Koedo Kawagoe

Kawagoe, 30 minutes from central Tokyo, preserves a stretch of thick-walled fireproof merchant warehouses from the late 1800s along Kurazukuri Street, giving the area its nickname of Little Edo. The buildings now house shops selling traditional crafts, sweets, and local specialties. The Toki no Kane bell tower nearby has marked the hours since the 1600s. Candy Alley offers rows of old-fashioned sweet shops with handmade candy in flavors like sweet potato, a Kawagoe crop grown since the Edo period. In October, the annual festival fills the streets with elaborate two-story floats carried through the district to the sound of live musicians.