JR Aki no Norihodai Pass

Japan Railway offers an autumn, three consecutive day ticket for local and rapid trains across Japan, which costs only 7850 yen. I took advantage of the ticket and will have several posts ahead about my adventure. The first day I went to Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture. It is an Edo era castle town a short distance from Tokyo.  I had been there before in 2021, but you can never see and do everything in one trip, plus some things change. I walked around, looking but not stopping much on my way to the Kawagoe Castle ruins area where the Honmaru-Goten (Inner Citadel Palace) is. (A full post is coming on that). 

The historic 85 Bank Building, built in 1918, reopened on May 15, 2024 as the Resona Koedo Terrace. It is recognized as a national registered tangible cultural property.

There are many interesting old buildings that are repurposed as shops and restaurants.

Toki no Kane is the historic bell tower that was originally built in the early 1600’s, but has been rebuilt several times due to fire damage. The current tower was constructed in 1894, after the Great Fire of Kawagoe destroyed the previous tower. The tower is three stories (16 meters) tall. The chimes ring out four times a day 6 am, 12 noon, 3 pm, and 6 pm). In 1996, the Japan Ministry of the Environment designated the Bell Tower’s chimes as one of the “100 Best Sound Sceneries in Japan.” The Tower is located just off Kurazukuri Street.

The next trip post will continue on to the Kawagoe Castle area.