Kawagoe 川越

Beep, beep! Funky bus!

As I'm still a bit behind on posting photos, these pics are from a day trip we took to Kawagoe in late March, before the majority of sakura were in bloom. In any case, while Joe was here we took a day trip to Kawagoe. Getting to Kawagoe means a solid hour train ride to the north, but it is nice to escape the city, to see the rice fields, and to see Mt. Fuji off in the distance. I first learned of the city last fall from a co-worker, and visited there with some friends at that time (see here), but this was my first trip with my family, and we all really enjoyed the day.

We started out on the funky little tourist bus that makes a loop around the city from the JR station, and headed for Kitain, a Buddhist temple dating back over 1,200 years. The temple is best known for the rakan statues that can be found there, 540 of them in total with no two alike, all carved within four decades around the year 1800. Rakan are disciples of the Buddha, and these statues are located in a small grove of trees with a large Buddha sculpture at the center. The sculptures really were whimsical and entrancing, and definitely worth the trip to see. Warning: I am posting a lot of rakan pics here. I have more if you want to see more, because, well, there are more.

 The gate of Kitain.

 Kitain pagoda.

 Kitain main hall.

 Rakan!

 One of my favorites. I had so many favorites.

 Rakan secrets.

After the temple and a quick lunch nearby, we were back on the bus headed for the central part of Kawagoe. Upon arriving near Kurazukuri Street, we proceeded to have purple sweet potato ice cream and some local beer, the perfect pick-up for the afternoon.

 Codeo beer. I'm drinking one as I write this blog entry.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the central section of the historic district, viewing the 17th century Toki no Kane (bell tower), and the historic merchant houses that Kawagoe is famous for.

 Toki no Kane.

Merchant houses. So impressively thick and stoic.

 

A small temple near the Kurazukuri Street.

 Beautiful early sakura!

 Sakura!

We also made Kashiya Yokocho (Penny Candy Lane) one of our destinations. The street was once home to a huge number of candy producers, some of which still make small sugary treats today. There are plenty of candies and suckers to be found here, which of course our little dude partook in.

The adults in our group opted for taiyaki instead- fresh custard filled cakes shaped like fish. 

After much touring, photographing, eating, and shopping, we were ready to head back to Tokyo at the end of a long day.

 Gazing at more merchant houses while waiting for the bus.

Kawagoe at the end of the day.