Kawagoe
About an hour train ride from Tokyo, a small town with an older vibe. Scenic recommendations are in the order I visited them, south to north.
I also stopped by Tokorozawa for the second half of my day; you can see it just south of the marker on the map and took about an hour to get there from Kawagoe.
It was a full day, but quite do-able.
Coffee
Recommended
If time allows
Notes
A different vibe to this store, with nice seating out back on a small patio. Exterior is unique as well!
Sweet potato chips and a location someone in Tokyo recommended to me! I opted to get lunch instead, but these look really good.
If time allows
Little jars of pudding and I regret not having room after lunch. Looks so good!
If time allows
Restaurants
Name
Torisei
Recommended
Highly
Torisei
Notes
Order tonkatsu here and it was delicious. Decent amount of food. Some reviews say there’s a wait, but mine wasn’t too bad. You will put your shoes in a small cubby. Pretty sure it was cash only.
Scenic
Recommended
Highly
Notes
A small Shinto shrine and a giant Gingko tree. I wish I had known about goshuin when I was here; their site looks to have many beautiful options!
Buddhist temple with more than 500 statues, though I don’t recall those for some reason. A good stop on the way to the main part of town.
Highly
Historical clock tower landmark. You should see it because you’re here. I took a photo then turned my eye towards food. :)
Highly
Closed when I went, but wanted to check it out!
If time allows
It’s a small, short shopping district with shops selling sweets, but almost felt like a mini-Kyoto to me. It is very short, though.
Highly
A Shinto shrine that had some original things to photograph (check out Google Maps). The only thing is it was further than I wanted to walk and I just chilled on a bench and waited for the bus.
If time allows
Shopping
Recommended
Highly
Notes
Small pedestrian street with stores, food stalls, etc. Again, good to see on the way to the rest of town!
Touristy (in Tokorozawa, but went in same trip)
Musashino Museum
Recommended
Highly
Notes
Check out the TeamLabs site for the acorn forest. This exhibit was scheduled to end at the end of 2023, but I read it’s been extended a few years. I got there before sundown and awkwardly waited in the park for it to get dark.
There is a giant bookshelf theater that is pretty cool to see. Displays on anime and I think this was where there was a ton of manga you could sit and read. If you can read Japanese…
Highly