Kurazukuri Street (Ichibangai)

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Photo: Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 4.0）

A main street lined with roughly 400 meters of kurazukuri (traditional storehouse-style) buildings, the very symbol of Kawagoe. Learning from the devastating Kawagoe Fire of 1893 (Meiji 26), merchants competed to build imposing, fire-resistant black-plastered storehouse shops, and more than 30 of them still stand shoulder to shoulder today. In 1999 the area was designated a national "Important Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings," and the Toki no Kane bell tower rises midway along the street. Long-established kimono fabric shops, a kurazukuri museum, and Taisho- and Showa-era Western-style buildings mingle here, creating a distinctive streetscape where the Edo period and modern times overlap. With plenty of street-food stalls, souvenir shops, and kimono rental stores, it's a great place to stroll the whole street at a leisurely pace and soak up the old Edo atmosphere. Sights such as Toki no Kane, the Kurazukuri Museum, and the Osawa Family Residence are scattered along the street, which also serves as the gateway to Kashiya Yokocho and Koedo Kurari, so many travelers build their whole Kawagoe itinerary around Ichibangai as a starting point. Some buildings are lit up at night, offering a different charm from daytime.