’s the plan:
I’ll start at Ikebukuro Station in central Tokyo
and ride for about half an hour to Kawagoeshi Station.
From the station, I’ll walk to the famous Kitain Temple
before heading on towards the old Merchant District.
Once there, I’ll explore a little bit before ducking into a restaurant for a traditional lunch
and then head over Candy Alley to try out
some local sweets.
Afterwards, I’ll visit Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine
before finally returning to the station and back to Tokyo.
So, follow along on our day trip from Tokyo to captivating Kawagoe.
We’ve just arrived at Kawagoeshi Station.
We’ll be on foot today, so let’s make the 15 minute walk to Kitain-Temple.
This is Kitain Temple.
The history here is really fascinating.
During the Edo era this entire temple actually burned to the ground
but the head priest was friends with the Shogun at the time.
After the fire, the Shogun held this temple in such high regard
that he ordered buildings from his own palace in Tokyo be moved here as replacements.
Today, the castle in Tokyo is gone
which makes these buildings the only surviving buildings from Edo Castle palace.
So, why was Kawagoe so important?
Merchants.
Trade routes in this area used to move lots of goods into Tokyo
and this city was a major hub
so merchants here got really wealthy.
Normally a merchant might save up
and build themself one warehouse made of stone or clay
to store their goods and protect against fire called a “kura”
but they were really expensive.
But the merchants here did so well, they built their entire shops like kura.
So we just sat down for lunch and this looks amazing.
We have a variety of food here.
It looks like we’ve got some squid sashimi
yuba made from tofu skin
and of course being Kawagoe they’ve given us some grilled sweet potato or “imo. E
Mmmm, cooked with honey.
That’s good.
From the restaurant, it’s a short 5 minute walk to Candy Alley
After the Great Kanto Earthquake struck Tokyo in 1923
this tiny neighborhood’s shops found success supplying candy to the hard-hit capital.
At its height, the alley boasted around 70 shops.
Today, the shops lining this little street still sell plenty of local sweets and snacks.
Definitely worth a stroll when you’re in town.
The final stop today is at Kawagoe Hikawa Jinja
an ancient shrine dating back to the sixth century.
Today, this charming, well-maintained shrine attracts visitors
who come to pray for luck in love and also to purify their minds and hearts.
Thanks for joining me on this brief Kawagoe day trip.
I hope this video has been enjoyable
and maybe offers some inspiration for your own side from Tokyo.
For more information about Kawagoe or to watch another video
click the links on the screen now
or head over to Japan-Guide.com
your comprehensive, up-to-date travel guide, first-hand from Japan.
Thanks for watching
be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell for more videos about Japan.
Happy travels.