Kawagoe

Attraction > Area

Kawagoe (in Japanese; Kawa Goe Shi  川越市) is a very interesting city to visit near Tokyo and is only about 30 min. by train from the main city of Ikebukuro in Tokyo.   It's nickname is "Little Edo" (in Japanese; Ko Edo 小江戸) because of the historic Edo Era (1603-1867) buildings that line the streets.  Kowagoe was the headquarters of the Kawagoe Domain during the Tokugawa shogunate and prospered as a supplier of commodities to Tokyo.  It was an important city to Edo for trade and strategic purposes so the shogun installed some of their most loyal men as lords of Kawagoe Castle.  After the Meiji restoration, it briefly became capital of Kawagoe Prefecture (1871) then Iruma Prefecture (1871–1873), before becoming part of Saitama Prefecture.