City guide · 川越 Kawagoe
Kawagoe
The "Little Edo" one hour from Tokyo — kura storehouse streets, the Bell of Time, and the sweet scent of sweet potatoes
The city of Kawagoe, in southwestern Saitama Prefecture, is less than an hour by train from Ikebukuro, yet it preserves the shadow of Edo intact. The kura (土蔵） storehouse shops with their black tiles and white walls line Ichibangai street, the Bell of Time rings four times a day over the old town, and Kashiya Yokochō (Penny Candy Lane) is filled with the sweet smell of malt candy and sweet potatoes. In the Edo period this was the castle town of Kawagoe Domain, guarding the north of Edo, and boat transport on the Shingashi River carried goods into Edo itself — the town prospered hardly less than Edo, and people call it "Little Edo" to this day.
History
How the city came to be
Kawagoe was the Kawagoe estate in ancient times, ruled in the medieval period by the Kawagoe clan. In 1457 Ōta Dōshin and his son Dōkan built Kawagoe Castle, and Kawagoe became a stronghold of the Kantō. In 1546, in the Night Battle of Kawagoe, Hōjō Ujiyasu won against a far larger force and established Hōjō supremacy in the Kantō. In the Edo period the lords of Kawagoe Domain were mostly shimpan and fudai daimyō close to the shogunate; Matsudaira Nobutsuna and others laid out the castle town and its boat transport, and Kawagoe became "the kitchen of Edo" and its northern shield. A great fire in 1893 destroyed a third of the town, and the merchants rebuilt in fireproof kura style — the landscape of today's Ichibangai. In 1922 Kawagoe became the first city in Saitama Prefecture to adopt the city system.
- 1457Ōta Dōshin and Dōkan build Kawagoe Castle; Kawagoe becomes a castle town
- 1546The Night Battle of Kawagoe: Hōjō Ujiyasu falls by night on the besieging Uesugi coalition and wins against far greater numbers
- 1639Matsudaira Nobutsuna becomes lord of Kawagoe Domain, laying out the castle town and the Shingashi River boat transport
- 1893A great fire burns about a third of Kawagoe's streets; merchants rebuild the old town in kura storehouse style
- 1922Kawagoe adopts the city system — the first city in Saitama Prefecture
- 2016The "Kawagoe Festival float event" inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list
Must see
Places you shouldn’t miss
Local life
Food and local daily life
Kawagoe 'Little Edo'
Must-try
- Sweet-potato desserts
- unagi eel rice
- Sweet-potato mini kaiseki / udon
Sweet-potato desserts (Imo-koi / sweet-potato ice cream, Kawagoe specialities), eel rice (Kawagoe has many old eel restaurants), sweet-potato mini kaiseki / udon, matcha, Edo-style sweets
| Where to eat | The kura-style old street of Ichibangai, Kashiya Yokochō (Candy Alley), restaurants around Kawagoe Station |
|---|---|
| Dining etiquette | Many old-street shops have standing corners; don't eat while walking |
| Typical price per person | JPY 1,500–2,800 ≈ CNY 68–126 |
| Tips | Old eel restaurants sell out early at lunch — at weekends, get a number at 10:30 first. |
Prices are typical rates as of October 2026, not exact quotes; CNY equivalents are approximate where exchange rates fluctuate.
Roozitaa · CC0
Before you go
Rules to know in Kawagoe
There is no tipping in Japan
Do
- Say thank you with 'arigatō gozaimashita'
Don’t
- Pressing loose change on staff
Japan is a no-tipping country and bills usually include service; if you press a tip on staff, some will politely refuse.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese table manners
Take off your shoes when you see a genkan (entrance step)
Do
- Take off your shoes at the entrance of homes, some restaurants, temples and hot-spring facilities
- If unsure, look for a shoe rack or slippers at the entrance
Don’t
- Stepping onto tatami or indoor wooden floors in shoes
It is seen as very rude.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese etiquette
No phone calls on trains and the shinkansen; queue to board
Do
- Put your phone on silent; on the shinkansen, take calls in the area between carriages
- Queue at the marked spots on either side of the train door, and let people off before you get on
- Give priority seats to older people, pregnant women and passengers with limited mobility
Don’t
- Talking on the phone or playing sound aloud in the train
Not illegal, but you will get looks and a reminder from the conductor.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese etiquette