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.
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
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
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.
- 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.
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!!
Miriam R.
“Lunch restaurant ”
Highly recommend him.
Yuki K.
Dear Miriam, Thank you for the review. Your tour was very useful for me to learn how to make my tour easy. We used the elevator at Fushimi Shrine and exited from Kinkaku-ji Temple without walking all the way. Thank you for taking my tour. Yuki
Miriam R.
“Bullet trsin”
Yuki was great. I highly recommend him
Yuki K.
Thank you for your review.
Shole M.
“Massive thanks”
We had a two day tour with Yuki. He was knowledgeable, kind, on time, and above all patient. We had great time with him. Even when we changed our mind to visit a different place to what we already had arranged with him, he did not bat an eyelid. I am forever grateful for his kindness to us. Thank you Yuki and I hope to see you in London in not a too distant future, so I can repay your kindness. Once again THANKS.
Yuki K.
Dear Shole, Thank you for your review. We have visited not only the most popular places in Tokyo but also very authentic ones. I'm very impressed with your curiosity and understanding of Japanese culture. Please give my best regards to your sister, too. Thank you for taking my tours. Yuki
$198/ per group