Kawagoe, Saitama

Kawagoe (川越市, Kawagoe-shi) is a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, and is about a 30-minute train ride from Ikebukuro in Tokyo. As of July 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 343,926, with 142,898 households and a population density of 3,150.66 persons per km². The total area is 109.16 km².

Kawagoe was founded as a town Kawagoe-machi (川越町) on April 1, 1889, and became the first city in the prefecture on December 1, 1922.

Geography

The city is a satellite city of Tokyo but it is also the governmental, commercial and business centre of the southwestern (geographically it is central, but the administration and the public classify it as southwestern) Saitama Prefecture. It is a core city (and a business core city) designated by Japanese national government.

Kawagoe is famous for its sweet potatoes, and the local "Candy Street" sells such treats as sweet potato chips, sweet potato ice cream, sweet potato coffee, and even sweet potato beer, brewed at the local Koedo Brewery.