Which would you choose: historic streets, exhibitions or riverside scenery?
Choose Kawagoe for historic buildings and streets. Omiya has actual railway vehicles at the Railway Museum and bonsai/cartoon exhibitions. For shrines and festival floats, combine Chichibu Shrine and Festival Hall. Plan Nagatoro's riverside and mountain views around the weather and Hodosan Ropeway services.
Attraction fees, hours and directions
Toki no Kane
時の鐘
Use the bell tower as a landmark for walks in the historic Kurazukuri streets. Passing around noon or 15:00 lets you hear the bell. You cannot climb inside the tower.
- Bell timesFour times daily: 06:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 18:00. Nearby shop hours are separate.
- Getting thereAbout a 15-minute walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station. From Kawagoe Station, take a bus via Kura no Machi, get off at Ichibangai · 一番街 and walk about two minutes. Hon-Kawagoe · 本川越
- Planning tipCheck Kitain's admission deadline first, fitting a bell-tower street walk before or afterwards. Avoid planning restaurant waits over your chosen bell time.
Tourism association guideKawagoe city transport guide
Kitain Temple
喜多院
This temple has buildings moved from Edo Castle and Five Hundred Rakan stone statues with varied expressions. Reception for paid areas closes early, so visit Kitain before the historic streets if you arrive in Kawagoe early.
- AdmissionAdults pay JPY 400; elementary and junior high school students pay JPY 200.
- HoursMarch 1–November 23: weekdays 09:00–16:30, Sundays/public holidays until 16:50. November 24–late February: weekdays until 16:00, Sundays/public holidays until 16:20. Reception ends 30 minutes before closing.
- Visit suspensionsCheck suspensions December 25–January 8, from the afternoon of February 2 through February 3, April 2–4 and additional event dates. Check the official operating category for Saturday visits.
- Getting thereAbout a 15-minute walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station or 20 minutes from Kawagoe Station.
- Temple gate constructionThe notice updated in June 2026 schedules repairs until around September of the following year, with restricted gate access and on-site route guidance. Follow local detour signs during the work.
Kitain visitOfficial English guideTemple gate construction noticeKitain historic buildings and Five Hundred Rakan
The Railway Museum
鉄道博物館
See actual vehicles up close, from early locomotives to Shinkansen, to explore changes in Japanese railways. Make this the main part of a day for more time with the vehicles. Driving and other activities may have different reservations and extra fees from ordinary admission.
- AdmissionAdult same-day tickets cost JPY 1,600; advance tickets bought by the previous day cost JPY 1,500. Elementary, junior and senior high school students pay JPY 600 same-day or JPY 500 in advance.
- Hours10:00–17:00, with admission until 16:30. Tuesdays and New Year are the usual closures; check official calendar exceptions.
- Getting thereFrom Omiya Station, take the New Shuttle to Tetsudo-Hakubutsukan, then walk about one minute. Tetsudo-Hakubutsukan · 鉄道博物館
- Planning tipCheck extra fees, reservations and available places for your chosen activity separately from admission.
Museum feesJune 2026 museum and transport guideRailway Museum vehicle exhibitions
Kawagoe Castle Honmaru Palace
川越城本丸御殿
At Kawagoe Castle's surviving Honmaru Palace, see the entrance and relocated/reconstructed waiting rooms for senior retainers. This adds a castle building to your historic-street visit; it is not a keep to climb.
- AdmissionOrdinary admission is JPY 100; senior high school/university students pay JPY 50; junior high school students and younger enter free. These are individual admission fees.
- Hours and closures09:00–17:00, with admission until 16:30. Closed Mondays (the following day if a public holiday), the fourth Friday (except public holidays) and December 29–January 3. October 22, 2026 is open; October 23 is closed.
- Getting thereFrom Kawagoe or Hon-Kawagoe Station, take a Tobu bus via Kura no Machi to Fudanotsuji · 札の辻, then walk about 10 minutes. From Eagle Bus Hakubutsukan/Bijutsukan-mae · 博物館・美術館前 or Tobu bus/shuttle Hakubutsukan-mae · 博物館前, walk about one minute. The routes below walk; choosing a bus adds a fare.
Kawagoe Castle Honmaru Palace visitor guideCity Museum/Honmaru Palace 2026 opening calendar
Kawagoe City Museum
川越市立博物館
Explore Kawagoe history and warehouse-style architecture in the permanent exhibitions. The museum is near Honmaru Palace for a same-day visit, but check exhibitions and closures separately.
- AdmissionOrdinary admission is JPY 200; senior high school/university students pay JPY 100; junior high school students and younger enter free. Separate museum and Honmaru Palace tickets total JPY 300 per adult. The city's two-facility combined ticket pairs the museum with the art museum.
- Hours and closures09:00–17:00, with admission until 16:30. Closed Mondays (the following day if a public holiday), the fourth Friday (except public holidays), December 29–January 3 and fumigation periods. October 22, 2026 is open; October 23 is closed.
- Getting thereFrom Kawagoe or Hon-Kawagoe Station, take a Tobu bus via Kura no Machi to Fudanotsuji · 札ノ辻, then walk about 10 minutes. From Eagle Bus Hakubutsukan/Bijutsukan-mae or Tobu bus/shuttle Hakubutsukan-mae, walk about one minute.
- Visit scopeThis route visits permanent exhibitions. It excludes the October 24–November 8, 2026 sword exhibition and separate activities.
Kawagoe City Museum fees and closuresKawagoe Castle Honmaru Palace visitor guideKawagoe city's combined ticket coverageCity Museum/Honmaru Palace 2026 opening calendarCity Museum transport guideCity Museum exhibition scheduleTourism association's English City Museum name
The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Saitama
さいたま市大宮盆栽美術館
See the trunks and branches of pines and maples in small pots in indoor exhibitions and the garden. Not all bonsai in the collection are always displayed; check the exhibition for your date.
- AdmissionOrdinary adult admission is JPY 310. Distinguish this route's price from the JPY 200 group rate for 20 or more and JPY 150 rate for ages 65 and over.
- HoursMarch–October: 09:00–16:30, admission until 16:00. November–February: 09:00–16:00, admission until 15:30. Closed Thursdays except public holidays, New Year and temporary closure dates. For a combined cartoon museum visit, choose a day when both open.
- Getting thereThe official recommended walk from Omiya Station via Hikawa Shrine, the park and bonsai village takes about 45 minutes. By train, walk five minutes from Toro Station's east side or 10 minutes from Omiya-Koen Station. This route walks without an extra train fare.
- Planning tipThis visits the indoor collection and garden for the October 2–28, 2026 seasonal exhibition. It excludes the photography exhibition starting October 24 that year and bonsai activities. For other travel dates, check that day's exhibitions.
Bonsai museum fees, seasonal hours and Thursday holiday exceptionsBonsai museum collectionOctober 2026 seasonal bonsai exhibitionBonsai museum fees, seasonal hours and closures2026 bonsai museum guide and 45-minute Omiya walk
Saitama Municipal Cartoon Art Museum
さいたま市立漫画会館
Explore works and materials about cartoonist Kitazawa Rakuten and his artistic exchanges through exhibitions.
- AdmissionAdmission is free, including the 2026 Rakuten Collection II special exhibition.
- Hours09:00–16:30. Closed Mondays, the weekday after public holidays and New Year; open on public-holiday Mondays. Combine it with the bonsai museum after checking both closure calendars.
- Getting thereA five-minute walk from Omiya-Koen Station or 15 minutes from Toro Station's east side. Walking from Omiya, go via the park and bonsai village to the cartoon museum on Kaede-dori.
- Planning tipRakuten Collection II runs July 25–November 3, 2026. See paintings by artists and cartoonists who exchanged with Rakuten, alongside letters and magazine materials. Check talks and activity dates separately.
Cartoon museum visits, access and closures2026 Rakuten Collection II free exhibition2026 bonsai museum guide and 45-minute Omiya walk
Omiya Park
大宮公園
After bonsai and cartoon visits, see Omiya Park's Japanese garden and scenery on the way back to the station.
- AdmissionThe Japanese garden is free. Boats, rides and sports facilities operate separately and are excluded from this walking route.
- HoursThe park opens daily. The Japanese garden opens 08:30–17:30 without regular closure days. This plan stops briefly on the return walk after bonsai and cartoon visits.
- Getting thereThe official walk from Omiya Station's east side to the park takes about 20 minutes. Use the official layout to find the Japanese garden and Swan Pond in the south, central open plaza and Funaasobi Pond in the north.
- Planning tipCheck temporary closures and changes separately for the small zoo. This route includes only the Japanese garden and park walk, with no animal viewing.
Omiya Park Japanese garden: hours and free admissionOmiya Park daily openingOmiya Park station accessOfficial park layout: Japanese garden and pondsSmall-zoo website update suspension noticeSmall-zoo temporary water-supply closure notice
Chichibu Shrine
秩父神社
See Chichibu's shrine buildings and carvings, then continue to nearby festival exhibitions. Distinguish ordinary worship from prayers and shrine items.
- Shrine gate hoursTourism information gives 05:00–20:00, starting at 06:00 in winter. Events and on-site access restrictions are separate.
- From Chichibu StationAbout a three-minute walk from Chichibu Railway's Chichibu Station, which differs from Seibu-Chichibu Station.
Saitama tourism body's Chichibu Shrine gate hoursOfficial Chichibu Shrine transport guide
Chichibu Festival Hall
秩父まつり会館
Explore Chichibu festival culture through floats, materials and videos recreating the festival. This is an exhibition separate from actual festival dates; check the day's notice for live demonstration programs.
- Ordinary admissionOrdinary adult admission is JPY 500.
- Hours and closuresApril–November 09:00–17:00; December–March 10:00–17:00, with admission until 16:30. Closed the fourth/fifth Tuesdays in March–November, Tuesdays in December–February and December 29–January 1, with public holiday and festival exceptions.
- Near the shrineVisit this exhibition hall near Chichibu Shrine. Address: 2-8 Banbamachi, Chichibu.
Chichibu Festival Hall hours, closures and adult admissionSaitama tourism body's Chichibu Shrine gate hours
Iwadatami
岩畳
Walk beside the river to see Iwadatami's rocks and scenery. This is only a riverside walk, excluding boat and rafting reservations.
- From the stationAbout a five-minute walk from Nagatoro Station.
- Luggage storageTourist information centre: 09:00–17:00, from JPY 100 per item. Unavailable December 29–31 and during temporary severe-weather closures. Check actual sizes, fees and acceptance.
Nagatoro tourism association Iwadatami accessNagatoro Tourist Information Center hours and luggage storage
Hodosan Ropeway
宝登山ロープウェイ
Ride Hodosan Ropeway up the mountain for views around Nagatoro. Seasonal flowers, visibility and shuttle services vary by visit date.
- Ordinary adult faresAdults aged 12 and over: JPY 700 one way, JPY 1,200 return.
- Basic timetable and suspensionsBasic service starts at 09:40 and finishes at 17:00, varying by season and crowds. Closed December 7–26, 2026 for scheduled inspections.
- To the lower stationAbout a 20-minute walk from Nagatoro Station. Check separate operating-day notices for the free shuttle.
Hodosan Ropeway fares and basic timetableHodosan scheduled inspection suspension in December 2026Hodosan Ropeway walking access from Nagatoro Station
Frequently asked questions
Do the bonsai and cartoon museums have the same closure days?
No. The bonsai museum closes Thursdays but opens on public-holiday Thursdays. The cartoon museum closes Mondays and the weekday after public holidays, among other dates, but opens on public-holiday Mondays. Check each calendar and temporary changes for a same-day visit.
Bonsai museum fees, seasonal hours and closuresOfficial cartoon museum visitor guide
Official sources and check dates
- Kitain visit ·
- Temple gate construction notice ·
- June 2026 museum and transport guide ·
- Museum fees ·
- Tourism association guide ·
- Kawagoe city transport guide ·
- Official English guide ·
- Kawagoe Castle Honmaru Palace visitor guide ·
- Kawagoe City Museum fees and closures ·
- City Museum transport guide ·
- City Museum/Honmaru Palace 2026 opening calendar ·
- Kawagoe city's combined ticket coverage ·
- Tourism association's English City Museum name ·
- City Museum exhibition schedule ·
- 2026 bonsai museum guide and 45-minute Omiya walk ·
- October 2026 seasonal bonsai exhibition ·
- Cartoon museum visits, access and closures ·
- 2026 Rakuten Collection II free exhibition ·
- Omiya Park Japanese garden: hours and free admission ·
- Omiya Park station access ·
- Small-zoo website update suspension notice ·
- Small-zoo temporary water-supply closure notice ·
- Official park layout: Japanese garden and ponds ·
- Bonsai museum fees, seasonal hours and Thursday holiday exceptions ·
- Omiya Park daily opening ·
- Nagatoro Tourist Information Center hours and luggage storage ·
- Official Chichibu Shrine transport guide ·
- Saitama tourism body's Chichibu Shrine gate hours ·
- Chichibu Festival Hall hours, closures and adult admission ·
- Hodosan Ropeway fares and basic timetable ·
- Hodosan Ropeway walking access from Nagatoro Station ·
- Nagatoro tourism association Iwadatami access ·
- Hodosan scheduled inspection suspension in December 2026 ·
- Bonsai museum fees, seasonal hours and closures ·
- Official cartoon museum visitor guide ·
- Kitain historic buildings and Five Hundred Rakan ·
- Railway Museum vehicle exhibitions ·
- Bonsai museum collection ·