Things to Do in Kawagoe, Saitama: Exploring the Historical Town with Edo Era Vibes! Enjoy Sweet Potato Sweets and Sake Tasting

Summary

Kawagoe, Saitama, a captivating town near Tokyo, is a picturesque town with well-preserved Edo-period charm. Exploring the quaint streets lined with traditional warehouses and savoring local foods is both enjoyable and refreshing. This time, we enjoyed lot of delicious food and Japanese sake, and also visited a shrine to seek blessings for a good matchmaking and marriage. Check out this travel itinerary and embark on a nostalgic trip through Japan’s rich cultural legacy!

*Please note that information and prices listed are subject to change.

Travel Itinerary

10:30am Honkawagoe Station（本川越駅）

Let’s start the trip from Honkawagoe Station. We are so excited!

Honkawagoe Station is located in Shintomi-cho, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, on the Seibu Railway Shinjuku Line, and is also named after a sub-station called Toki no Kane and Kura no Machi. Many people use the station as a starting point for sightseeing in Kawagoe.

11:00am Ogakiku（小川菊）

First, we came to eat eel (Unagi) to fill our stomach! Ogakiku, a long-established restaurant established in 1804, is a three-story wooden building that has been designated as an Important Cultural Property by the city.

Eels, a specialty of Saitama, served at a long-established restaurant

The customer were lined up!

Interior

A wonderful restaurant with over 200 years of history. Our expectation and excitment are growing more and more!

After a 40-minute wait, we finally entered the restaurant.

Tatami room on the second floor has a relaxed atmosphere. Despite its traditional tatami setting, there are also chairs, allowing you to comfortably relax while awaiting your food.

Eel rice bowl (Unagi Donburi/Unadon)✨

The smell alone is enticing enough to make us crave the rice. They say it is a secret sauce that has been passed down from the establishment to the present seventh generation.

We had never eaten such a fluffy eel before.

Ogakiku, located in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, is a restaurant specializing in eel. It is a long-established restaurant with a history of more than 200 years since its establishment, and its kabayaki (glaze-grilled) with secret sauce is very popular. Kabutoyaki, in which the head of the eel is steamed tender and made into kabayaki, is also amazing. The store is a three-story wooden structure and is designated as an Important Cultural Properties by the city. It is highly regarded among eel restaurants in Kawagoe and is characterized by its tender and gentle flavor. It goes well with beer and is a good spot for lunch or dinner.

1:00pm Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine（川越氷川神社）

Next, we came to the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, which also has a long history and was built about 1,500 years ago.

Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, the perfect spot for people in love or looking for love

God of marriage and family happiness

Since the deities enshrined at the shrine are a family & two married couples, the shrine is believed to be the god of marriage and family happiness.

Place the money into the offering box, then commence the prayer.

Bow twice, clap twice, and bow once.

Red snapper omikuji (fortune slips)

After visiting the shrine, try this very cute omikuji. Use a fishing rod and catch your fish-shaped omikuji!

We got it!

Ema Tunnel

It is a sacred space where the wishes of many people gather.

Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine is located in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture. The shrine is famous for its blessings for good marriage, and is visited by many people, including young couples and families. The 15-meter-tall Otorii gate on the east approach is one of the largest wooden structures in Japan. A wind-chimes festival is held in summer.

1:30pm Kashiya Yokocho（菓子屋横丁）

Our next stop is Kashiya Yokocho. An alley with about 20 penny candy shops lining the cobblestone streets; at its peak, there were an impressive 70 shops!

Kashiya Yokocho in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, is candy shops lining the cobblestone streets, selling old-fashioned candy and Kawagoe’s specialties. Handmade candy shops offer Japanese nostalgic memories.

1:30pm Candy Edoya Kawagoe Main Store （駄菓子 江戸屋 川越本店）

We visited Edoya in Kashiya Yokocho.

Found nostalgic candy at Edoya

Lots of nostalgic sweets here!

It was a space that reignited the childhood excitement in us as adults.

So much fun!

Speciality of Edoya: selling sweets by weight

The colorful array of candy bars all look so cute and delicious!

300yen for 100g

Candy Edoya Kawagoe Main Store is a penny candy store located in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture. The store is full of old-fashioned candy and toys, and candy is sold by weight.

2:25pm Kurazukuri no Machinami / Warehouse District （蔵造りゾーン）

Toki no kane, the symbol of Kawagoe, stands in the street lined with stores. When you see it, you know you have come to Kawagoe.

Sweet potatoes are a specialty of Kawagoe.

It has been actively cultivated since the Edo period (1603-1868), and even today, sweet potato-based sweets can be enjoyed at various stores.

A cityscape that appears to travel back in the past

Kurazukuri no Machinami / Warehouse District is a tourist attraction located in Saiwaicho, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture. There are Ichibangai Street with its beautiful black plaster walls and streets lined with old rows of houses, and you can also see Toki no kane, the symbol of Kawagoe. They can also enjoy eating the street food.

2:30pm Koedo Osatsuan（小江戸おさつ庵）

We got the basic Osatsu chips (sweet potato chips) at Koedo Osatsuan.

Osatsu chip: 500 yen

Choose from 10 different sauces; we opted for the shop staff’s recommendation, the salted butter. It delivered a delightful combination of sweetness and saltiness, truly tasty!

Koedo Osatsuan is a take-away specialty store located in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture. The “Osatsu chip,” a Kawagoe specialty, is especially popular, with long lines of customers waiting in front of the store to get their choice of more than 10 different dips to dip the freshly fried chips in. The price is 500 yen per chip, and the portion is so large. You can enjoy them in a picturesque town atmosphere, and they are becoming a hot topic of conversation on Instagram. There are also other menu items that can be eaten and enjoyed, and the area is always bustling with people.

2:50pm Kasho Umon Toki no Kaneten（菓匠右門 時の鐘店）

Next, we came to Kasho Umon Toki no Kaneten for manju “Imo Koi”. They were freshly steamed and hot.

Hot

Just the right amount of gentle sweetness is delightful.

It was a very generous portion with a lot of red bean paste.

Kasho Umon Toki no Kaneten is a Japanese sweets shop located in Saiwai-cho, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture. You can enjoy sweets and manju made from sweet potatoes. “Imo Koi” is especially popular. Many people stop by on their way home from Hatsumode (New Year’s visit to a shrine), and the sweets also make great gifts for children.

3:10pm Kawagoe Patate （川越パターテ）

The last stop for the sweets, we came to gelato shop, Kawagoe Patate, and we got a sweet potato and Kawagoe matcha gelato.

Six types of gelato

Sweet Potato and Kawagoe Matcha: 500yen

The rich sweet potato flavor and a matcha flavor can be enjoyed!

Kawagoe Patate is a gelato shop located in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture. The twin gelato of sweet potato and Kawagoe matcha is very popular. In addition, other seasonal gelato and Kawagoe souvenirs are also available.

3:30pm Kawagoe Tsubaki no Kura（川越 椿の蔵）

Kawagoe has such wonderful general good stores as well. We visited Kawagoe Tsubaki no Kura in nearby.

Retro Souvenirs at Japanese General Goods Stores

Furoshiki (Japanese wrapping cloth)

glass

Japanese goods

The colorful array of Japanese sundries is a sight to behold.

Food and beverage souvenirs, including coffee and rice dishes.

Takikomi Gohan (Japanese Mixed Rice)

Bonsai that can be easily grown by yourself

What a unique Japanese goods✨

Kawagoe Tsubaki no Kura is a store where you can enjoy Japanese goods and footbaths in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture. Based on the concept of truly good products that reflect Japanese tradition and culture, Tsubaki no Kura offers a wide variety of Japanese goods and original products collected from all over Japan. It is also a popular place to soak in the footbath while enjoying a drink or light meal. It is a great place to take a break when you are tired from walking, and you can also buy souvenirs here since there is a large selection of sundries.

4:00pm Shimano Coffee Taishokan（シマノコーヒー大正館）

Let’s take a break at this cafe. Shimano Coffee Taishokan is a cafe located on Taisho Roman Street, and as the name suggests, it is themed around the Taisho period.

A retro coffee shop with Taisho era atmosphere.

Interior

Retro atmosphere

It was like stepping back in time to the Taisho era.

Jelly Punch: 700yen, Melon Soda Float: 700yen

Very cute coupled with the atmosphere of the cafe!

Melon Soda Float is always delicious!

The cool ice cream and melon soda are a perfect match.

Jelly punch

Colorful jellies in sweet syrup offer a delightful combination of sweetness and texture.

Counter Seat

At the counter, the master was making coffee and a very nice aroma spread throughout the cafe. We were very satisfied with this relaxing time.

Shimano Coffee Taishokan is a coffee shop themed on the Taisho period located in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture. You can enjoy home-roasted coffee and a coffee menu, and spend a relaxing time in the retro cafe. The toast is fluffy and delicious. It has also been introduced on a TV program and seems to be popular among locals.

5:00pm Showa Gura（ききざけ処 昭和蔵）

At the end of our trip, we tried sake tasting at Showa Gura, which is located inside a tourist facility called Koedo Kurari.

Let’s try some sake tasting experience!

Interior

More than 40 types

You can try more than 40 kinds of sake, including some that are only available for a limited time. There are too many to choose from.

Ask the shop staff for a drink recommendation.

Put the token via vending machine, press a button, and sake is poured. It can even be warmed sake!

The snack is Miso Dengaku.

Cheers✨

It’s a bit hard to put the differences of the taste into words, but…

They were all delicious!

Showa Gura is a sake boutique in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, located in a tourist facility called Koedo Kurari, where visitors can enjoy sake-tasting.

6:00pm Honkawagoe Station（本川越駅）

We finished the drink and arrived at Honkawagoe station.

It was a fun day to enjoy various Kawagoe specialities!

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