Japan Travel Airbnb Tips / Things to know before traveling to Japan / Street food Tour in Kawagoe

Japan Travel Airbnb Tips / Things to know before traveling to Japan / Street food Tour in Kawagoe

Tips for Staying in Japan with Airbnb!  & Street Food Tour in Kawagoe!  Hi, I’m Samurai Junjiro, born and raised in Japan.  This time, we stayed in a Japanese home using Airbnb.  We’ll explain an easy-to-understand introduction for those using Airbnb for the first time, including room facilities and recommended ways to enjoy your stay.

We’ll also introduce some foods at famous tourist spots near our accommodation, so stay tuned!  Now, let’s get started! We’ll introduce how to make a reservation for the accommodation using Airbnb. Airbnb listed about 6 million accommodations worldwide, and in Japan, there are listings for about 70,000 places including hotels, ryokan, and more.

This time, we’ll stay in Kawagoe, Saitama prefecture, which is near Tokyo and is a popular tourist destination.  We will introduce this room because it had many reviews and high ratings. Before introducing the room, let’s explore the tourist spots around the accommodation. 

First up is Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine,  located about a 20-minute walk away.  This historic shrine was built over 1,500 years ago and is famous for matchmaking.  The omikuji shaped like a sweet potato and a goldfish are popular.  It’s cute and popular on social media.

About a 4-minute walk from where we’re staying, there is Kawagoe-Hachimangu. It’s a shrine with over 1,000 years of history, where you can pray for matchmaking and health. The ‘Temizuya,’ where you cleanse your hands and mouth with water, is popular as a photo spot.

The most popular place in Kawagoe is the Koedo Kawagoe area, located about a 15-minute walk from the accommodation. There is a traditional townscape, like the area around Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. At the center of this area is Toki-no-kane. This bell tower is built around 1630, and it’s the symbol of the town.

The bell still rings 4 times a day. There is a Starbucks near Toki-no-kane. The Japanese-style building matches well with this area. It’s about a 5-minute walk from Toki-no-kane to a place called Kashiya-Yokochou, where various Japanese snacks are sold. We’ll introduce 5 popular shops in this area later, so stay tuned!

By the way, we’ll stay at a place  chosen as a Superhost this time. It’s only certified for rooms with a rating of 4.8 or higher. We’ll actually stay there and share a review. The closest station is Hon-Kawagoe Station.

You can get there from Seibu Shinjuku Station, which is about a 5-minute walk from JR Shinjuku Station. It takes about 45 minutes without transfers. Another nearest station is Kawagoe Station. You can take the Tobu Tojo Line from Ikebukuro Station, and it takes about 34 minutes without transfers.

The accommodation is a 5-minute walk from Hon-Kawagoe Station and about an 11-minute walk from Kawagoe Station. This is Yasuragi Kawagoe, where we’ll stay this time. Around here, there are department stores where you can find a variety of food products, and Don Quijote.

Within about a 5-minute walk, there are 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, making it very convenient. During the stay, there is one electric bicycle available for use. The rooms are divided between the 1st and 2nd floors, and we’ll stay on the 1st floor this time.

You can take out the key by turning the dial to the number provided in the email received after completing the reservation.  Alright, let’s go inside the room. The entrance is spacious and easy to use. There are also slippers available. This room is family-friendly, so there are 4 bedrooms. They are stylish Japanese-style rooms.

There is also one room with a sink and a shower room. Let’s check the powder room. There are 2 sinks, and amenities are well-provided. There is also a hair dryer. There are 2 restrooms. They are clean, and the toilets have bidet seats. There is also a shower room next to the restroom.

Let’s check the bathroom. It’s spacious and easy to use, and you can automatically fill the bathtub with hot water. The bathroom has a dryer, so you can hang clothes to dry.  There is also a washing machine with a dryer.

In hotels, you may have to wait for a long time if other guests are using the washing machine. However, having a washing machine in the room is convenient because you can do the laundry anytime. Let’s check the dining room.

In addition to a large dining table that can be used for 8 people, there is also a counter table. The board games and a Nintendo Switch are available. You can watch YouTube on the projector. The kitchen is spacious and user-friendly,  with a wide variety of cookware.  There is a variety of tableware available.

The dishwasher is also convenient. There is a large refrigerator, so it would be comfortable even for long-term stays. There are also seasonings such as soy sauce and salt. There is an induction cooker, so you can cook using pots and pans.

You can’t eat this in hotels, but you can also enjoy frozen foods that require the use of induction cookers or gas stoves here. This is a Sukiyaki udon from 7-Eleven. It’s a dish made by simmering beef and udon in soy sauce and sugar.

The sweet broth and the richness of the beef fat soak into the udon, making it delicious. There is also a microwave available. In hotels, it’s inconvenient because the microwave is located outside the room, but here, it’s convenient because it’s inside the room.

The takoyaki from Gindaco sold at 7-Eleven  is surprisingly delicious for a frozen food, so please give it a try! You can also enjoy yakiniku because there is an electric griddle. By the way, we bought this beef at a butcher called Juichiya, which is about a 10-minute walk from here.

It’s a popular shop among locals where you can buy Wagyu at an affordable price. This time, we had Sendaigyu, a type of Wagyu, cut for yakiniku. It’s satisfying to enjoy Wagyu at a more affordable price than eating at a restaurant. It melts in your mouth. Please give it a try!

We stayed for one night, and it was even cleaner  and more comfortable than the pictures. There were no inconveniences, so we highly recommend this place. The link is in the description box. Now, let’s take a food tour around the Toki-no-kane area. First up is Juichiya, the place where we bought Wagyu earlier.

We’ll have the menchi-katsu here. They fry it after you order, so you can enjoy it freshly fried. It’s made with coarse breadcrumbs, giving it a crispy texture. The minced meat inside is juicy, and the juices overflow. The texture and sweetness of the onion adds a nice accent. The next shop is Arai Takehira Shouten.

We’ll have Dango-mochi made with the special miso from this shop. It’s grilled, giving it a savory aroma of miso. The dango made with glutinous rice have a chewy texture. It has sweetness and saltiness, making it addictive!  Next, we’ll introduce a shop inside Hatago COEDOYA, where the hotel and food court are combined.

The shop is called Mameyoshi, offering Japanese cuisine. We’ll have the salmon roe bowl here. It’s served in a small cup, so it’s the perfect size for the food tour.  The salmon roe is seasoned with a slightly rich soy sauce flavor, making it a perfect match with the rice.

It’s great that there are plenty of salmon roe on top. The next shop is COEDO HACHI. It’s a specialty shop for sweet potato desserts. This time, we’ll have the most popular Sweet Potato Crème Brûlée. It has a pleasant aroma of caramelized sugar.

The natural sweetness of sweet potatoes and the sweetness of custard cream are a perfect combination. It melts in your mouth. It’s so delicious that you won’t forget it once you’ve tried it. The last shop is Unagi Denbe. It’s a specialty restaurant for eel dishes that opened in November 2021.

We’ll introduce a dish made with charcoal-grilled eel. It’s an eel bowl served in a cup. It’s grilled over charcoal, so it has a savory aroma. The surface of the eel is crispy, and the inside is tender. The sweet sauce goes well with the rice. Kawagoe is close to Tokyo, so please visit.

It’s a highly recommended place! Well, that’s it for today! See you in the next video!

Japan Travel Update – Things to know before traveling to Japan.
How to stay in Japan with Airbnb.
This time, we stayed in Kawagoe, near Tokyo.
We’ll not only share details about the accommodation and facilities but also introduce tourist spots and street food in Kawagoe.

◆Yasuragi-KAWAGOE
【Airbnb Website】
https://www.airbnb.jp/rooms/45960137?source_impression_id=p3_1677489366_q64lgyxM%2BBswCMsa

The stores around Yasuragi-KAWAGOE
– Don Quijote
【Address】https://maps.app.goo.gl/PXFck5uJPbB8gG7H8

– 7 Eleven
【Address】https://maps.app.goo.gl/m45hWUTDsd2CMziK7

– Family Mart
【Address】https://maps.app.goo.gl/AxURtjMGQFrHd49CA

– Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine
【Address】https://maps.app.goo.gl/Z6cbWy4q4EMphS9GA

– Kawagoe Hachimangu
【Address】https://maps.app.goo.gl/1NMUzCmpUs5jB4B99

– Toki no Kane
【Address】https://maps.app.goo.gl/97EE2BgbPqkANLsy9

– STARBUCKS
【Address】https://maps.app.goo.gl/3M5rGgb5XNR8dn219

– Kashiya Yokochou
【Address】https://maps.app.goo.gl/oF4VrL4EfNrv1yKZ6

Street Foods
– Juichiya
【Address】https://maps.app.goo.gl/CD2oVK9V53NqbbF78

– Arai Takehira Shouten
【Address】https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZMG3qGmiYDBvwC6F6

– Mameyoshi
【Address】https://maps.app.goo.gl/rxX5UvVLUz5d5Vwg7

– COEDO HACHI
【Address】https://maps.app.goo.gl/Sjz1Rkd7HtwYgcSM9

– Unagi Denbe
【Address】https://maps.app.goo.gl/AxP742BzLaEpSCv6A

★Things to do in Tokyo! 12 Spots

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Your Perfect Japan Travel Food Guide – We introduce Japanese food (cuisine), Japanese restaurants and stores.
We’re introducing not only famous places in Japan, but also some hidden spots that Japanese people don’t know much about. We hope this will be a good guide and tips for you when you travel to Japan. There will be lots of delicious food, so even if you can’t make it to Japan, our videos will make you feel like you’re actually there!
If you have any video requests, please let us know in the comments!
(Conveyor belt sushi, shabu-shabu, soba noodles, tempura, yakitori, ramen, sake, yakiniku, Japanese street food, Japanese vending machine etc.)

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