Kawagoe, Saitama
Encyclopedia
is a city
located in Saitama Prefecture
, Japan
, and is about a 30-minute train ride from Ikebukuro
in Tokyo
.
As of July 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 343,926 (142,898 households). The total area is 109.16 km².
Kawagoe was founded as a town on April 1, 1889, and became the first city in the prefecture on December 1, 1922.
(and a business core city) designated by Japanese national government.
Kawagoe is famous for its sweet potatoes, and on the local "Candy Street" one can find such treats as sweet potato chips, sweet potato ice cream, sweet potato coffee, and even sweet potato beer, brewed at the local Koedo Brewery.
Some of its streets preserve the old castle town of the Edo period
(17c to 19c.)
Prominent sites in Kawagoe include the bell tower as seen in the picture to the right. The bell tower serves as the symbol for Koedo and rings three times a day. Other sites include the 500 Rakan statues at Kita-in
, a prominent Buddhist temple. It is a popular gathering-spot for New Year celebrations. As midnight approaches on December 31, waits of nearly three hours are commonplace at the temple.
". Kawagoe castle
was the headquarters of the Kawagoe Domain
and
occupied by close aides of the Tokugawa shogunate
. Most of the buildings were dismantled in the 1870s but some remained or were relocated.
Before it was merged with Saitama Prefecture in 1873, it was the capital of Kawagoe Prefecture (1871) then Iruma Prefecture (1871–1873).
The is a small backstreet alley where a dozen stores sell old-fashioned cheap sweets and snacks, most of which are priced at less than 50 yen. The location was known as a neighborhood where scores of confectionery manufactures lined the alley. Many tourists come here to enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere of the early Showa period
.
The is a section of a street lined with traditional warehouses constructed in a style called and maintains the old outlook of what the place was like during the Edo period
. The city of Kawagoe started seeing kurazukuri-style warehouses in the aftermath of a great fire that consumed one-third of the old Kawagoe in 1893. Within and beyond the Kurazukuri Street, many warehouses from the 18 and 19 centuries can still be seen. The Kawagoe Kurazukuri Museum is located in a traditional warehouse built in 1893 and allows its visitors to walk around inside and experience the life of Edo merchants.
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located in Saitama Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and is about a 30-minute train ride from Ikebukuro
Ikebukuro Station
is a railway station located in the Ikebukuro district of Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. With 2.71 million passengers on an average daily in 2007, it is the second-busiest train station in the world , and the busiest station in the Tobu, Seibu and Tokyo Metro networks. It primarily serves commuters from...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
As of July 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 343,926 (142,898 households). The total area is 109.16 km².
Kawagoe was founded as a town on April 1, 1889, and became the first city in the prefecture on December 1, 1922.
Geography
The city is a satellite city of Tokyo but it is also the governmental, commercial and business centre of the southwestern (geographically it is central, but the administration and the public classify it as southwestern) Saitama Prefecture. It is a core cityCore city
A is a class of Japanese city created by the first clause of Article 252, Section 22 of the Local Autonomy Law of Japan. Core cities are delegated many functions normally carried out by prefectural governments, but not as many as designated cities...
(and a business core city) designated by Japanese national government.
Kawagoe is famous for its sweet potatoes, and on the local "Candy Street" one can find such treats as sweet potato chips, sweet potato ice cream, sweet potato coffee, and even sweet potato beer, brewed at the local Koedo Brewery.
Some of its streets preserve the old castle town of the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
(17c to 19c.)
Prominent sites in Kawagoe include the bell tower as seen in the picture to the right. The bell tower serves as the symbol for Koedo and rings three times a day. Other sites include the 500 Rakan statues at Kita-in
Kita-in
is a Buddhist temple located in the city of Kawagoe in Saitama, Japan. It is noted for its main hall, which was part of the original Edo Castle, and the statues of 540 Rakan, disciples of the Buddha.- Origins and history :...
, a prominent Buddhist temple. It is a popular gathering-spot for New Year celebrations. As midnight approaches on December 31, waits of nearly three hours are commonplace at the temple.
Railways
- Main station: Kawagoe StationKawagoe Stationis a railway station in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan, operated by Tobu Railway and East Japan Railway Company .The Seibu Shinjuku Line terminus, Hon-Kawagoe Station, is approximately fifteen minutes' walk from Kawagoe Station.-History:...
- Tōbu Tōjō Line:
- Kasumigaseki StationKasumigaseki Station (Saitama)is a railway station in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan, operated by Tobu Railway.-Lines:Kasumigaseki Station is served by the Tōbu Tōjō Line from in Tokyo, and is located 34.8 km from Ikebukuro. Express, Semi Express, Commuter Express, and Local services stop at this station...
, Kawagoeshi StationKawagoeshi Stationis a railway station in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan, operated by Tobu Railway.-Lines:Kawagoeshi Station is served by the Tōbu Tōjō Line from in Tokyo, and is located between and , 31.4 km from Ikebukuro. Through services also operate to and from via the Tokyo Metro Yūrakuchō Line and via the Tokyo...
, Kawagoe StationKawagoe Stationis a railway station in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan, operated by Tobu Railway and East Japan Railway Company .The Seibu Shinjuku Line terminus, Hon-Kawagoe Station, is approximately fifteen minutes' walk from Kawagoe Station.-History:...
, Shingashi StationShingashi Stationis a railway station in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan, operated by Tobu Railway.-Lines:Shingashi Station is served by the Tōbu Tōjō Line from in Tokyo, with some services inter-running via the Tokyo Metro Yūrakuchō Line to and the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line to...
- Kasumigaseki Station
- JR East Kawagoe LineKawagoe LineThe is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company , which connects the cities of Saitama, Kawagoe, and Hidaka in Saitama Prefecture, Japan...
:- Kasahata StationKasahata Stationis a railway station in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company .-Lines:The station is served by the Kawagoe Line between and...
, Matoba StationMatoba Stationis a railway station in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company .-Lines:Matoba Station is served by the Kawagoe Line between and . Services operate every 20 minutes during the daytime, with some services continuing to and from on the Hachikō Line.-Station layout:The...
, Nishi-Kawagoe StationNishi-Kawagoe Stationis a railway station in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company .-Lines:Nishi-Kawagoe Station is served by the Kawagoe Line between and...
, Kawagoe StationKawagoe Stationis a railway station in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan, operated by Tobu Railway and East Japan Railway Company .The Seibu Shinjuku Line terminus, Hon-Kawagoe Station, is approximately fifteen minutes' walk from Kawagoe Station.-History:...
, Minami-Furuya StationMinami-Furuya Stationis a railway station in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company .-Lines:Minami-Furuya Station is served by the Kawagoe Line between and . The majority of services continue beyond Ōmiya on the Saikyō Line to and...
- Kasahata Station
- Seibu Shinjuku Line:
- Hon-Kawagoe StationHon-Kawagoe Stationis a Seibu Railway station located in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan. The station is the terminal of the Seibu Shinjuku Line, which links Tokyo and Kawagoe. This is one of three main stations of the city; the other two are Kawagoe Station and Kawagoeshi Station....
, Minami-Otsuka StationMinami-Ōtsuka Stationis a train station in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, Japan.- Adjacent stations :...
- Hon-Kawagoe Station
History
The city is known locally as after the old name for Tokyo, "EdoEdo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
". Kawagoe castle
Kawagoe castle
' is a flatland Japanese castle in the city of Kawagoe, in Japan's Saitama Prefecture. It is the closest castle to Tokyo to be accessible to visitors, as Edo castle is now the Imperial palace, and largely inaccessible....
was the headquarters of the Kawagoe Domain
Kawagoe Domain
The was a feudal domain of Japan during the Momoyama and Edo periods of the history of Japan. It was located in Iruma District, now part of Saitama Prefecture, in Musashi Province . The domain had its headquarters at Kawagoe Castle in the present-day city of Kawagoe.The domain had its beginning in...
and
occupied by close aides of the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
. Most of the buildings were dismantled in the 1870s but some remained or were relocated.
Before it was merged with Saitama Prefecture in 1873, it was the capital of Kawagoe Prefecture (1871) then Iruma Prefecture (1871–1873).
Sights
The is a bell tower originally built by the order of between 1624 and 1644. The present structure goes back to 1894, a year after the Great Fire of Kawagoe. It is a three-story tower measuring 16 meters in height. The tower has been telling time to the city's residents for 350 years and has been deemed as a symbol of the city. Currently, the bell can be heard four times a day (6 a.m., 12 p.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m.).The is a small backstreet alley where a dozen stores sell old-fashioned cheap sweets and snacks, most of which are priced at less than 50 yen. The location was known as a neighborhood where scores of confectionery manufactures lined the alley. Many tourists come here to enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere of the early Showa period
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
.
The is a section of a street lined with traditional warehouses constructed in a style called and maintains the old outlook of what the place was like during the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. The city of Kawagoe started seeing kurazukuri-style warehouses in the aftermath of a great fire that consumed one-third of the old Kawagoe in 1893. Within and beyond the Kurazukuri Street, many warehouses from the 18 and 19 centuries can still be seen. The Kawagoe Kurazukuri Museum is located in a traditional warehouse built in 1893 and allows its visitors to walk around inside and experience the life of Edo merchants.