Kawagoe’s Best Eats! A Guide by the International Students Who Live & Love to Eat Here.
Take a train one hour from Tokyo to find Kawagoe, a city in the southwest part of Saitama that sees over 7 million tourists each year, 300,000 of which come from all around the world! The streets are lined with historic storefronts that boast the rich heritage that gave this area its start.
This guide will take you through Kawagoe’s foodscene, based on the actual places and sights visited by the international students who live here.
Many people know the name Kawagoe, but don’t really know what awaits there. If this is you, you’re going to finish this article knowing exactly where to visit next!
Kawagoe & Sake
Tasting the flavors that only come from a certain region is part of the thrill of travel. Especially when it comes to local beer or sake, you’re bound to find a deep origin story that spans the links of fresh water, produce and the people who work them.
For this part, our Kawagoe resident experts Rahman Rifat (Bangladesh), Riley Ablah (U.S.A.) and Ida Eriksson Vanemo (Sweden) give you a tantalizing take on the best beer and sake from Kawagoe.
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Kawagoe & Soy Sauce
Soy sauce, an indispensable seasoning ingrained in Japanese cuisine. While many brands have taken to easy machine production, Kawagoe is home to a long tradition of soy sauce flavor, still made in the traditional way.
In this section our international students and Kawagoe experts Joan Andersen (Indonesia) and Simaroj Salisa (Thailand) will share their trip inside a 250+ year old veteran “shoyu” shop, plus a food report from a ramen shop that uses this authentic soy sauce.
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Kawagoe & Matcha
Matcha, a long-loved staple from Japan that continues to make waves with fans across the world. Japan’s highest class of tea is said to be Uji-cha (Kyoto), Shizuoka-cha (Shizuoka) and Sayama-cha (Saitama). Of these three, Sayama-cha takes its roots in Kawagoe Tea, as Both Sayama and Kawagoe are nearby cities in Saitama Prefecture.
In this section our Kawagoe resident, international student experts Angel Novelia Chandra and Geryenko Hawsen (Indonesia) join Sandali Nethmini (Sri Lanka) through a traditional tea making experience and guide to a high end tea shop located in Kawagoe!
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Kawagoe & Wagashi
Kawagoe is home to many stylish sweet confectioneries. Among them, there’s one veteran shop that’s made traditional Japanese sweets for over 200 years.
Here’s a breakdown from our Kawagoe resident and international student experts Vo Nguyen Hoang Anh and Phung Ngoc Thuy (Vietnam), along with Ferdousy Rubaiya (Bangladesh) as they try their hand at making authentic wagashi confections.
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