With its main street lined by massive kurazukuri (warehouse style) buildings, the former castle town of Kawagoe has retained a certain atmosphere reminiscent of past centuries. Consequently, the city has been nicknamed 'Little Edo' (Koedo). Edo was Tokyo's former name. Many cities and towns in Japan call themselves, 'Little Kyoto' but Kawagoe is only one of three that claims the name, 'Little Edo'.
Little Edo,
Timeless window to the past.
The streets of Little Edo
Where old world charm survives.
This is where the samurai trod,
This is where they fought.
Journey into yesteryear,
Feel the romanticism
Of a bygone era!
Of a bygone era!
The temperature was predicted to be in the high 20's, with a comfort factor in the low 30's, so it seemed a perfect day to take the long awaited visit to Kawagoe (pronounced kuh-wuh-goh-(short)e). Located one hour north west of Tokyo, it has been on a proposed itinerary since last June but somewhere I have just never made it to. My 'umbrella' mission is to cram as much as I can into whatever time we have left in Japan before the project team leaves and moves on to PNG.
With the sun boring down, I left Leyton House just after 8.00am. I cashed up at the 7Eleven ATM, topped up my Suica card at the station and began the journey to Kawagoe. According to Joroudan Route Finder, the 76 kilometre trip would take 1.5-2 hours and cost between 1140-1250¥. Knowing me I leaned towards the latter time. Allowing for a navigational correction at Tokyo, where I sensed my train had a different destination in mind than me, and choosing the best train option at Ikebukuro, I arrived in two hours. So many trains, so many platforms, lines and people...so little English when you really need it! Coming into the station, commuters were treated to a thunderstorm spectacular as lightning flashed and thunder vibrated the windows.
Before leaving the Kawagoe Station I was forced to buy yet another umbrella as the rain showed no sign of abating. Kinou wa i-i tenki dat ta desu demo kiyou wa i-i tenki ja na i desu!
I had a delightful time roaming around the streets, absorbing the atmosphere and taking photos. It was difficult keeping the camera dryish and stopping the lens fogging up, even under the umbrella. I found a sweet wind chime in a little old fashioned store and couldn't resist! The rain didn't spoil my enjoyment though, but I imagine on a fine day it would look quite idyllic.
Finally, the rain started to annoy me so I stopped for a 'drying' break. I enjoyed a lunch of ramen and yasai-no-kakiage (tempura vegetable patty) in a gorgeous little restaurant, complete with classical music, that I found in a back street off Ichibangai (that's number one street). Referring to my very rain sodden map I continued visiting temples and gardens. Eventually, I started to feel quite chilly which gave me an excuse to stop at the Gap store where I had seen a cardigan I quite liked. Such a shame!!
I made a perfect return trip home and arrived back at Ishikawacho in one and a half hours. I was so glad that I had finally visited Kawagoe-'Little Edo' and experienced a little more of the 'old' Japan! Arigatou gozai mashi ta!
