Discover the ancient Kodo Kaweagoe and latest architect in Tokorozawa full-day tour
Kawagoe is a city that prospered as a castle town during the Edo period, with a castle built as an important base in the Kanto region.
In order to alleviate food shortages, agricultural products and special products such as sweet potatoes produced here were transported to Edo via the river.
Kawagoe is called Little Edo and is famous for its streets lined with small shops built in old warehouses. It is a place where you can feel the atmosphere of Edo, about an hour from Tokyo. There is a shopping street lined with candy shops that will make you feel as if you have traveled back in time, an old bell, Hikawa Shrine with an interesting sea bream fortune teller, and a castle that was a key location in the Edo period that still remains.
Tokorozawa, a 30-minute train ride from Kawagoe, is home to a complex called Tokorozawa Sakura Town, which includes the Kadokawa Museum.
You can see a huge book museum created by Kadokawa, famous for anime and manga designed by famous architects, a modern shrine, and outdoor works by TeamLab.
This tour will take you to Kawagoe, which retains the retro atmosphere of the Edo period, and Tokorozawa, where you can enjoy modern architecture and art.
Tour Spots Information
Streets of retro storehouses
This first street is a streetscape that was rebuilt from thatched roofs to warehouse-style buildings for disaster prevention during the Edo period, when fires were common.
Bells that tell the time are still displayed in the town. Today, the townscape is carefully protected as an Important Traditional Building Preservation District.
Kashiya Yokocho
Confectionery Street ”Kashiya Yokocho” is a confectionery alley with about 30 confectionery shops lined up on cobblestone streets studded with colorful glass.
It is a place where you can eat and buy simple and nostalgic Japanese sweets.
Hikawa Shrine
Hikawa Shrine built in 541 is famous as a matchmaking shrine because it celebrates the gods of two couples. The precincts are a very nice space with a corridor of votive tablets and many wind chimes decorated in the summer.
Fishing fortune telling fortunes in the shape of sea bream are very popular.
Kawagoe Castle
Kawagoe Castle, completed in 1457, is one of only two remaining main castle palaces in Japan. You can go inside the castle and get a glimpse of the life and activities inside the castle during the Edo period.
Tokorozawa
This is an experiential art museum created by Kadokawa, a company that provides comprehensive Japanese entertainment such as publishing, video, and games. The overwhelmingly huge exterior of the museum, the art inside the museum, and the regular project mapping held at the Bookshelf Theater “Hondana Gekijo” create a fantastic space. This building was designed by famous architect Kengo Kuma.
Musashino Reiwa Shrine
This modern Musashi Reiwa shrine, built as a sacred place for Cool Japan, was designed by famous architect Kengo Kuma.
The phoenix painted in the sky is the work of Yoshitaka Amano, the character designer for the globally popular game Final Fantasy.
TeamLabo garden (Weekend night Only)
This is an outdoor work by TeamLab, a Japanese digital art team. This responsive forest lights up at night and changes color as you move.
Our guide will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel or any preferred place, allowing you to relax and enjoy yourself like a local without the stress of complicated public transport.
Your departure time and course contents will be arranged to suit your schedule.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with us by inquiry form.