Kawagoe area - Tourist Information | Seibu Raiway Web Site

Maple (Kitain Temple, Kawagoe): As a place related to the Tokugawa, the temple holds many national important cultural properties reminiscent of the Edo period. Come and enjoy the autumnal scene presented by the scarlet-tinged maple leaves in the historical garden. <Best time to view the leaves: mid-November to late November>

Approximately a 15-minutes walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station on the Shinjuku Line.

Kawagoe Kitain Temple: This is the headquarters of the Tendai sect temples in the Kanto area. The temple possesses many national important treasures, including the main hall and Tahoto Tower. Moreover, there are valuable paintings and artifacts that were transferred from Edo, including the room where Iemitsu was born and the powder room of Kasuganotsubone.

A 15-minutes walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station on the Shinjuku Line.

Five Hundred Rakan: More than 500 stones images line up in the precincts of Kawagoe Kitain Temple. It is said that it took about 50 years to create these images, which constitute one of the three greatest groups of Rakan images in Japan. Their humorous and various facial expressions enjoy high popularity.

A 15-minutes walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station on the Shinjuku Line.

Nakain Temple: It is said that this Tendai sect temple separated itself from Muryojuji Temple in the late Kamakura period. It has a quiet, secluded atmosphere and there is a tea room, which is associated with Toson Shimazaki and designated as a cultural property by Kawagoe City.

An 8-minutes walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station on the Shinjuku Line.

Koed Kawagoe Tour of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune: The Seven Gods of Good Fortune consist of the following 7 deities on a boat full of treasures who arrive on New Year's Day: Ebisuten, Daikokuten, Benzaiten, Bishamonten, Jurojin, Fukurokujushin, and Hoteison. The Kawagoe Seven Gods of Good Fortune tour visits the seven gods enshrined in 7 temples in Kawagoe, a castle town also known as Koedo: Myoshoji Temple (Benzaiten), Kenryuji Temple (Hoteison), Renkeiji Temple (Fukurokujushin), Naritayama Temple (Ebisuten), Kawagoe Kitain Temple (Daikokuten), Tennenji Temple (Jurojin), and Myozenji Temple (Bishamonten). This tour also serves as a simple, convenient walking course.

It's a 17-minutes walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station to Myozenji Temple (Bishamonten). You can continue on and visit Tennenji Temple, Kitain Temple, Naritasan Temple, Renkeiji Temple, Kenryuji Temple, and Myoshoji Temple ―the tour only takes about an hour and 30-minutes.

Townscape with Kurazukuri houses: Ichibangai Street, a popular spot lined up with quaint houses, reminds us of the old days through the storehouses remaining across the town representing Kawagoe's past prosperity.

A 10-minutes walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station on the Shinjuku Line.

Toki no Kane: This is a time bell, a symbol of Kawagoe, which has been telling the time to people in the castle town since the Edo period. The current bell is said to be the fourth one and still tells the time four times a day. The sound of the bell has been selected as one of the "Best Hundred Soundscapes of Japan."

A 15-minutes walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station on the Shinjuku Line.

Museum of Kurazukuri: This is a Kurazukuri-style house of Bunzo Koyama, a tobacco wholesale merchant, who built it in 1893 right after the Kawagoe Great Fire. In the museum, valuable materials on the firemen in the Edo period and Kurazukuri are displayed.

A 14-minutes walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station on the Shinjuku Line.

Osawa Residence: This is a storehouse of Omiya Hanemon, a great cotton and hemp kimono merchant, who built it in 1792. It is the oldest storehouse in Kawagoe and designated as a national important cultural property since it represents one of the few remaining storehouses that were built in the late Edo period.

A 15-minutes walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station on the Shinjuku Line.

Kashiya Yokocho: In the early Meiji period, one candy maker named Tozaemon Suzuki made candies that suited the taste of people in Edo and opened a candy store here. It became popular, leading to the opening of many other candy stores. In the early Showa, there were more than 70 stores. In the Kashiya Yokocho (alley of candy stores), you can find nostalgic snacks, such as candies and rice crackers.

A 20-minutes walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station on the Shinjuku Line.

Kawagoe Festival: This is a festival designated as a national significant intangible folk asset. The highlight of the festival is Hikkawase (a competition of dancing and musical accompaniment that takes place each time when floats pass or run into each other).

A 10-minutes walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station on the Shinjuku Line.

Kawagoe Festival House: This House was founded to hand down the tradition of the Kawagoe Festival, which has a proud history of more than 350 years, to succeeding generations. The display of floats and a big screen showing the actual festival conveys the excitement and heated atmosphere of the festival.

A 15-minutes walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station on the Shinjuku Line.