Sightseeing Spots

We offer tourism information and brochures for sightseeing on the first floor of Pepe Honkawagoe Station of Seibu Shinjuku Line. This is the closest visitor information center to Koedo Kawagoe and the Kurazukuri townscape. In addition, we offer wheelchair rental and baggage storage services (payment required).

Matsumoto Soy Sauce Factory has been making soy sauce in Kawagoe for around 250 years. The brewery, established in 1764, still carries out production with traditional methods using 40 cedar vats that have been in use since the Edo period. At a tour of this soy sauce brewery, designated an important part of Kawagoe's city landscape, you can experience firsthand the tradition of soy sauce production.

The Kawagoe Castle was built in the first year of Chōroku Era (1457) under the command of the vassals, Ōta Dōshin and Dōkan (father and son), for Ōgigayatsu Uesugi Mochitomo to compete against Koga Ashikaga Shigeuji. In the Edo period, it was of utmost importance to protect the north side of Edo, which is why the top vassal traditionally become the lord of the castle. The current building was constructed in the first year of Kaei era (1848). It is open to the public after a two and a half year restoration.

Situated at the Nakacho intersection, the entrance to the Kurazukuri district, the Kawagoe City Nakacho Information Center is filled with useful information and housed in a traditional warehouse! You can also connect to their free Wi-Fi and use their baggage storage service (for a fee).

The history of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine goes back a long way and is said to have started with the separation of worship practices by the Ōmiya Hikawa Shrine, a part of Musashi Ichinomiya, under the reign of Emperor Kinmei in the 6th century, when the cultural practice of building burial mounds was passed on to them. Thereafter, whenever Ōta Dōkan built a castle, it was revered as a Sōja, a shrine enshrining several gods, of this location, and is familiarly called “Ohikawa-sama.”

A townscape of “kurazukuri" traditional warehouses still remains in Kawagoe. The kurazukuri warehouses were cleverly built with fireproof architecture and developed as housing for the merchants of Edo. The warehouses retain an image of Edo that cannot be seen in modern day Tokyo. They were chosen as national “Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings” in December of 1999 and were selected as one of “Japan’s 100 Beautiful Historical Environments” in January of 2007.

The "Little Edo Kawagoe Spring Sailing" is a Japanese cherry blossom viewing event held at the end of April, where visitors sail down the Shigashi River behind Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine to view 500 meters of cherry blossoms in full bloom. Sail along in a small Japanese-style boat enjoying the fully blooming sakura overhead with a flowing river of pink petals beneath you. It's a must-see for fans of the Japanese cherry blossom!

Plum planting began in 1986 at Ume Hyakkaen Garden. You can enjoy about 170 varieties of plum flowers, including rare ones such as the early blooming red plum during the winter solstice and the three famous flowers of the moon, mangetsu, tagoto, and soumei. From mid-February, about 470 plum are in full bloom, and the fragrant plum scent spreads all the way to the summit.

At the building of Haniwa located inside the Saitama Kofun Group, anyone can experience making their own Haniwa with the help of an instructor. In order to create a Haniwa, there are 3 steps: 90 minutes of molding, drying for about a month, heating in the kiln located inside the building at a heat of 800℃ for approximately 7 hours. Once the Haniwa is complete, it can either be retrieved in person or can be delivered and paid on arrival.

Menuma Shodenzan Kangiin Temple is known to be one of Japan’s three Shoten and is said to bring success, health to the family, fortune, and scholarly achievements, and many other benefits such as matrimony. In 2012, the main shrine of Menuma Shodenzan “Kangiin Shotendo” was designated as a national treasure thanks to its highly skilled carvings, modern decorative architecture, and because it was built from donations by the public. Throughout the year, events such as the annual grand festival and Setsubun festivals take place during the spring and autumn.

The railway museum opened on October 14th, 2007 in Ōmiya, Saitama as part of Japan Railways (JR) Group’s 20th-anniversary commemorative project. The South Building was newly opened in July of 2018, with the permanent exhibition of the main building renewed extensively. Through this renewal, the inside of the building has been divided into stations of 5 categories: rolling stock, history, job, science, and future, updating the museum to tell the rich story of the relationship between humans and railways from a unique and diverse perspective.

Many small, old-time candy stores line the Kashiya Yokochō (confectionery alley). 70 houses existed in the beginning of the Shōwa era, where they produced a variety of sweets to be sold wholesale. As of now, there are about 20 houses left that still produce and sell cheap sweets, such as mint candy and the Kintaro candy, which are nostalgic for both adults and children alike. Kashiya Yokocho was also selected as one of “The 100 Best Scented Sceneries” by the Ministry of the Environment.

Toki no Kane is said to have been first built in the Castletown Tagachō during the Kan’ei era (1624-1644) by the lord of Kawagoe Castle, Sakai Tadakatsu. The current bell tower was rebuilt the year following Kawagoe’s great fire in 1893, and is a three-story tower with a height of about 16 meters. It is a symbol of Kawagoe and denotes that “time” is indispensable for daily life. As of today, the bell rings four times a day (6 am, noon, 3 pm, and 6 pm).

Izumo Iwai Shrine is the oldest shrine in the prefecture and the stage for a powerful display of horseback archery. It is designated as a national important cultural property along with the two attached building signs. According to folklore, Minamoto no Yoshiie visited the area to express his gratitude for winning an important battle in the year 1063. He also built the Hachiman shrine and prayed by performing horseback archery, which led to the present tradition. To this day, every spring and autumn, young people perform beautiful displays of archery from the back of running horses at Izumo Iwai Shrine.

At the Moominvalley Park in Saitama Prefecture, based on the popular creation, ‘Moomins,’ by Finnish author and artist Tove Jansson, you can immerse yourself in the delightful world of Moomin and its popular characters. The first theme park of its kind outside of Finland, it was opened in March 2019 in Hanno, Saitama, and is easily accessible from Tokyo via train. There are four main attraction areas, featuring a variety of theater venues, a large three-story museum, a playground with Moomin landmarks that appear in the story, delicious restaurants, a cafe, and the world’s largest Moomin store! For additional fun, outside Moominvalley Park lies the Metsä Village, where visitors can enjoy a Nordic experience with shopping and dining options, relax around Lake Miyazawako in comfortable outdoor seating viewing the lake and surrounding forest, or take part in various hands-on activities. At Moominvalley Park, there’s fun to be had for everyone!

This is one of the largest flower markets in eastern Japan. There is a guided course through the market facility, allowing anyone to easily observe the auction (Monday/Wednesday/Friday). There is also a restaurant inside the facility.

Surrounded by splendid nature, this is a factory where you can build canoes with the local Nishikawa timber. You can also rent canoes so feel free to try them out before building your own. If you're simply looking to have some fun in the river, of course, that is totally fine as well!

This museum is jointly established by Honjo City and Waseda University. The museum traces the history of Honjo City from the Paleolithic period through archaeological materials. In addition to the nationally rare laughing human haniwa (terra-cotta tomb figurine) holding a shield and their complete cast of a small glass ball, visitors can see a variety of valuable materials owned by Waseda University.

As a core facility for promoting the culture of bonsai, it is the world’s first public museum specializing in bonsai. In order to spread the culture of bonsai which is designated as Saitama’s traditional industry, not only bonsai, but bonki (vase), suiseki (rocks), paintings of bonsai can be enjoyed, making it a diverse exhibit. (For more information regarding the facility, please refer to the URL below.)

The Kuroyu hot spring, distinctive to the Kanto area, can be found alongside the bypass of the National Route 4. A wide variety of baths including, hot spring baths that flow directly from the source, jet baths, salt saunas, high-temperature saunas, medicated baths, utaseyu (striking water baths) can be enjoyed here.

Other than natural hot springs, low in alkalinity, said to have effects similar to the so-called "beauty baths", there is a large-scale Ganban’ yoku “Onnetsubō” which can be enjoyed unisex and is very popular! At the Four Seasons Buffet, “Kohansaryō”, vegetables harvested locally based on the four seasons can be tasted while enjoying the view. ※ This is a facility for those older than elementary school. Preschoolers are not allowed to enter.

We sell over 450 types of souvenirs that represent Saitama. Other than the regular Sōka Sembei (rice cracker), Koedo Kawagoe Imo (sweet potato) sweets, Ajino Sayamacha, local brew, there are traditional crafts and goods featuring Saitama Prefecture’s mascot “Kobaton”; we sell many popular products unique to Saitama area.

Established at the end of Edo’s Kaei period (1850), Japanese sake, ume liqueur, sake lees are sold at the old-fashioned sake brewery and Taishō period’s store. A cozy experience that can only be enjoyed at a small brewery. In the case of touring the brewery, you will get a small sake cup as a present. The taste of various alcohols kept at different temperatures can be compared, with games for sake tasting on the menu. Please consult with us regarding the content of the experience along with the price range. Tours are not based on a particular season, however, the sake is prepared during the winter. It may be difficult to tour during the periods in which sake is prepared.

From handcrafting Japanese paper to seasonal experiences and workshops related to the Japanese paper, hand-making soba and udon, purchasing specialty goods of Japanese paper and agricultural products. There is also a plentiful food court full of the local village cuisine such as the salted grilled char and oyaki. Furthermore, there is a paper-making house with a thatched roof inside the Japanese garden, which makes you feel like you’ve gone back in time to the Edo period. The area is designed to allow for a relaxing time.