Sometimes through the day to day struggles of life, one becomes complacent, too comfortable in the formula set up from the weekly duties. At this point, life is in danger of becoming stale, predictable, stagnant. In these times, a short getaway can be in order. This time, the destination came in the form of Kawagoe, known to many as Little Edo.

After about one and a half hours of travel by train, we arrived at Kawagoe station. Though we were done with the trains for the time being, we still had a way to go before reaching the sights. We had two possible options: walk through a bustling road for about thirty minutes to reach the old streets of Little Edo, or purchase a day pass for the bus, which would allow us to visit the old streets, as well as nearby shrines and castles. After careful consideration, we opted for the later, as it would allow us to see more of the sights. There are two different types of bus services offered in Kawagoe, both of which offer day passes. The first is 500 yen and goes to a number of touristic locations around Kawagoe. The other is 300 yen, and while it doesn’t go to as many locations as the first bus, it goes to most, and has more frequent buses. Our choice was the 300 yen pass, as it gave us better mobility options.

Our first destination would be a shrine, accompanied by a few food stands. We walked around to admire the area a bit. Although there were people present, there weren’t so many as to make it feel crowded. The balance was nice. After viewing the ancient structures for a bit, we treated ourselves to some sweet potato snacks from a local vendor. As we sat and enjoyed the treats, some hopeful pigeons crept near us, likely with the intent of stealing away with some of our snacks.

Soon after snacking, we headed towards the nearest bus stop to venture towards the next destination. On the way, we spotted a temple and decided to have a quick peak. As we walked along the perimeter of the grounds, we were delightfully surprised as we found the water below was teeming with life: Turtle life! Not just a few turtles either, but a great abundance of them. Turtles swimming, perched upon rocks, piled on top of one another. Some of them were so perfectly still that they almost blended in completely with the stone surroundings. I cannot say how long we spent admiring the four-legged reptiles, but we enjoyed every second of it.

Eventually we made our way to the bus stop and embarked towards our next stop – Kawagoe Castle: Honmaru Goten Palace. For a small fee the palace could be entered. We removed our shoes, payed the fee, and walked through the grounds. The halls were nice, though some of the doorways were just a bit too low for my liking. There were many interesting things inside to be seen, but my favorite sights were the rock gardens that could be viewed as we passed by the windows. The carefully swept spiral pattern of tan surrounded by varying shades of grey stones, accompanied by green foliage to bring it together. Quite peaceful.

Having finished walking through the castle grounds, we departed for the old streets of Kawagoe. This is considered the main area tourists go to, and has a number of shops, restaurants, and candy shops. The atmosphere certainly merits the nickname ‘Little Edo’. Old structures, new structures built to blend with the surroundings, women in kimono, everything coming together to evoke the feeling of a time long ago.

As we arrived in the late afternoon, many of the restaurants were closed, thus we settled for quick snacks from street vendors. We did find a place to sit down and have a rest, as well as enjoy some Coedo beer (Kawagoe craft brew). Our view from the second story allowed us to take in more of the outside scenery. After so much walking, the short rest was well enjoyed.

It was getting later, the sun was beginning to set, thus we started our way back towards the train station. On the way we stumbled upon a street filled with koinobori (fish streamers). We ventured down the street, seeing many more shops and restaurants along the way.

Eventually, we did make our return to the station, and bed farewell to Kawagoe for the time being. It was a nice first visit, but with such a nice atmosphere and environment, I see myself returning again someday.