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Day Trip

Day Trip to Kawagoe: Temples, Local Food, Castle & More!

Day Trip

Tokyo

English

8 hours

Private tour (only you and your group)

Up to 5 people

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 Kawagoe castle and the old warehouse district of Kurazukuri. Take a day trip outside of Tokyo and discover the historic Kawagoe.

Yuki K.

4.77 / 5

(347 reviews)

10:00 AM

Meeting Point

At your hotel

- I will meet you near the reception. I will show your name on my iPad.

10:00 AM

At your hotel

I will pick you up at your hotel near the reception.

10:00 AM

10:00-11:30 Travel from Tokyo to Kawagoe

Take a train from Ikebukuro station to Kawagoe station and take a local bus there.

11:30 AM

11:30-12:00 Nakain Temple

Nakain Temple; Enjoy strolling around this small, peaceful temple and be impressed with the spectacular architecture and traditional Japanese garden. Founded in 830 AD, by a Buddhist priest Jikaku Daishi, the temple relatively resembles those in Kyoto. In Spring, all the flowers, including Sakura will bloom together.

12:00 PM

12:00-13:00 Kitain Temple

Kitain Temple; One of the most famous Buddhist temples in Kawagoe, attracting both locals and foreigners to visit. The over 500 mysterious Buddhist pupil statues, called Gohyaku Rakan, make this temple more amazing. Most of the buildings in this temple are part of the former Edo Castle, which is worth visiting. (Admission: 400 JPY per adult)

01:00 PM

13:00-13:30 Lunch

Lunch; Please try Japanese noodles with crunchy tempura or BBQ eel, which are the most famous dishes of Kawagoe.

02:00 PM

14:00-14:30 Kawagoe Castle

Kawagoe Castle; We will visit the spectacular Kawagoe Castle, which used to be a residence of Tokugawa’s allies, and witness amazing cultural estates, such as the tranquil traditional Japanese garden, tatami rooms, and paintings. (Closed on Mondays, Admission: 100 JPY per adult)

03:00 PM

15:00-15:30 Hikawa Shrine

Hikawa Shrine; Enjoy walking around this lovely shrine with its relaxing atmosphere. This shrine is very famous for love and relationships. One of the highlights is that the shrine houses the largest wooden Torii gate in Japan, which was moved from the Meiji Shrine. (Admission free)

04:00 PM

16:00-17:00 Kurazukuri Street and Kashiya Yokocho

Kurazukuri Street and Kashiya Yokocho; No visit to Kawagoe is complete without walking through this historic pedestrian 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.

05:00 PM

17:00-18:00 Take trains to Tokyo

06:00 PM

At your hotel.

End of the tour

Ending Point

At your hotel

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Inclusions & Exclusions

What‘s included

Tour guide fee and hotel pick-up service

What‘s not included

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 and for Kawagoe Castle, 100 yen.

Tour Important Information

- Kawagoe Castle, museums and some shops in Kurazukuri Street are closed on Monday.

- The tour guide is not available on Monday.

- Please, send a direct message to the tour guide for confirming the availability before booking

Not available on Mondays.

Important message from the guide

There is little restriction due to COVID 19 in 2023. I was vaccinated six times with the Pfizer one.

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

Tokyo Tour Reviews

Anthony B.

5 / 5

Apr 13, 2024

Tokyo tour à la carte half day

Tokyo

4 hours

Apr 13, 2024

“Great English ”

Yuki was very punctual very informative and did a great job finding what we wanted His English was excellent. We enjoyed our time with him Would recommend

Yuki K.

(347 reviews)

Dear Anthony, I appreciate your review within the tour day. Tsukiji is getting more and more crowded with foreign tourists for Japanese foods. I took you places without long line for Japanese beef and ramen. You missed my favorite sushi place but next time maybe. Thank you for taking my tour. Yuki

Michael A.

5 / 5

Apr 6, 2024

One day Door to Door tour of Kyoto from Tokyo

Tokyo

13 hours

Apr 6, 2024

“Great experience seeing highlights of Kyoto”

Yuki was a knowledgeable guide and very personable. He customized our tour to hit the major highlights of Kyoto at an efficient pace that allowed us to learn about the sites and cover as much as possible. I would highly recommend this day trip from Tokyo to Kyoto with Yuki.

Yuki K.

(347 reviews)

Dear Michael, Thank you for your review just after our tour. It was a long day but everything went well with your help. Thank you for taking my tour. Please give my best regards to your mother. Yuki

Robert E.

5 / 5

Apr 4, 2024

One day Door to Door tour of Kyoto from Tokyo

Tokyo

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Apr 4, 2024

“Wonderful day ”

A peaceful experience with Yuki . We took our time in visiting unique world heritage cities . To see where modern Japan transformed itself in 1867at Nino-Jo castle to end its 200 years of isolation from the rest of the world