vendors selling traditional street food and crafts

a storied temple around the next corner.

Traveling in Japan today, charming historical districts have become somewhat rare gems to

have become somewhat rare gems to find

amongst the concrete urban expanses of the country's modern cities.

But, the city of Kawagoe is one such place.

Located just half an hour north of Tokyo via the Tobu Railway

Kawagoe was a booming trade hub during Japan's Edo Period.

Merchants built the town's wealth serving nearby Edo (now called Tokyo)

and showed off their success through architecture

creating an impressive and still well-preserved merchant district.

Combined with the town's other fascinating historical sites

as well as some fun food and shopping choices

Kawagoe is a great day trip idea for those

staying in Tokyo looking for an interesting escape to the past.

I'm Joe Mignano, Web Developer and Staff Writer for japan-guide.com

and today I'm on assignment in the historical merchant town of Kawagoe.

Here's the plan:

I'll start at Ikebukuro Station in central Tokyo

and ride for about half an hour to Kawagoeshi Station.

From the station, I'll walk to the famous Kitain Temple

before heading on towards the old Merchant District.

Once there, I'll explore a little bit before ducking into a restaurant for a traditional lunch

and then head over Candy Alley to try out

some local sweets.

Afterwards, I'll visit Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine

before finally returning to the station and back to Tokyo.

So, follow along on our day trip from Tokyo to captivating Kawagoe.

We've just arrived at Kawagoeshi Station.

We'll be on foot today, so let's make the 15 minute walk to Kitain-Temple.

This is Kitain Temple.

The history here is really fascinating.

During the Edo era this entire temple actually burned to the ground

but the head priest was friends with the Shogun at the time.

After the fire, the Shogun held this temple in such high regard

that he ordered buildings from his own palace in Tokyo be moved here as replacements.

Today, the castle in Tokyo is gone

which makes these buildings the only surviving buildings from Edo Castle palace.

So, why was Kawagoe so important?

Merchants.

Trade routes in this area used to move lots of goods into Tokyo

and this city was a major hub

so merchants here got really wealthy.

Normally a merchant might save up

and build themself one warehouse made of stone or clay

to store their goods and protect against fire called a “kura”

but they were really expensive.

But the merchants here did so well, they built their entire shops like kura.

So we just sat down for lunch and this looks amazing.

We have a variety of food here.

It looks like we've got some squid sashimi

yuba made from tofu skin

and of course being Kawagoe they've given us some grilled sweet potato or “imo. E

Mmmm, cooked with honey.

That's good.

From the restaurant, it's a short 5 minute walk to Candy Alley

After the Great Kanto Earthquake struck Tokyo in 1923

this tiny neighborhood's shops found success supplying candy to the hard-hit capital.

At its height, the alley boasted around 70 shops.

Today, the shops lining this little street still sell plenty of local sweets and snacks.

Definitely worth a stroll when you're in town.

The final stop today is at Kawagoe Hikawa Jinja

an ancient shrine dating back to the sixth century.

Today, this charming, well-maintained shrine attracts visitors

who come to pray for luck in love and also to purify their minds and hearts.

Thanks for joining me on this brief Kawagoe day trip.

I hope this video has been enjoyable

and maybe offers some inspiration for your own side from Tokyo.

For more information about Kawagoe or to watch another video

click the links on the screen now

or head over to Japan-Guide.com

your comprehensive, up-to-date travel guide, first-hand from Japan.

Thanks for watching

be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell for more videos about Japan.

Happy travels.