Generally, people coming to Japan will see Kansai region as an area with historic sites, while Tokyo is for urban and metropolitan spots. This is very true, but what if we want to see historical sites around Tokyo area? Do we have to travel all the way to Kansai region?
There is a solution for this. Just ride on a train from Tokyo city center and head for a city called Kawagoe, Saitama. Although people look at northern Kanto region as boring or nothing really much to see, this idea does not apply to Kawagoe. The city is known as Little Edo, where you can feel as if you have traveled to a different era, thanks to the well-preserved buildings and ambiance.
List of all Halal and Muslim-friendly restaurants in Saitama.
History of Kawagoe.
History of Kawagoe can go up to 15th century. As the place was located within 30 km from Tokyo, it was necessary to build a castle to monitor enemies not to get into the city.
Even after Tokugawa family established Shogunate which brought a peaceful society, the city remained flourished. Thanks to the fact that the city has not been damaged by earthquake or flood, we can still enjoy historical buildings as they were built in Edo period in 16th century.
The city was introduced in many travel magazines, including overseas. This is the reason why it has been very successful as a touristic city in northern Kanto region, with more than 7 million tourists every year.
What’s available in Kawagoe?
Ichibangai (一番街) literally means No.1 town, as name shows the area has flourished as the city center. Unfortunately, 1/3 of the buildings were burnt down due to the big fire which took place in 1893, still there are so many historical buildings which are nominated as a Preservation District.
Kameya (龜屋)
The traditional sweet shop Kameya was established in 1783, which means the shop has more than 230 years of history.
The shop is famous for their Monaka sweet, a traditional Japanese sweet which has crispy wafer with bean paste inside. Although Kameya has a long history, they are trying to create a new and modern sweets, such as Lemon Monaka sweet, which will meet the palate of foreigners, too.
Credit: https://kameyatsuhan.thebase.in/
Kasho Umon (菓匠右門)
This is another famous Japanese sweet shop in Kawagoe. Kawagoe has been producing sweet potatoes since Edo period, and now it is used in their traditional Kawagoe sweets!
Imokoi (いも恋), which literally means “fall in love with sweet potato” is a Manju sweet that represents the shop. With a sliced sweet potato and red bean paste, covered with a pastry made from glutinous rice and potato. To best enjoy the sweet, it is steamed and then served to customers, which can be only done when you are physically in Kawagoe.
Credit: https://imokoi.com/item/いも恋
These two shops are introduced in the Halal Handbook for Muslims, so the staffs will be helping you in case you need any help.
What are the Muslim-friendly souvenirs？
Kawagoe is a city of sweets. As many of them handle Japanese traditional sweets, luckly there are so many Halal or Muslim-friendly sweets that you can try.
Kurazukuri Hompo (くらづくり本舗)
Kurazukuri Hompo is sweet shop that has a long history of nearly 150 years.
Their sweets are great, especially Beniaka kun. It is a sweet potato cake made with white bean paste. Even though you are not very good at eating Japanese sweet, we are sure that this sweet can be different thanks to the flavor of butter.
Address: 3-5 Kubo cho, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-0055 埼玉県川越市久保町5-3 Tel: 049-225-0030 Opening hours: 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., until 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Koedo Mameya (小江戸まめや)
This shop specializes in bean product, and their dried bean snack can last long and easy to carry, which is the reason why we can recommend this souvenir for tourists! Some of the flavors could contain gelatin / animal ingredients, such as Red Chilli or Black Pepper, so only choose the following flavors if you would like to avoid these haram ingredients.
Address: 13-5 Nakamachi, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-0065 埼玉県川越市仲町5-13 Tel: 049-227-8680 Opening hours: 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., until 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
Enjoy your day!
Kawagoe has so many photogenic sites, as well as cute traditional Japanese sweets. There are some potato snacks that are fried in an oil, however, according to our investigation they might use lard, a pig oil, to have a crispy flavor, so try not to consider all of potatoes are Halal or Muslim-friendly.
There are so many places where you can enjoy historical attractions. We hope you can enjoy a great time.
Information as of April 2023. The products we have introduced to you are not made as Halal or Muslim-friendly, so there is a small risk of contamination, which we cannot be responsible of. Please use your own discretion to determine if the food is Halal or not.
