Adjacent to the main Kurazukuri Street sits Candy Alley - a street filled with many shops selling snacks, sweets, rice crackers, ice cream, Japanese cakes and Kawagoe’s famous sweet potato snacks/desserts. There are also shops selling toys and souvenirs. After the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake there was massive fall in sweets supply in Japan. As a response, orders at Candy Alley surged. At that time, over 70 stores existed in the street. Now, about 20 still remain. It has maintained the same nostalgic feeling and serves as a great place to experience traditional Japanese snacks and sweets.

Photo Credit: Japan Guide

Address: 2 Chome Motomachi, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-0062

Hours: Stores are typically open around 10am - 5pm

Website: Click Here

How to get there: A short walk from the main Kurazukuri street

 

Both these streets are close and actually branch out from the main Kurazukuri Street. Kanetsuki Street is famous for their old clock tower that was constructed in the early 1600s (reconstructed several times) which chimes at 6am, 12pm, 3pm and 6pm. It is considered as one of the Best 100 sounds of Japan. A long this road you can find many popular food stands. You can even find a Starbucks in the the form of an old traditional building!

On Taisho Roman Dori, there are roughly 30 stores lined up on 200 meters of streets designed from the Taisho period (1912-1926). Some of the stores has been in business for over 100 years! It lies directly between Kurazukuri Street and Hon-Kawagoe Station if you’re looking to check it out on the way to the station.

Photo Credit: Matcha JP

Address: N/A

Hours: Stores are typically open around 10am - 8pm

Website: N/A

How to get there: From Kawagoe Station, take the Tobu Bus to Kurazuki Street

 

Discover anime and manga heaven at this massive shopping complex in Nakano. While Akihabara is known to be the center of anime and manga, Nakano Broadway is the hidden, secret sibling. it’s a hidden gem in the outskirts of Tokyo. The second and third floors are where most of anime and manga goods are while the first and basement floors sell produce, clothes, second hand goods and shoes. They also have many antiique shops including watch shops, camera shops, video games and little souvenir shops as well.

Don’t miss out on the following stores:

• The dozen or so Mandarake shops selling anime and manga goods

• The world famous Bar Zingaro with the 2004 World Barista Champion and 2005 World Cup Tasting Champion Tim Wendelboe’s coffee beans and book 

• 8 layer ice cream at Daily Chico

Entrance Fee: Free

Photo credit: Live Japan

Address: 5-52 Nakano, Nakano City, Tokyo 164-0001

Hours: Varies on store, but typically around 11am - 7pm

Website: https://nakano-broadway.com/

How to get there: A 5 minute walk from Nakano Station on the JR Line.

 

This famous street in Kawagoe looks like a street that would be used in an old Edo-era (1603-1868) film. Kurazukuri literally means warehouse styled buildings (clay walled). Formally an old commercial town supplying resources to Edo (now Tokyo), the merchants in the area grew wealthy enough to build their own warehouses, but also their own stores in the same kurazukuri style which was unusual to other places. Some of the buildings remain to this day, and now the streets are lined up in this old warehouse styled buildings. They are now occupied with many shops and restaurants.

Photo Credit: Travel Blog

Address: 7-9 Saiwaicho, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-0063

Hours: Most shops are open from 10am - 8pm

Website: N/A

How to get there: It’s a 15 minute walk from Hikawa Shrine. From Kawagoe Station you can take the Tobu Bus as well.

 

The Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine is said to have been build about 1500 years ago.
Since family gods are enshrined here, many people who want to find a good match will visit this shrine, since it is said to give blessings in “family satisfaction, perfect couples, and marriage”.
Those looking for a partner or for a happy marriage should come and visit this shrine.

An ema is a small wooden board that people write their wishes and dreams on to have them fulfilled. At the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, worshipers that write on the marriage ema hang them in the tunnel, and visitors can walk through this tunnel filled with people’s wishes and dreams.

After visiting the shrine, be sure to get an omikuji (fortune). One omikuji at this shrine is the “aitai-mikuji” which predicts your love fate. It has an unusual shape of a “tai” (sea bream fish), which is a play on words since “aitai” means you want to see someone. In Japan, the tai is seen as a good omen.

To learn more, please read this article

Love Blessing at the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine 

http://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/chokotabi-saitama/eng/travelmag/06.html

Summary Credit: Saitama Prefecture Government

Address: 2-11, Miyashitamachi, Kawagoe-shi, Saitama, 350-0052, Japan

Hours: 9am - 5pm

Website: https://www.kawagoehikawa.jp/

How to get there: From Kawagoe Station, take the Tobu Bus to Shinmeicho Shako

 

After a long day of walking, relax at the Tsubakiya Foot Spa Tearoom. While relaxing in a foot bath you can order some tea and snacks that come in a beautiful wooden tray. Your legs and feet will feel refreshed instantly!

Address: 3-2 Saiwaicho, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-0063

Hours: 12-6:30pm (10am start on weekend and olidays)

Website: https://www.tsubaki-kura.jp/

How to get there: Get off on Kamachi Kawagoeshi Bus Stop on the Koedo Loop Bus

 

Tokyo can be a great city to explore, but taking a mini day trip from Tokyo to Kawagoe, a town in Saitama just an hour away from Tokyo can be a worthwhile experience to add to your list of things to do in Tokyo, Japan. Kawagoe is known for it’s edo period styled houses and shops, and it’s also famous for the Kita-In Buddhist Temple (喜多院）- the head temple of the Tendai Sect in the Kanto area.

Built roughly 1250 years ago, parts of the temple are parts of the former Edo Castle built in the 1600s. The halls of the edo castle were transferred into this temple in 1638 after the original structure of the temple was burned down. The third Tokugawa Shogunate ordered to move the edo castle parts in order to preserve the Kita-in temple. Today, these are one of the only remaining parts of the original Edo Castle as the the main Castle in Tokyo was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923.

Another part of the temple to visit is the Gohyaku Rakan statues. There are 540 statues of Buddhas disciples lined up, each with different facial expressions. Because each facial expression is different, it is said that you can find one that resembles you, a friend or family. It is located in a small courtyard off to the side of the temple.

Kawagoe Guide: The Tahoto or Japanese Pagoda at the temple.

Address: 1 Chome-20-1 Kosenbamachi, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-0036

Hours: 9am - 4pm

Website: https://www.kawagoe.com/kitain/english/

How to get there: From Kawagoe Station, take the Tobu Koedo Loop Bus to Kitain Temple

Kawagoe Guide: 540 Buddhist Rakan Statues. These are all disciples of Buddha.

Kawagoe Guide: Rakan Statues back to back.

 

On the side streets and alleyways of the Sun Mall Shopping Street, you can find loads of bars and izakayas lined up. During lunch time, lots of the well known ramen shops begin to open up to allow local office workers to get a hearty bowl of ramen midday. Then, at night, the izakayas and bars begin to open bringing a lively night scene to the area. You can hit up Juke 80s an 80s music request bar. Their drinks are all 500 yen as well! Or head on over to Vowz bar - a monk run bar.

Photo credit: Unsplash

Address: The side streets next to Nakano Sun Mall Shopping Street

Hours: N/A

Website: N/A

How to get there: A 5 minute walk from Nakano Station on the JR Line.

 

Every nook and cranny is filled with shops and restaurants on the Nakano Sun Mall Shopping Street. It’s the road leading up to Nakano Broadway, and is only a 1 minute walk from the North Exit of Nakano Station. Shopping streets or shotengai, are very popular in Japan. Nakano Sun Mall Shotengai is one of the more popular ones in Tokyo. While you’re here make sure to check out the legendary Bonjour Bons melon pan. Melon pan is a sweet sugary bread that’s crispy like a cookie on the outside and warm and fluffy on the inside. At the start of the shotengai, you can also find Oyaki, a stand that sells oyaki! Oyaki are small pancake like desserts filled with either sweet or salty fillings. The red bean and chocolate ones are very popular.

Photo credit: Like Fish in a Water

Address: 5 Chome-63-3 Nakano, Nakano City, Tokyo 164-0001, Japan

Hours: Varies on shop, but typically from 10am - 8pm

Website: N/A

How to get there: A 1 minute walk from Nakano Station on the JR Line.

 

Bar Zingaro opened to serve as the visitors' meeting place and an event space that connects the four existing galleries Kaikai Kiki operates in Nakano Broadway: Kaikai Zingaro; Hidari Zingaro; pixiv Zingaro; and Oz Zingaro.
Produced by Fuglen Oslo, which is currently enjoying wide recognition around the world in the café industry, Bar Zingaro offers superb specialty coffee for the gallery visitors to enjoy right in the heart of Nakano Broadway.

The 2004 World Barista Champion and 2005 World Cup Tasting Champion Tim Wendelboe’s coffee beans and book are available at Bar Zingaro.
Please ask our staff for more details.

Summary Credits: Bar Zingaro website

Photo credit: Japan Travel

Address: Japan, 〒164-0001 Tokyo, Nakano City, Nakano, 5 Chome−52−15 中野ブロードウェイ 2F

Hours: 11am- 9pm

Website: http://en.bar-zingaro.jp/

How to get there: A 5 minute walk from Nakano Station on the JR Line.