Kawagoe - the Little Edo

I was enjoying my sushi brunch in Tsukiji Market when my friend texted me.

"What are you doing now?"

 

"Having sushi in Tsukiji Market."

"If you are free, let's go to Kawagoe."

 

I didn't know where it was or what's the attraction there but my Japanese friends were so nice wanna bring me jalan-jalan how could I say no.

So we met up at Ikebukuro train station, before taking the Tobu Tojo Line Express to Kawagoe Station (the journey only took about half an hour).

It was already 3 pm when we reached Kawagoe so we actually didn't have much time to explore the city thoroughly. 

Kawagoe is an alternative to Kyoto if you want to see more of traditional Japan. There is a quarter in the central part of the city where streets constructed in the Edo period remain intact. You can see well-preserved century-old kura, or warehouses, which double as stores, workshops and homes today.

The oldest building on the street dates back to 1792.

The shops along the street mainly sell souvenirs and local snacks like pickles, nuts, sweet potato, rice crackers etc. Besides enjoying the ambience, we basically ate non stop!

Here is Toki no Kane (the Bell of Time), one of the important landmark in Kawagoe.

The bell tower has been telling the time to the townspeople through the ages. First erected nearly 400 years ago, the current 54-foot tower was rebuilt after a fire in 1893 and is held up with single cedar logs. The bell is no longer rung by hand, but chimes four times a day.

The thing I hate about winter is the short daytime. My friends wanted to show me more but it was getting darker so we changed plan and went for dinner instead. haha..

There's nothing fancy or spectacular in Kawagoe, but the trip was enjoyable nevertheless. It's a good option for a day trip out of Tokyo.