5 Best Sights in Kawagoe, Tokyo

Located northeast of Kawagoe’s central sightseeing area (you’ll want to get on the loop bus rather than walk), Hikawa is known as a shrine where people come to pray for love and marital happiness. To do that yourself, write a wish on an ema (small votive plaque) and then hang it in the extremely Instagrammable ema tunnel. There are also two 600-year-old zelkova trees on the grounds, wedded together by an ornately wound rope. It’s said that walking around these giant trees in a figure of eight pattern also bestows good fortune.

The most famous of Kawagoe’s old streetscapes, Ichibangai (“first street”), is lined with historic, black- and white-plastered warehouses and dark wooden merchant residences that today house all sorts of places to shop or stop for a snack. Souvenir-wise, you’ll find stores selling incense, jewelry, glass beads, and fashion accessories, while the street snacks vary from tofu donuts to traditional sweets designed to be taken with green tea. More than anything, Ichibangai is just a pleasant place to stroll and take in the old vibe.

Another of Kawagoe’s historic enclaves, this cobblestone side street translates as “candy store alley.” It’s a great stop for anyone with a sweet tooth, thanks to its roughly 30 confectionery shops that sell colorful hard candies, honeycomb toffee, and more traditional Japanese treats such as dango (rice dumplings) and senbei (savory rice crackers).

Established around AD 830, Kita-in has long been an important temple in what was once known as the Kawagoe Domain. Not only is its graveyard the resting place of feudal lords, but over the temple’s long tenure it has accumulated several notable features. Several buildings were moved here from Edo Castle in the 1600s, as well as a famous collection of 500 Rakan Statues carved between the 1780s and 1820s. Each is a unique representation of the disciples of Buddha, with various pained and pleasured facial expressions. There’s a 17th-century shrine on the grounds too, as well as several gardens planted with azaleas, hydrangeas, and plum, cherry, and maple trees that combine to repaint the gardens seasonally.

The symbol of old Kawagoe can’t be left out of a guide, although there isn’t actually much to do at this 16-meter-tall (52-foot) bell tower other than take a photo. Originally built in the 1600s, the current structure dates to the 1890s, when it was rebuilt following a fire that destroyed much of Kawagoe. It’s just north of the Ichibangai shopping street.