Kawagoe, Historical trading city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Kawagoe is a major city in Saitama Prefecture, located about 30 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. The old town preserves entire streets lined with two-story wooden houses and warehouse buildings, their dark facades and white joints recalling the trading era.
The city developed into a major supply center for the capital during the Edo period between 1603 and 1867. Many merchants rebuilt their warehouses with fireproof earthen walls after a large fire in 1893.
The district around Kurazukuri Street takes its name from the thick earthen walls that once protected goods from fire. Today these buildings house shops and cafés where visitors can experience the merchant architecture of past centuries.
The historic districts lie close together and are marked with signs in several languages. From the train station, the old town is about a 15-minute walk or a short ride on local buses.
Kitain Temple houses rooms from the original Edo Castle, relocated here in the early 17th century. These chambers are the only surviving parts of the first residence of the Tokugawa shoguns in Tokyo.
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