Day Trip to Kawagoe: Old temples, Local foods at the nostalgic street, and more!
Joined 2014
Hidden in Saitama Prefecture, Kawagoe, also known as Little Edo, still retains the atmosphere of ancient Japan during the Edo period. If you wish to escape from the bustling city of Tokyo, this Kawagoe private tour will not disappoint you. In this small peaceful town, there are many traditional Japanese shrines, temples and other amazing attractions, such as Kita-in Temple and the old warehouse district of Kurazukuri. Take a day trip outside of Tokyo and discover the historic Kawagoe.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
At your hotel
- I will meet you near the reception. I will show your name on my iPad.
At your hotel
I will pick you up at your hotel near the reception.
10:00-11:30 Travel from Tokyo to Kawagoe
Take a train from Tokyo to Kawagoe station and take a local bus there.
12:00-12:30 Naka-in Temple
Naka-in Temple; Enjoy strolling around this small, peaceful temple and be impressed with the traditional Japanese garden. Founded in 830 AD, by a Buddhist priest Jikaku Daishi, the temple relatively resembles those in Kyoto. In Spring, many azaleas will bloom together.
12:30-13:30 Kita-in Temple
Kita-in Temple; One of the most famous Buddhist temples in Kawagoe, attracting both locals and foreigners to visit. The over 500 mysterious statues of Buddha's disciples, called Gohyaku Rakan, make this temple more amazing. Some of the buildings in this temple are part of the former Edo Castle, which is worth visiting. (Admission: 400 JPY per adult)
13:30-14:00 Lunch
Lunch; Please try Japanese noodles with crunchy tempura or BBQ eel, which are the most famous dishes of Kawagoe.
14:30-15:30 Kurazukuri Street and Kashiya Yokocho
Kurazukuri Street and Kashiya Yokocho Alley; No visit to Kawagoe is complete without walking through this historic street. In the Edo era, this street was the center of trade, thus there were many warehouses. Now, they became restaurants and souvenir shops. Visitors also can find rare Japanese sweets and desserts in Kashiya Yokocho Alley.
16:00-17:00 Take trains from Kawagoeshi station to Tokyo
There are many railways to Tokyo.
We will take the easiest rapid train to Tokyo.
At your hotel.
End of the tour
Ending Point
At your hotel
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
Tour guide fee and hotel pick-up service
On this Kawagoe private tour, the transportation fees, admission fee, and lunch costs of the visitor and tour guide are additional fees and as following:
- Transportation fee: approximately 2,000 yen per person
- Lunch: approximately 1,000-2,000 yen per person
- Admission fees: for Kitain temple, 400 yen for entering the special room in the former Edo Castle.
Tour Important Information
- Some shops in Kurazukuri Street are closed on Mondays.
- Please, send a direct message to the tour guide for confirming the availability before booking
Not available on Mondays.
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 2014
About Tour Guide Yuki K.
I was born and grew up in Yokohama. I used to work in Tokyo for more than 20 years. I became the National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter in English in 2013. At first, I had attended a volunteer group which provided a tour of the Imperial Palace East Gardens until 2015. I guided more than fifty times in the garden as a volunteer and studied about Japanese history and culture. Based on this experience, I became a tour guide of this online site in 2015.
Since then, I have guided more than 500 tours in Tokyo as well as Yokohama, Kamakura, Hakone, Kyoto, Nikko, etc., while improving my tours. My tours are very flexible and I always do my best to customize them according to the interests of my guests. I studied about the places and will provide you knowledge to appreciate them more deeply than just visiting there by yourself or a member of group tours. I like foods and I know many restaurants which provide typical Japanese lunch with reasonable price without waiting too long. Therefore, I am sure that I can provide you the best tours customized to your interests. It will be my great pleasure to help you to enjoy your stay in Japan. So please be my guest!!
Reviews
Katja W.
“Absolutely amazing tour”
Thank you so much Yuki! Yuki was perfect. He was absolutely amazing and reliable. And even as we had rain on the day of the tour it was the highlight of our trip in Tokyo. Communication was easy and he helped us so much to make the best of the day! He did his very best to organize our day. I texted him in advance that we would like to ride the Shinkansen. He organized everything und met us in time at the hotel lobby. After the train we had the most amazing lunch at Tsukiji fish market! I highly recommend booking Yuki ! Thank you so much!
Yuki K.
Dear Katja, Thank you for your great review of my Tokyo tour. It was a unique tour just taking the Shinkansen to/from Odawara. The view was very impressive when other Shinkansens passing by the station with their full speed. We were lucky to have sushi lunch at my favorite place in Tsukiji without waiting so long. Then we visited Samurai museum at Asakusa. Everything went well even though it was raining. Thank you for taking my tour. Yuki
Lesley B.
“Fantastic first day in Tokyo”
Just finished a lovely day with Yuki and I couldn’t think of a better way for my family to spend our first day in Tokyo. He added local and historical context to make our visit more meaningful. He also pointed out food stops we may have overlooked on our own. Yuki was acommodating of the needs of everyone in the group and answered all my questions beforehand. Highly recommended if you want to get a local view of the city!
Yuki K.
Dear Lesley, Thank you for the nice review of my Tokyo tour. We visited Meiji Shrine and Fukagawa Fudo Temple. You were very lucky to see the water lily and Iris flowers in full bloom at the shrine. The fire ceremony at the temple was very impressive. The rain was not so hard and made our tour more attractive. Thank you for taking my tour. Yuki
Jackie F.
“Fantastic guided Tour!!!”
Mr Yuki is a brilliant guide. We learned so much about Tokyo from him. We really enjoyed his tour and I would highly recommend him!
Yuki K.
Dear Jackie, Thank you for your review. We visited Meiji Shrine at first including its inner garden where we see the full broom of water lilies on the pond and beginning of iris flowers. Then, I took you to Harajuku for shopping and lunch. The weather was perfect for walking. Please enjoy Tokyo with your family. Yuki
$208/ per group
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