About Kashiya Yokocho
Kashiya Yokocho, located in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, is a popular tourist spot where you can feel the history and downtown atmosphere of Kawagoe with its retro atmosphere and pathways filled with nostalgic sweets. Kawagoe is known as “Koedo” (Little Edo), and the townscape that retains the atmosphere of the Edo period is very attractive. Among these, Kashiya Yokocho has a nostalgic atmosphere of the early Showa period and a unique liveliness. This alley is lined with old-fashioned candy shops, selling a wide variety of traditional sweets and dagashi (fancy confections).
The distinctive feature of Kashiya Yokocho is that more than 20 candy stores line the narrow alleys, and when you visit, the sweet aroma wafts through the air, making you feel as if you have stepped back in time to an old-fashioned Japanese shopping arcade. Visitors can enjoy choosing from colorful candies, traditional rice crackers, tortoise candy, kompeito candy, kompeito, ramune, and more. Adults who visit the store will also be able to relive their childhood memories and feel a sense of nostalgia when they find the candy that they used to eat in their childhood.
What is especially popular in Kashiya Yokocho is the opportunity to buy and eat freshly made confections on the spot. Some stores offer in-store sales demonstrations, and just watching the aroma of freshly baked rice crackers or the process of making candy crafts, for example, is an exciting experience. There are also many Japanese sweets made from local ingredients available for sale, and some stores offer tastings so that visitors can easily taste them. Some of the stores even offer hands-on sweets making experiences with children, making it a great spot for parents and children to create fun memories together.
Another attraction of Yokocho is its atmosphere and friendly shopkeepers. Many of the stores are family-owned and operated, and tourists and locals are able to engage in friendly conversation, allowing visitors to shop with a sense of warm hospitality. Each pastry has its own story, and the shopkeepers will often tell you about the history of the pastries and their stories. The atmosphere inside the stores is also built to evoke the good old days, with wooden buildings and old posters creating a retro mood.
In addition, Kashiya Yokocho is close to the main sightseeing area of Kawagoe, the Kura-zukuri district, and can be visited in conjunction with a stroll through the area. After enjoying walking around the town looking at the historical architecture, taking a break while tasting something sweet in Kashiya Yokocho is a royal course of sightseeing in Kawagoe. Along the way, there are sweets made from Kawagoe's famous sweet potatoes, such as sweet potatoes and sweet potato chips, allowing you to fully enjoy the local delicacy.
In general, Kashiya Yokocho is a place where visitors can experience the culture of old-fashioned candy and the atmosphere of a Japanese downtown, and is a sightseeing spot that can be enjoyed by a wide range of visitors from children to adults. This place where you can take a leisurely stroll surrounded by nostalgic sweets and create sweet memories along with the history of the town of Kawagoe is a must-visit spot when sightseeing in Kawagoe.