Kawagoe is less than 1 hour away from Tokyo on the Tobu-Tojo Line which leaves from Ikebukuro Station. Kawagoe is famous for many old merchant houses many of which are still in use today. Many have been turned into sweets and souvenir shops. Some people dress in the style of the Edo period and walk the streets. The main activity here is to walk the narrow streets and eat your way through the different food and confection shops. There are a few old coffee and tea shops like Shimano Coffee or Shimano Tea that are great for a rest stop of Vienna coffee or tea and sandwiches. Also made in the Kawagoe is Coedo Beer which is being imported to the U.S. in limited quantities. Tourist booklets will direct you to take a bus to the main sights but it is best to walk since you will be consuming many calories along the way! Exiting the East side of JR Kawagoe Station you can walk through the Atre building and cross SanbanMachi (street) into a narrow shopping street with the Crea Mall sign above it. It is a long path with many food, drink and shopping diversions and will take you right to the area where all the old buildings are (Nakacho or Sawaicho area) . The center of all the tourist traffic is the Toki no Kane tower. By the middle of the day on weekends or holidays it is very hard to walk on the streets as they are narrow and full of people. If you want to take pictures and see less crowds it is best to go early in the morning. As far as shopping targets go, I found some really nice leather and canvas bags at a shop right near the tower and their a tons of candy shops selling a huge assortment of very beautiful hard candies. They are arranged in elegant boxes and make nice gifts because of the different designs.
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