'Ka ni Kim

I’ve taken a good number of day trips out of Tokyo, and Kawagoe is truly a standout. Coming from the fast-paced, high-tech metropolitan of the Tokyo area, Kawagoe feels like a different world, a preserved piece of the past made accessible by the conveniences of the present. You’ll pass centuries-old buildings in a modern bus, and hear the same bell that indicated to merchants of decades past when it was time to close up shop.

Sample Itinerary

Time	Expenses	Agenda
10:00am	¥910	Depart Tokyo Station (Marunochi Line) for Ikebukuro Station, change to the Tobu-Tojo Line for Kawagoe Station, then take bus 02 to Ichibangai Shotengai.
11:30am		Walk to Tori no Kane on Kanetsuki Street and visit the bell tower and shrine.
12:00pm	~¥2,000-6,600	Walk to Wood Works and craft a pair of chopsticks.
1:00pm	(Depends on how much shopping and eating you want to do!)	Return to Ichibangai Shotengai and check out the shops.
2:00pm	¥300 (Optional)	Walk (11 minutes) to Hikawa Shrine and if you wish, “fish” for a fortune.
3:00pm	¥900	Cross the street to the bus stop and ride bus 01 to Kawagoeshi Station. Take the Tobu-Tojo Line to Ikebukuro Station then switch to the Marunochi Line for Tokyo Station. You’ll arrive around 4:30pm.
~6.5 hrs	¥3,810-8,710 + souvenirs and snacks

NOTE: Prices may change; conversion rates will certainly change. As of writing, JPY 8,710 is approximately PHP 3,267.

Tori No Kane

Your first stop will be the historical Tori No Kane, literally translating to the Time Bell Tower. Widely considered the symbol of the city, the tower has been standing since the Edo Period, but the structure you’ll see isn’t the original. It has been burned down and rebuilt multiple times during the Edo Period.

If you’d like to hear it ring, it goes off four times a day at 6:00am, 12:00 noon, 3:00pm, and 6:00pm. This itinerary will put you there when it chimes at noon. The tower has long served the shop owners and visitors of Kawagoe, and the comforting sound of its bells were certified by the Ministry of the Environment as one of the “100 Soundscapes of Japan to Keep”.

Tori No Kane is located at 〒350-0063 Saitama, Kawagoe, Saiwaicho,１５−7, along Kanetsu-dori Street. It is open 24 hours.

Wood Works Kawagoe

One of the highlights of our trip was getting to make our own chopsticks at Wood Works. You don’t need any kind of special skills or experience to do it. Just pay attention to the descriptions of the different wood types as some are a bit more challenging to work with than others. If you arrive to a full house, you can queue by registering at the tablet at the entrance.

Once it’s your turn, the staff will show you the wood pieces you can choose from to carve your chopsticks. Prices vary depending on the wood, ranging from JPY1,980 to around 6,600. From here, you’ll use a wood plane to get the chopstick to the right size and shape, then sand and oil it down. The staff will walk you through the whole process and answer any questions. And if you want to take a video, they even have holders where you can secure your phone and get a good angle while you work.

Wood Works is located at 〒350-0063 Saitama, Kawagoe, Saiwaicho, １４−3, along Kanetsu-dori Street. They are open from 12:30pm-5:00pm on weekdays and 10:30am-5:00pm on weekends. They do not require a reservation, but you can make one on their website. The store can only accommodate up to ten people at a time.

Ichibangai Shotengai

A wide variety of stores and cafes line this street. In between stops, it’s a great place to get a snack or pick up some souvenirs. Don’t miss the Snoopy Village, complete with the upstairs Woodstock Nest for more treats.

You’ll also spot some of the historical warehouses built in traditional Edo style. Unlike most of the buildings at the time, the warehouses were constructed with several layers of clay instead of wood, making them more expensive, but also impervious to fire.

Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine

Once you’ve taken your photos and done your shopping, get ready for a long but leisurely walk to the Hikawa Shrine. This shrine is often visited by people seeking good fortune in their love lives and family lives. Of the five deities worshipped at the shrine, two pairs are married couples. Here, you can walk through the tunnel of ema (wooden prayer plates) and even send a paper doll down the small river that runs through the temple grounds to atone for your sins and cleanse them away.

For a small donation of JPY300, you can also use a tiny fishing rod to catch a red or pink snapper charm that comes with a fortune. A heads up – the fortune is printed in Japanese, so you may need to ask a friend who’s fluent or just use Google Translate to get an idea of what your future holds.

Hikawa Shrine is located at Japan, 〒350-0052 Saitama, Kawagoe, Miyashitamachi, 2 Chome−１１−3, along Saitama Prefectural Road 51. It’s open every day from 8:00am-4:30pm.

If you want to head back to Ichibangai Shotengai, you can catch the bus there at the same place where you were dropped off. If not, another bus stops just across from the shrine entrance and runs the same route. You may need to wait a bit for the bus to arrive – when in doubt, refer to Google Maps. The Marunochi Line will take you back to Tokyo Station.