Kawagoe

Kawagoe

Kawagoe City is located in the southwestern part of Saitama Prefecture. Kawagoe was a castle town of the Kawagoe clan in the Edo Period, and was connected to the capital Edo by the Kawagoe-kaido Road and the Shingashi River that was used for transporting goods between Kawagoe and Edo; because of this, the town was also referred to as Small Edo.
Including the Kawagoe's symbol tower "Toki-no-Kane" (The Bell of Time), which survived World War Two, there are many historic sites such as Honmaru Palace of Kawagoe Castle, ancient houses and temples. The remnants of the Edo Period can still be seen today.
Sweet potatoes are well known as the specialty in this area since the Edo Period. Though the size of local crops has reduced these days, sweet potatoes are gathered from all over Japan and manufactured in Kawagoe, allowing people to taste assorted dishes and sweets made from sweet potatoes.