This is a half-day tour exploring Kawagoe in Saitama.
We meet at Kawagoe, and start the tour from Kawagoe station.
You will find out why Kawagoe is called "Little Edo" after knowing this area.
If you have experienced Tokyo sightseeing before, Kawagoe is the next place I would recommend.
Check out what we are going to do.
Feel free to personalize this offer.
Kawagoe station (Tobu Tojo Line)
Kita-in Temple
Lunch in Kawagoe
Kurazukuri (warehouse-styled houses/shops) Street
Kashiya Yokocho (Penny Candy Lane)
Kurari - souvenir shops
Kawagoe station (Tobu Tojo Line)
Kawagoe is a city in Saitama, and used to be a very important place in Saitama as a trade partner of Edo. You can still see a traditional and unique atmosphere. It takes only 30 minutes from Ikebukuro by train, so if you have experienced a sightseeing in Tokyo and don’t have enough time to visit Nikko, Kamakura, or Hakone, Kawagoe is the second place that I must recommend for a day trip.
Guide fee
- Your transportation fee
KAWAGOE DISCOUNT PASS : 700 yen (trains between Ikebukuro Kawagoe)
KAWAGOE DISCOUNT PASS Premium : 950 (trains between Ikebukuro Kawagoe, and bus rides in Kawagoe)
- Lunch (For you & your guide) : approximately 1000 yen to 2000 yen per person
- Your admission fee for Kita-in Temple : 400 yen
* I recommend you bring cash in Japanese yen, too, because some restaurants and shops still don't accept credit cards, and we need it for transportation.
We walk a lot, so please wear comfortable shoes.
Kita-in Temple admission : 400 yen
Lunch : approximately 1000 to 2000 yen
Aki was the best tour guide! From the moment I inquired of her availability, she was responsive, curious about our trip, and eager to help us have the best day—and she completely succeeded. She managed to do the impossible and pack 3-days’ worth of sight-seeing into one day, all accompanied by her charming personality, interesting factoids about Tokyo and Japanese history, and overall lovely demeanor. I will absolutely ask Aki to be our guide again. We now consider her our friend! See you in Oregon, Aki!
Dear Erin, It was such a lovely day yesterday! It was a little cooler than the past couple of days, and no rain. More than that, I really enjoyed your company and our conversation during the tour. I also felt this one-day trip would become a special one from the beginning. I’m glad you liked all my favorite places although we were a little too busy(^-^; Actually, there are more places I would like to take you to, so I’ll wait for you to come back! I hope I can go to Oregon someday, too. Thank you so much for the 5 stars and wonderful review!! Best, Aki
We had a very nice tour with Aki , she had listened very well what we like to see and do in Tokyo. She told us a lot of interesting things according typical japanese things. I really would recommend her.
I hope my tour helped you explore Japan for the rest of your trip;-) The tour was short, but I enjoyed it very much. I wish the dream your daughter wrote at the Meiji Jingu Shrine comes true!! Best, Aki
Aki was so helpful and friendly!!! She absolutely went above and beyond and did everything in her power to make our visit spectacular!!! She was unbelievable thoughtful and helpful beyond anything I could have expected. I don’t think it would be possible to find a better guide and wholeheartedly recommend her and cannot possibly express how thankful we are to have met her and worked with her!!!
I enjoyed our communication from the very beginning, and learned a lot from you, too. If this trip became a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience for you, I’m *super* happy!! Thank you for finding me as a guide, and it means a lot for me. I hope I can see you again someday either in Japan, US, or maybe in other country!? Please take care and enjoy the rest of your trip!! Aki
We only had a short time with Aki. I had her take my family (husband and 2 teenage daughters) to the Glico Factory tour which only accepts reservations in Japanese. She went out of her way in providing directions on how to meet her before we left on our trip and delivered more information at our hotel when we arrived in Tokyo. The tour was in Japanese and she translated for us even translating the Quiz questions for us as we played a game there. She actually visited the factory a week prior to our arrival to familiar herself with it so she can make our experience more enjoyable. Her English is excellent and was so personable and sweet. I so enjoyed our time with her and most definitely hire her again if we go back to Japan.
I’m glad that I could be of help to cross out one of the places on your “To-do in Japan” list;-) Glico is a place of a good memory for my family, too, but I’m surprised that the factory tour is not really opened for international guests. I thought it was great that you could reach the information even though it was not available in English. So I really wanted to find out the way how I could take my non-Japanese guests. The tour with you was short, but I really enjoyed the conversation with you, your husband, and your two beautiful daughters! I wish I had more time to take you around. Please make another list when you come back to Japan next time (^^) Aki