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Bonsai sightseeing and Kawagoe small-Edo tour in Saitama

Shingashigawa river used to be a main artery as flow of goods between Edo and Kawagoe

Lots of Ema on in Hikawa-shrine

Hikawa-shrine which is the local Shinto deity of Kawagoe.

Long corridor stretching right and left and many Japanese style hall In Kawagoe castle

Honmaru palace of Kawagoe castle was built in 1848 by the feudal load.

Symbol of Kawagoe as “Tokinokane/hour bell” built in Edo era by the feudal lord of Kawagoe.

Kura store houses street which shows the atmosphere of Edo Era (1603 ~ 1868).

Bonsai Display in garden where Various types of Bonsai are displayed

Shohaku Bonsai by conifers of pines with deep green foliage

Bonsai sightseeing and Kawagoe small-Edo tour in Saitama

Day Trip

Joined 2017

Kashima H.

4.70 / 5

(89 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

Saitama

Japanese (Native), English

8 hours

Private tour (only you and Kashima H.)

Up to 8 people

This tour include Omiya Bonsai museum & village where several types of Bonsai are displayed in both inside the museum & outside garden and Kawagoe tour spots with nostalgic atmosphere of ancient Edo-Era such as Kura-machi street , Kawagoe-castle and Hikawa-Shrines which are both located in Saitama. You can enjoy Japanese traditional atmosphere and craftsman skill.

Itinerary

This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!

08:00 AM

Meeting Point

At your hotel in Tokyo

08:30 AM

To pick up your group at your staying hotel.

09:00 AM

To take JR train from Tokyo to Toro / Saitama prefecture

10:00 AM

To see and enjoy Omiya Bonsai museum

Omiya Bonsai museum which is one of the most famous Bonsai museum in Japan located in Saitama prefecture.

There are two types of Bonsai display circumstances. One is Bonsai Display in traditional Japanese Rooms called Zashiki-kazari.　 The other is Bonsai Display in garden called Bonsai garden. Various types of Bonsai are displayed in a garden considering the harmony between each Bonsai and the garden itself including the actual trees in background.

11:00 AM

To see and enjoy one of Bonsai store in Bonsai village.

To visit one of Bonsai store within Bonsai village near the museum and see a lot variety of actual Bonsai display.

11:30 AM

To take JR train from Toro to Kawagoe

12:30 PM

To have a lunch in Kawagoe

01:30 PM

To move to Kura store houses street by walking

To see Kura store houses street in Kawagoe city where there are many houses built like a Kura with the walls covered in mud lined in the Kura-machi street which show the atmosphere of Edo period.

02:00 PM

To enjoy the street including Tokinokane/hour bell

While walking through the street, you will find the symbol of Kawagoe as “Tokinokane/hour bell”. This is said to be built in Edo era by the feudal lord of Kawagoe who is said to be strict punctual load and the bell has still announced the time to Kawagoe citizen.

02:30 PM

To move to Kawagoe castle by walking

After going through the Kura-machi street to west by around 10 minutes walking, you will reach Honmaru palace of Kawagoe castle.

02:30 PM

To see Kawagoe castle

Kawagoe castle was built in 1848 by the feudal load at that time and a part of the palace has been remained as it was.

03:00 PM

To take bus and JR train to Tokyo

By walking around 5 minutes from the palace, you will reach Hikawa-shrine.

03:30 PM

To see Hikawa-jinjya including Shingashigawa-river

Hikawa-jinjya shrine is the local Shinto deity of Kawagoe. The deity of this shrine is Ohikawa-sama who has been worshipped and well known from many people. In near the back of Hikawa-shrine, you can find the river named as Shingashigawa which used to be a main artery as flow of goods between Edo and Kawagoe. This river is flowing by surrounding Kawagoe city.

04:00 PM

To take bus and JR train to Tokyo

Ending Point

At your hotel in Tokyo

Want to personalize this tour?

This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.

Inclusions & Exclusions

What‘s included

Guide fee,

Pick-up fee at your staying hotel in Tokyo,

Transportation inside Kawagoe city for a guide,

What‘s not included

Transportation fee during this tour for you and a guide in case you move from hotel in Tokyo to Omiya (both way): JPY1140/ adult,

Transportation fee inside Omiya & Kawagoe for you: About JPY1000/ adult,

Entrance fee for you: Omiya Bonsai Museum: JPY310/ adult,

Kawagoe castle: JPY100/ adult,

Lunch fee,

Tour Important Information

1) For fairly long walking of sight -seeing, please put on the shoes to walk with ease.

2) Please prepare the cash to spend any train riding, lunch and souvenir.

3) I prepared the blog of Omiya Bonsai Museum with photos and detail explanation each shown as below,

Blog title: Omiya Bonsai Museum in Saitama Prefecture

Important message from the supplier

I am now focusing tour guide area for East Japan area such as Tokyo, Yokohama, Hakone, Kamakura, Mt.Fuji, Nikko, Gunma, Saitama and Kanazawa.

However, I can support you for one day trip of Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara and Himeji from Tokyo.

Cancellation Policy

Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time

Joined 2017

Kashima H.

4.70 / 5

(89 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

About Tour Guide Kashima H.

I am Kashima. I have gained the Government Licensed Tour Guide authorization in 2017/2.

I passed a licensing examination of Kyoto Tourism Culture Certification Test 3rd grade in 2023.

I passed a licensing examination of Tokyo city guide in 2023.

I had worked for one of biggest Electric Company in the world which manufacture various type of Electrical products. I had a task roll of design development of Semiconductor for Video movie appliance in Japan and semiconductor marketing for 5 years in USA. Secondly, I had worked for one of big grovel Electric part Company which manufacture connectors for Electrical appliance usage. I had a task roll of quality assurance cooperating with the grovel college including USA, Europe (Ireland, Germany, France), China and Eastern Asia. As a result, I have communicated with people from different countries and I have become interested in introducing Japan to them. That is why I made decision to become an English tour guide.

By introducing Japan to non-Japanese tourists, I would like to do my best to serve the best customized private tours in Japan that you and your family are looking forward to enjoying the fantastic experience as below.

1) Sightseeing of natural scenic spots, historical landmark (Temples, Shrines, Palace, Gardens) and cultural assets (Paintings, sculptures, swords and so-on)

2) Strolling of the bustling streets & towns

3) Traditional town atmosphere experience

4) Japanese Modern Architecture in both Tokyo,

5) Experience of Traditional performing arts & events enjoyment such as Kabuki, Sumo-training, tea ceremony and Ninjya training

6) Famous relaxation spots enjoyment such as Onsen and Japanese bar

7) Crafts art of Japan experience such as Sake brewery and Bonsai museums

8) Enjoyment for kids such as Amusement facility (Anime, Games, Comics), shopping of latest trendy goods, entertainment café and so-on.

9) Night-time foods and drinking enjoyment in Food market & Drinking streets

Reviews

Christina P.

5 / 5

Apr 18, 2026

One day Mt.Fuji tour for your great experience

Apr 18, 2026

Mount Fuji

10 hours

Customized

“Fun day at Mt.Fuji!”

Kashima was a great guide! Although we had rain, Kashima was very accommodating to adjusting our itinerary and he had a lot of knowledgeable facts and insights to share. He even had fun materials, like a brief Japanese language guide. We recommend him!

Kashima H.

Christina san, Thank you very much for your upmost review for me. We enjoyed Mt.Fuji viewing and surrounding beautiful nature spots such as Fugaku-Fuketsu/caves , Ohishi park and Oshino Hakkai. Even a rainy day in the afternoon, we could see the perfect Mt.Fuji in the morning during our tour. We were very much pleased of the miracle. Thanks to your family strong curiosity for Japan, we could talk and exchange various information about every tour spots. I hope that you visit Japan again in near future so that I can introduce other nice tour spots for you. Thanks, Kashima

Edward O.

5 / 5

Apr 17, 2026

One day Gunma tour for your great experience

Apr 17, 2026

Gunma

6 hours

Customized

“Gunma Tour ”

Knowledgeable guide with lots of experience. He made a change for viewing Sakura which was a good decision which increased the cost of our van. Says that transportation company increased the cost due to the change but I can’t recall being notified of this change. Was also charged with 2900yen of tolls which I paid but was never told about this prior. I paid all of this but don’t think I was told ahead of time

Kashima H.

Edward san, Thank you very much for your excellent review for me. We visited Tomioka Silk Mill, Takasaki Daimonya, Daruma, Shiraijuku Yaezakura street and I am pleased that you could enjoy there. Also, we tasted the specialty food of Gunma as Mizusawa Udon noodle that was good for you, I think. We could talk and exchange various information about every tour spots. I am sorry to bother you about the Van taxi fee payment. I hope that you could continue to enjoy your tour in Japan. Thanks, Kashima

Ignacio F.

5 / 5

Apr 16, 2026

One day Kamakura tour for your great experience

Apr 16, 2026

Kamakura

9 hours

Customized

“A Wonderful Day Exploring Kamakura”

We had a lovely day visiting Kamakura with Kashima as our guide. He kindly picked us up from our hotel in Tokyo and accompanied us all the way to Kamakura, which made the experience very comfortable and easy from beginning to end. During the day, Kashima guided us through several of the most important and beautiful places in Kamakura, including Kōtoku-in and the Great Buddha, Hase-dera, Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, and the charming streets and atmosphere that make Kamakura so special. At every stop, Kashima shared a great deal of historical information and context, and it was clear how much knowledge and passion he has for the history of the area. At times, it was a little challenging for us to fully understand everything in English, but we very much appreciated the effort and the amount of information he wanted to share with us. One detail we especially appreciated was that Kashima prepared a document for us in advance with information about the different places we would be visiting during the tour. It was very helpful and showed the care and preparation he put into making the day special. At the end of the tour, he also took the time to explain to us clearly how to continue our journey to Hakone, which was extremely helpful and made the next part of our trip much easier. Overall, we are very grateful for the experience and for the opportunity to discover Kamakura with him.

Kashima H.

Ignacio san, Thank you very much for your upmost review to me. We visited Kamakura city including Great Buddha in Kotokuin-temple, Hasedera temple, Houkokuji temple and Tsuruoka-Hachiman shrine. Kamakura used to be a Samurai town where Shogun lived and dominated Japan. Therefore, there are still Samurai related atmosphere remained at present and I am pleased that you could feel that. Also, during through Komachi-food & souvenir street with tasting sweets, we could feel the nice atmosphere Thanks to your strong curiosity about Japan, we could talk and exchange various information about every tour spots. I am very much pleased that you could enjoy the tour. Thanks, Kashima,