The Hidden Side of Little Edo: Exploring the Chaotic Deep Town of Kawagoe City Saitama Prefecture

The explosion of foreign tourists and the perplexity of local residents

In the central area of Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, the “kura-zukuri” (storehouse-style) townscape, typical of Edo-era merchant houses, still remains. This area, which has the Shingashi River connected to the Sumida River, flourished as a key point for transporting goods to Edo, and has long been affectionately called “Little Edo.”

About a 20-minute walk from JR Kawagoe Station brings you to black-plastered buildings that evoke the lively atmosphere of the past. After a major fire in the mid-Meiji period, fire-resistant kura-zukuri structures were built in the town’s reconstruction, which laid the foundation for the current landscape.

Recognizing this asset, Kawagoe City has been conducting urban development in cooperation with both the public and private sectors for about 30 years, transforming “Little Edo” into a major tourist destination.

Kawagoe City, which attracts over 7 million tourists annually, has seen a dramatic increase in foreign visitors in recent years. In 2022, it was estimated that about 100,000 foreign tourists visited the city. That number surged to around 610,000 in 2023, six times higher. According to the city’s tourism department, “The number is expected to be similar in 2024.” Kawagoe is designated by the Tourism Agency as a leading model area for the “Overtourism Prevention and Sustainable Tourism Promotion” project in Kanto, alongside places like Asakusa, Kamakura, and Fujisawa.

However, local residents are struggling to adjust to the rapidly increasing number of foreign tourists. In Kawagoe, residential areas are located just one alley away from the tourist spots.

When walking around the city, many complaints are heard, such as “Foreign tourists are littering everywhere,” “Many tourists are leaning against fences of houses,” and “We are tired of the noise during the day.” Traffic congestion is also a serious problem.

“In recent years, there has been chronic traffic congestion. Most of the city’s streets are one lane in each direction. Tourists walking on the sidewalks and blocking the lanes are causing congestion. On weekends, it becomes stressful just to go out for shopping by car because of the traffic,” says a local shop owner.

In the “Ichibangai” shopping street, tourists’ cars are driving back and forth looking for parking, and large tour buses also arrive. Tourists crossing the street to get to their destination cause dangerous situations that could result in accidents, contributing to the congestion.

The city is not ignoring the issue. In the June 2023 council meeting, the city allocated around 12 million yen for overtourism measures. The tourism department says, “We are conducting traffic volume surveys, traffic simulations, and considering appropriate traffic regulations, as well as implementing various measures to raise awareness about manners among tourists.” However, the situation has not yet improved.

 

After 5:00 p.m.

Many of the shops in Kawagoe’s tourist areas are run by businesses that have no connection to the local community, which has not been well received by the residents. Like other shopping streets in neighboring prefectures, the Ichibangai shopping street has long struggled with a lack of successors. Aging shop owners have been selling their stores and land, and many companies have entered the area.

A shopkeeper from Ichibangai lamented:

“More than half of the shops are now run by companies that have no ties to Kawagoe, and this trend has accelerated since the pandemic. Some people are even happy about turning the properties into parking lots. Is it really okay for a historically rich shopping street to be dominated by outsiders?”

Still, there’s no doubt that Kawagoe remains an attractive place for tourists. Traces of its pre-war brothel district can still be found throughout the town, with renovated century-old “okiya” (traditional teahouses) becoming popular, attracting many foreign visitors.

Two women in their twenties from Hong Kong excitedly shared their thoughts:

“It feels like we’ve come to the Samurai era. It’s fascinating to think that geisha entertainment took place here. Of all the tourist spots in the Kanto area, Kawagoe is the one where we feel the most connected to Japan’s history.”

As the clock strikes 5 p.m., the shops seem to close all at once, and the streets become empty of tourists. This marks the emergence of Kawagoe’s other face.

Thanks to its convenient access, just 30 minutes by train from Ikebukuro, Kawagoe has developed into a commuter town with a population of about 350,000. The “Crea Mall,” which stretches along the main street near JR Kawagoe Station, is a bustling area where many locals gather. This shopping street, which spans about 1 km, also connects to tourist sites like Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine, with many people coming and going.

Perhaps because there is only one downtown area, the shopping street has struggled with crimes committed by young people with too much time on their hands. Interviews with local shop owners revealed that crimes like purse snatching, theft, and assault were rampant until around the mid-2010s. In response to the “oyaji-gari” (elderly man hunting), where primarily office workers were targeted, the shopping street significantly increased the number of security cameras.

However, despite these efforts, the mood is still grim for Masayuki Kimura, vice chairman of the Kawagoe Shopping Street Association:

“Since about 10 years ago, we’ve been focusing on security measures and installed nearly 30 cameras. While crime has decreased compared to the past, crimes like purse snatching and extortion haven’t completely disappeared.”

After 8 p.m., the street is noticeable for the high number of street promoters. About 60% of the stores along Crea Mall are chain stores with large corporate backing. While there are few cabarets or adult businesses, there are disproportionately many “catchers” (people who try to recruit customers for such places). Kimura added:

“Kawagoe doesn’t have an ordinance to prevent street soliciting, so people from the city center or Tokorozawa are coming here to take advantage of this. Some shady businesses even hire high school students. It’s a real nuisance. Finally, starting in April, an ordinance to prevent street soliciting will be enforced, but it’s uncertain how effective it will be.”

 

Bloodshed incidents during festivals

There has been an increase in crimes and scuffles involving foreigners. Due to the proximity of large factories in nearby cities, the number of foreign residents in Kawagoe has exceeded 10,000.

In the area around the Creomall, there were notable complaints about the behavior of a Vietnamese group. Additionally, in October of last year, an incident occurred that shocked the local community.

On the evening of October 19, during the city’s largest festival, the “Kawagoe Matsuri,” around 9 PM, a stabbing incident occurred near a department store. Many eyewitness testimonies were collected, and one man who had seen the scene recalled:

“Two foreigners, one holding a kebab knife, got into an argument, and one suddenly stabbed the other. The man who was stabbed bled profusely. The police car arrived quickly, but the fear completely wiped away the festive mood.”

Upon interviewing the local Turkish community, one of the members strongly expressed their frustration:

“Most Turks live seriously in Japan. However, because of a few of our fellow countrymen causing trouble in places like Kawagoe and Kawaguchi, we are often looked at like we are troublemakers. It’s truly frustrating.”

On the other hand, it is also true that some regions are benefiting from the influx of foreigners. If you get off at “Kasumigaseki” station, two stops from Kawagoe station on the Tobu Tojo line, you’ll find a neighborhood with a strong exotic atmosphere.

The area around the “Kasumigaseki Building” is so filled with Asian grocery stores and restaurants that it is called “Little Nepal.” There are few Japanese-owned businesses, and most of the people walking around are foreigners.

This seems to be influenced by the nearby Tokyo International University, which hosts about 1,700 international students. A Nepalese shop owner, Gyawari Suleisu, who runs a grocery store near the station, said:

“Since around 2017, the number of foreigners has increased drastically. This is because the number of international students accepted by Tokyo International University has risen. There are many Nepalese, Bangladeshis, and recently even Sri Lankans. There are cheap apartments for international students concentrated around here. Just catering to them is enough to make a business profitable.”

About 400 meters from the Kasumigaseki Building, the “Kakei Shopping Street” appears. With nearly 60 years of history, it was once bustling with local residents, but now nearly half of its 60 stores are shuttered. Despite its retro charm, the area is deserted as customers have been drawn to nearby supermarkets and shopping malls. An elderly couple who have been running a business in the area for 50 years shared their view on the situation:

“There aren’t many foreign customers. But since Japanese customers don’t come either, their sales are very much appreciated.”

In Kawagoe City, the presence of foreigners has grown significant enough to be hard to ignore. How to confront the shadows that have been cast during this process is currently being tested.

From the February 7, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”