A Perfect Walking Guide of Kawagoe to Seek for Insta-Worthy Scenes while Enjoying Local Cuisine and Sweets with Wearing Yukata

Kawagoe City in Saitama Prefecture, is known for its impressive landscape of imposing warehouse-style mercantile houses with tiled roofs. As the city’s alias ‘Little Edo’ (小江戸, ‘koedo’ in Japanese refers to cities having historical buildings and creating an atmosphere of Edo era) suggests, you’ll find sites and spots making you feel like you’ve taken into the 1800s and that includes ‘Toki no Kane’ (時の鐘) and ‘Kashiya Yokocho’ (菓子屋横丁). In this issue, let us suggest you a walking tour during which you’ll find perfect sceneries you definitely wanna take photos wearing summer Yukata. Though there’s a loop bus service stopping touristic spots and sites, why not stroll slowly around wearing summer Yukata and enjoying sweets and delicacies on the way?

The best origin for the walking tour is Honkawagoe Station on Seibu Shinjuku Line to which you can visit in about an hour without changing trains from Seibu Shinjuku Station. On the other hand, Honkawagoe station is about a 12-minute walk away from JR Kawagoe Station that is around one hour away from JR Shinjuku Station by Saikyo Line, so it should be a good idea to stop by a yukata rental shop on the way from Kawagoe Station to Honkawagoe Station.

Feel the atmosphere of Taisho era on ‘Taisho-Roman Yume Street’ and make your best shots in front of “Shimano Coffee Taishokan”

While walking down ‘Taisho-Roman Yume Street’ (大正浪漫夢通り, Taisho-Roman refers to the lifestyle or the culture that bloomed in the Taisho era), the cobblestone street stretching for around 200 meters, you’ll be surrounded by buildings founded in the Taisho era such as a national registered tangible cultural property ‘Saitama Resona Bank Kawagoe Branch’, wooden machiya (町家) style buildings and Western-style buildings with trade names in three-dimensional designs at the top of the entrances. When you walk on the street, don’t forget to look for “Shimano Coffee Taishokan” (シマノコーヒー大正館) installed with a photogenic awning in the stripe of orange and black. When shooting a photo in front of it, how about making your pose like an actress or an actor starring in a Taisho-era-themed movie? By the way, don’t miss homemade cakes and home-roasted coffee dripped by the owner using the syphon maker.

Opening Hours	8:00AM – 5:00PM
Address	13-7 Renjakucho, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture
Access	An 8-minute walk from Honkawagoe Station
URL	https://tabelog.com/en/saitama/A1103/A110303/11003248/

Relaxed by footbath while enjoying a local beverage or sweets at the same time at “Ashiyu Kissa Tsubakiya”

“Ashiyu Kissa Tsubakiya” (足湯喫茶 椿や, Footbath Café Tsubakiya) in the complex “Kawagoe Tsubaki no Kura” (川越 椿の蔵) is the place to go when you feel like having some snacks and need some healings at the same time. Facing the backyard filled with green, it also has a hideaway atmosphere that makes you forget the hustle of the outside. You can enjoy footbath while enjoying local sweets and local drinks such as rich matcha ice cream using ‘Kawagoe Matcha’ (河越抹茶) whose mild sweetness and bitterness go the best with milk, cider using the water prepared by Kawagoe’s only sake brewery ‘Kagamiyama Sake Brewery’ (鏡山酒造), and craft beer of ‘Koedo Brewery’ (コエドブルワリー) based in Kawagoe. Since you don’t need to make a reservation and there are towels available for drying your feet, feel free to drop by.

Opening Hours	<Kawagoe Tsubaki no Kura>10:00AM – 7:00PM on weekdays / 10:00AM – 8:00PM on weekends and national holidays <Ashiyu Kissa Tsubakiya>12:00PM – 6:30PM on weekdays / 10:00AM – 7:30PM on weekends and national holidays
Address	3-2 Saiwaicho, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture
Access	A 16-minute walk from Honkawagoe Station
URL	https://www.tsubaki-kura.jp

Impressed by the Japanese-style design blending into the surrounding landscape at “Starbucks Coffee Kawagoe Kanetsuki Dori” where you can spend a cozy time while admiring the well-organized Japanese garden

Reference from 川越なび『スターバックス川越鐘つき通り店に訪問してみた！美しい庭園に感動【写真あり】』

“Starbucks Coffee Kawagoe Kanetsuki-Dori” (スターバックスコーヒー 川越鐘つき通り店) is located on the street with ‘Toki no Kane’ (時の鐘), the landmark of the city. In fact, this store is one of the ‘Starbucks Regional Landmark Stores’ (stores that are architecturally designed in places that symbolize each region of Japan and introduce the embodied local culture to the world). Therefore, the appearance of this store is different from other Starbucks stores, and it has a pure Japanese design that matches the cityscape consisted of traditional Japanese-styled warehouses. When it comes to the interior, it is surrounded by the warmth of wood, and the high ceilings and large windows letting in much sunlight create a feeling of openness organically. There is a covered courtyard in the center, and you’ll find terrace seats installed in the back where you get to spend a cozy time while enjoying the well-maintained and organized Japanese garden.

Opening Hours	8:00AM – 8:00PM *Closed irregularly
Address	15-18 Saiwaicho, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture
Access	A 19-minute walk from Honkawagoe Station
URL	https://store.starbucks.co.jp/en/detail-1554/

Entrust with 2,000 ‘Furins’ swaying in the wind for love and good luck at “Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine”

“Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine” (川越氷川神社) is known as a shrine gathering faith as a god of marriage. Lately, the festival called ‘En-musubi Furin’ (縁結び風鈴, praying for love entrusting with wind chimes) held only in summer has been in talk. A Furin (風鈴) is an Edo-style wind chime often made with glass. This year, the festival is now being held until September 5th. There are more than 2,000 Furins creating ‘Furin Corridor’ (風鈴回廊) next to the main shrine. The corridor makes a photogenic stage for you while playing a pleasant tone at the same time. Don’t forget to attach a Tanzaku (短冊, strip of paper) with your wishes to the Furins when you visit. If any of the Furins clinks at you, it might be a sign that the wind has carried your love in.

Opening Hours	Ask the shrine for details *En-musubi Furin is being held until September 5th
Address	2-11-3 Miyashitamachi, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture
Access	A 24-minute walk from Honkawagoe Station
URL	https://www.koedo.or.jp/foreign/english/llak/227-2/

Stir up your appetite at freshly prepared eels and the secret sauce that has been passed down to the 7th generation at “Ogakiku”, an eel specialty restaurant established over 200 years ago

Reference from Tabelog “Ogakiku”

At the end of the walk, head to Honkawagoe Station and visit “Ogakiku” (小川菊), an eel specialty restaurant founded in 1807, for a local delicacy. The restaurant’s building designated as an important cityscape building of Kawagoe City is said to have been built in the early Taisho era. You cannot just miss the appearance of the building with plenty of presence that makes you find the style of a long-established store. The features of the eels that are freshly served are their savory skin and plump body. Eels are marinated by the secret sauce, that have been passed down from generation to generation for over 200 years, and are grilled over charcoal. You should be fascinated by perfectly mild sweetness and mellow flavor.

Opening Hours	11:00AM – 2:00PM for lunch service and 4:30PM – 7:30PM for dinner service / Closed on Thursday *Closed Irregularly
住所	3-22 Nakacho, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture
アクセス	A 9-minute walk from Honkawagoe Station
URL	https://www.ogakiku.com/en.html