Saitama

(Last updated in Spring 2025)

Saitama（埼玉）prefecture is directly north of Tokyo. One of its famous attraction is Kawagoe（川越）, a former castle town known as Little Edo, which is only less than an hour train ride away from Tokyo.

I first went there in March 2014. Rented a bicycle with credit card (only 200 yen a day!) at a bicycle kiosk near the station and visited most of the attractions around the town in one day. It was very convenient and easy to navigate, as every bicycle came with a laminated map. There are kiosks near the key attractions, though the rule is that once a bicycle leaves a kiosk, it has to be returned (to any kiosk) within 40 minutes, or else a penalty would be charged to the credit card. (That happened to me as I dropped off the bicycle at a kiosk that was supposed to be closed off that day due to a festival in the area.)

Anyway, I visited the Kitain temple（喜多院）, head temple of Tendai Sect in the Kanto region. Several buildings were asked to be shifted from Edo Castle to here, by the third shogun of the Edo period-- Tokugawa Iemitsu. One of the rooms is also believed to be where he was born. When I visited, Kawagoe Spring Festival just started, and there were cherry blossoms and food stalls in the premise. There is also an area outside the temple with 540 stone statues of Buddha's disciples.

Next, I visited the Honmaru Goten（本丸御殿）of Kawagoe Castle, the only building left of the castle.

Checked out the Taisho Roman street and the Warehouse District（蔵造りの町並み）, the main street with Edo period vibe. Fortunately the road was closed due to a festival, so it was really like a journey back time~

There is also a candy alley-- Kashiya Yokocho（菓子屋横丁）nearby, selling traditional Japanese sweets.

Update in Spring 2025:

I visited Kawagoe again in 2025, this time for cherry blossoms behind Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine（川越氷川神社）.

 

I also went to other famous cherry blossom viewing spots in Saitama prefecture, such as Omiya Park（大宮公園）, Kumagaya Sakura Tsutsumi（熊谷桜堤）and Nagatoro（長瀞）. Nagatoro has other attractions such as Iwadatami rocks（岩畳）and Hodosan Shrine（宝登山神社）, making it a suitable day trip from Tokyo. 

I also visited Seiunji temple（清雲寺）in Chichibu city（秩父市）, with gorgeous weeping cherry trees that are 600 years old.

I enjoyed my stay at Suzaki Ryokan（須崎旅館）, known for exceptional service and perhaps kotatsu (traditional low table with electric heater), and Musashino Grand Hotel & Spa with spacious rooms and private massage chair.

Another place to visit in the prefecture is Saitama City. There is a railway museum and a Bonsai（盆栽）village, and quite a number of malls around Omiya（大宮）station.