Journey to Little Edo

Recently, I went to a small suburb called Kawagoe, located about 30 minutes outside of the main Tokyo metropolis. Kawagoe is known as "Little Edo" in part due to the traditional architecture that still survives within the city. Edo was the historical name for Tokyo; Kawagoe's nickname is also a tribute to the capital that was only thirty minutes away via train.

Because Kawagoe is outside of the initial Tokyo area, I had to take a different train line to get there. Instead of JR or the Tokyo Metro, I hopped on the Tobu Tojo Line, taking the semi-express train out to Kawagoe Eki. Lucky for me, I was able to get a seat on the train, so I read the whole way out there, though occasionally I looked up and watched the scenery go by. It's always a little bit jarring to see the vast differences between the city and the country side; Japan really has a beautiful rural scene as well. Or maybe I just say that cause I've fallen in love with the entire country.

After a brief train ride, I decided to get off at Kawagoe Eki instead of the last stop Kawagoeshi Eki, which turned out to be the right decision (I had forgotten to look up a map of the area before I headed out, as the trip was rather spur of the moment, so I had a list of places to see but no idea where they were). Armed with my list, I exited the eki (which means station in Japanese), and went in search of a local tourist map. Upon exiting, I was greeted by a mass of sky scrapers and a complicated walkway; not exactly what I was expecting. Nonetheless, I found a tourist map, though my excitement decreased a bit when I discovered that I was at the BOTTOM of the map and everything I wanted to see was at the TOP. Now, I know I've mentioned before that things aren't entirely to scale on the maps, and in general distances tend to be shorter than what they appear, but the fact that the things I wanted to see were a bit spread out over the top of the map was a bit disconcerting, especially since it was SUPER hot.

I allowed myself to feel a bit displeased for a few seconds, but then I told myself to man up and I set off in a direction that I thought would lead me to the temple I wanted to see. However, after ten minutes, I saw a road sign that was taking me to another temple. I figured since I was here I might as well check it out...except I never found it. Instead, I came to a cross walk that pointed me in another direction towards my originally intended target, Kita-in Temple. So I headed on that path. Along the way, I encountered a few other smaller temples and one shrine, all of which were closed, either because it was Sunday, or because they were local temples and shrines and have odd working hours. Anyway, it was nice to tour through their smaller grounds anyway without having to deal with other tourists.

I eventually made it to Kita-in Temple, the headquarters of the Tendai sect of Buddhism in the Kanto area. The complex was rather large, with lots of separate buildings, though its worship hall was definitely the largest. Unfortunately, they had the altar part of the worship hall closed off so I couldn't see the Buddha that they were housing. However, one of the Tendai monks was leading a service/ritual at the time, chanting and banging a gong intermitently. I stayed for a while just to observe, then headed off to the souvenir/gift shop stall, seeing if there was any omiyage I could get for a friend or two. I did find something I wanted to get for a friend (I won't tell who or what!), and was about to leave with my purchase when an elderly gentleman stopped me and asked me in english where I was from. I responded that I was American in Japanese, and we proceeded to have a conversation about where I was from, what I was doing in Japan, and how his grandson goes to college in New York and Los Angeles. He also told me Kita-in used to be a national treasure, but is no longer due to loss in revenue. Overall, it was a lively conversation.

This time, I set off hopefully towards what I thought was the Kurazuki Zone, where all the old buildings are clustered together, though now they function as stores that sell local goods. However, as things would have it, I didn't find the Kurazuki Zone. Instead, I found another part of the city that I wanted to see, the Kashiya Yokocho, Penny Candy Alley. It's a small, cobble-stoned alleyway that is lined with shops that sell sweets (hence it's other name as Confectionary Alley). Everything really was cheap, but not all of it was sweet, that's for sure. It was a cute little alley, but I ended up just browsing and not actually buying anything.

By the time I exited the alleyway, I was quite turned around, so I wasn't sure where I was exactly. I consulted the map I took a picture of, and chose a direction that would supposedly lead me towards the bell tower, known as the Toki no kane or "Bell of Time" (sounds like something out of a Zelda game). This bell tower is also a popular attraction as it has been telling time for over 350 years, despite its being rebuilt numerous times due to fire. However, I ended up ambling about for a good thirty minutes before finding the bell tower. It's pretty magnificent up close, and definitely worth visiting. While there's not much to do but look, it's a gorgeous structure. Too bad there wasn't an observation deck where you could get a closer look at the actual bell.

Upon finding the bell tower, I also FINALLY found the Kurazukuri Zone. And it was definitely not a disappointment. Looking at the buildings, wandering in and out of the stores, I definitely felt like I was in a different time period. Honestly, I'm just impressed with how well they managed to maintain and preserve these buildings because they are still so sturdy and beautiful, even today. Nothing piqued my interest, so I didn't end up buying anything, but it was a fun stroll.

I ended up heading back towards the station on a different road than I had originally left. By the time I made it back to the station and got to the train, I was a hot, sweaty, pleased mess. It was a cute little area to walk around in; I just wish it were a bit closer to Tokyo so it didn't cost me 480 yen each way. Oddly enough, I'd say that the highlight of the day ended up being the conversation I had with the old man at the temple. I guess it proved to me once again that I could use my Japanese in actual conversation (I've been minor-ly afraid that my lack of use of the language has resulted in a decline in my ability). That's why I'm continuing Japanese in the fall; it really is such a beautiful language, but one that can easily slip away from you if you let it go.

Anyway, that was my trip to Little Edo. Still deciding where to go on Friday (Thursday I'm coming into work and I get Friday off) and Saturday (Sunday I'll stay in the city and do a bit more gift shopping for those things that I know for sure I want/need to get).