Explore a town of history retaining the culture and aroma of Edo, so called "Koedo(Little Edo)" Kawagoe With a Private Guide.
Kawagoe is a town located in Saitama prefecture, about 50km northeast of Tokyo and a town retaining old atmosphere of Edo, Taisho and Showa period (16th to 20th century). It takes just about 30 min from Tokyo by train and is the perfect place for a day excursion to experience a contrasting change from the hustle and bustle of the big city.
Your hotel or JR Ikebukuro Station or Seibu Shinjuku station
about 30 min train ride from JR Ikebukuro or Seibu Shinjuku to Kawagoe station
The must- see in Kawagoe, historically important temple and buildings. Also has nice garden which you can feel very relaxed atmosphere.
We can observe the model of the inside of the Edo period castle.
Local guardian deity. The shrine is famous as the god for "good match".
The center of Kawagoe town and the highlight of the tour. We will have lunch and stroll around the streets, do shopping and eating.
JR Ikebukuro Station or Seibu Shinjuku Station
Visit Koedo Kawagoe, or little Edo. Kawagoe is small town that you can walk around.
You will find not only traditional Edo style houses, but also remains of Edo period, as well as Meiji, Tisho and Showa periods.
You would feel as if you slip back in time!!
We will walk the town either clockwise or anticlockwise, so that we can cover the main sightseeing spots, including Kitain Temple, Kawagoe Castle, Hikawa Shrine as well as Kurazukuri Zone where you can stroll around by visiting shops for souvenirs, Japanese sweets and Japanese traditional snacks.
So in one day, in addition to visit historical sites such as Kawagoe Castle, and Kitain Temple -where you could actually see the buildings and cultural assets from Edo period, you can also enjoy shopping and snacking while strolling at the Kurazukuri Street.
If it is too much to walk, we can also take city loop bus.
Guide fee
Transportation fee, lunch, entrance fee for your group and guide, hotel pick up
Shopping & eating
- My available time is basically day time (i.e. 900-17:00), but please consult me if you wish otherwise.
- I would recommend you to be covered by your own travel insurance as the tours are not included travel insurance.
Transportation - 2000 JPY
Kitain Temple - 400 JPY
Kawagoe Castle - 100 JPY
City loop bus (one ride) - 200 JPY
Lunch 1000JPY~ depending on your choice
And souvenirs, snacks, etc up to you
Basically, this is walking tour.
So please be ready to walk most of the time during the tour, but if you feel too much or tired, there is a choice to take city loop bus, too.
I recommend you to put comfortable shoes.
Kawagoe Station - Kitain -- 15 min walk
Kitain- Kawagoe Castle -- 15 min walk
Kawagoe Castle - Hikawa Shrine -- 10 min walk
Hikawa Shrine - Kurazukuri Zone -- 15 min walk
Kurazukuri Street - strolling around 1-2 hour walk
Back to Station
Sachimi-san is great company, and she went out of her way to create some unique experiences to fit with my particular interests: paper making and silk dyeing. Both sessions were conducted by experts who were generous, helpful and good fun to be with. I would never have had these enriching experiences without Sachimi-san's thoughtful guidance. She is an absolute gem!
Ruth-san, Thank you so much for such a nice review! I also enjoyed accompanying you and had a great time as well. Your work was brilliant!! I wish to enjoy together different things next time:)
I highly recomend you guided tour with Sachimi. Sachimi is a charming person and offered us a very intresting trip around Tokyo. A lot of usefull tips for our first visit to Japan, many facts and stories about this city. The guide was able to change the original plan to adjust it to our needs. We traveled with our 10 y.o. son
I was eager to explore the outskirts of Tokyo. I chose Sachimi-san because her tour was specifically focused on Kawagoe, an area where different past architectures merge: Edo, Meiji, Tasho, Showa. Sachimi could help me with the logistics. We could visit Kitain temple, where I was lucky enough to assist to a burning ritual and sutra chant, and then Hikawa, a shrine with a playful atmosphere. With her, I had the most delicious unagi I ever had in my trip (I am picky about unagi!). We strolled around in the joyful Kurazukuri street which is abundant of vintage shops, that I love. We visited a brewery, a really old soy factory...so many things, but I never felt any rush. Sachimi-san was always flexible and could easily read my interests. Time really flew! I hope to walk again in those streets in the future. If so, will be again with Sachimi-san.
Hi, Stefano-san, Thank you so much for such nice words! It was really a joy to walk the lovely town and I am glad you liked and saw a lot there. The lunch was also really good! I hope you will come back to Japan, then let's explore another off-the-beaten old atmosphere area! Thank you again. Please take care!
Very nice, flexible, and helpful guide. Helped us navigate the train tickets and our dietary restrictions (even brought us gluten free soy sauce). We were glad to have a guide with us especially during our first few days in Japan!
Thank you very much for your kind review! I was really glad to meet you and your family and spent an enjoyable time together. Hope you continue having a great time in Japan. Enjoy the rest of your stay!! best regards, sachimi