Satsuma Imo are the most common type of imo (芋, Sweet Potato) found in Japan, and the two names are often interchangeably used. It usually has purple color skin and has yellow flesh on the inside when cooked. It is named after the Satsuma Province (薩摩国, Satsuma-no-Kuni), today’s Kagoshima Prefecture (鹿児島県, Kagoshima-ken), where it was first imported into Japan from the Ryukyu Kingdom (琉球王国, Ryūkyū Oukoku), today’s Okinawa Prefecture (沖縄県, Okinawa-ken).
Kawagoe Travel Guide
Popular Day Trip Destination near Tokyo, nicknamed "Little Edo"
Kawagoe is a beautiful city that is famous for its Warehouse District (蔵造りの町並み, Kurazukuri no Machinami) that fuses together the traditional townscape of Feudal era (1185-1867, 封建時代, Hōken-jidai) Japan with a modern lifestyle district brimming with retail and food shops. The city has also embraced its nickname of Little Edo (江戸), and is one of the best places to get a taste of traditional Japan.
It's a popular spot amongst the locals on the weekend, who stroll and walk amongst the traditional machiya (町家, Traditional wooden townhouse) and kura (蔵, Warehouse) buildings, while munching on the popular imo (芋, Sweet Potato) snacks in the area.
Nature
Culture
Gourmet
Volume
Local Specialties
さつまいも
Satsuma Imo
いも恋
Imo-Koi
A local steamed wagashi (和菓子, Traditional Japanese sweets), this has a mochi (餅, Rice cake) exterior, a satsuma-imo (さつまいも, Japanese Sweet Potato) filling, and tsubu-an (粒餡, Chunky Red Bean Paste) on the inside.
Popular Destinations
A beautifully preserved street that looks like it came straight out of the samurai (侍)-era Japan.
A popular shrine (神社, Jinja) for matchmaking, and a unique way of getting your fortunes told.
Getting Around
Most of the destinations in Kawagoe surround the historic Warehouse District (蔵造りの町並み, Kurazukuri no Machinami), and can mostly be reached by just exploring the area on foot. The only exception is the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine (川越氷川神社, Kawagoe Hikawa Jinja) which is located slightly northwards, about 20 minutes away by foot.
There are three major stations in Kawagoe: Kawagoe Station, Hon-Kawagoe Station, and Kawagoe-shi Station. These are on the JR Kawagoe Line, Seibu Shinjuku Line and Tobu Tojo Line. The three stations are relatively near to each other, around 10 minutes apart by foot, so it depends on which line you are taking into Kawagoe.
In general, the area around Hon-Kawagoe and Kawagoe-shi Stations are relatively residential and quiet, whereas from Kawagoe Station up to Kurazukuri no Machinami (蔵造りの町並み, Kurazukuri no Machinami), is a long shotengai (商店街, Shōtengai, Shopping Street) with a variety of local chain restaurants and shops.
It takes around 15 to 20 minutes to walk from these stations to the Taisho Roman Yume-dori, the nearest point to Kurazukuri Dori. In general, walking is the most cost efficient and recommended method to get around, but there are also buses that run through the area. Given the waiting time intervals for the buses and the fares, it might not be more time efficient to take a bus and is thus only a preferred option if you want to avoid walking.
Recommended Pass
Kawagoe Discount Pass
See More¥710
Train
¥1,050
Train + Bus
Getting There
東京
Tokyo
The recommended method to get from Tokyo to Kawagoe is by taking the Tobu Tojo Line direct from Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo to Kawagoe (or Kawagoeshi) Station. There is also a pass that covers the round-trip cost for this route.
Tobu Tojo Line
Towards Ogawamachi Station
Tobu
Ikebukuro Station
to
Kawagoe Station
32 mins
¥481
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