Meet your guide and begin your tour of Kawaguchi, a city in Saitama Prefecture known for its rich history and multicultural atmosphere. Discover the local culture and taste delicious street food as you explore the city.
Kawaguchi is very close to central Tokyo. You can reach it directly by train from Tokyo Station or Ueno Station in about 20 minutes.

Visit a 100-yen shop, a popular destination for tourists, and learn about the unique culture of these stores. Find affordable and high-quality items, and discover the perfect souvenirs to take home.

Stroll through the local shopping streets and taste a variety of street foods, including katsu sandwiches, onigiri, senbei, matcha ice cream, umeshu, hirekatsu, and amataro-yaki. Learn about the cultural significance of each dish, from rice and tea culture to seasonal and fermentation traditions.

Visit Don Quijote, a popular Japanese discount store, and experience the thrill of treasure hunting. Find a wide range of products, from cosmetics and snacks to electronics and anime merchandise.

Take a photo with the Don Quijote statue, a symbol of Kawaguchi’s history as a city of foundries. Learn about the city’s industrial past and its transformation into a modern urban centre.

Overview
Experience “Affordable and Fun Japanese Local Culture with a Japanese Guide” in this 2.5-hour walking tour in Kawaguchi City (around 20-30 min from Tokyo Station by Keihin-Tohoku Line). This tour takes you to a non-touristy area where you can enjoy real Japanese daily life, taste B-class street foods, and explore Japan’s famous 100 yen shops and Don Quijote.
Your Japanese guide, Hori chan, will walk with you, explain cultural backgrounds, and help you discover the charm of everyday Japan.

Highlights
• Explore a local shopping street away from tourist crowds
• Learn about Japan’s unique 100 yen shop culture
• Taste various Japanese street foods: katsu sandwich, onigiri, matcha ice cream, senbei, sweet “Amataro yaki”
• Enjoy umeshu (plum wine) tasting
• Walk with a Japanese guide for deeper cultural understanding

About Your Guide (Hori chan)
I started this tour one year ago after working 30 years in international sales. I have visited more than 40 countries and spent over 3,000 hours on aeroplanes. With my long overseas experience, I enjoy sharing the “real Japan” that travellers cannot find in guidebooks.

Cultural Meaning Behind the Foods
• Onigiri & Senbei – Japanese rice culture
• Matcha Ice Cream – tea culture
• Katsu Sandwich – Japanese-style Western food
• Umeshu – seasonal and preserved food culture
• Amataro yaki – traditional Japanese sweets

Itinerary (150 minutes)
• Meet at Kawaguchi Station (20-30 min from Tokyo or Shinjuku)
• Walk through the local shopping street
• Taste several Japanese street foods
• Visit a 100 yen shop and learn about Japanese daily goods
• Explore Don Quijote for fun souvenir shopping
• Umeshu tasting
• Return to Kawaguchi Station