On Sunday, February 9, the EFT Kawagoe Guide “Free Walking Tours” was held at Kurazukuri Old Town, the most popular sightseeing spot in Kawagoe.
Despite the freezing temperature brought by a strong cold wave on the day when the calendar is marked as the start of spring in Japan, 39 EFT guide members conducted a 30-minute free walking tour of Kurazukuri Old Town welcoming foreign tourists at the Kawagoe Festival Museum and Kajimachi Square. We have welcomed 42 international guests from 13 countries, including the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, Armenia, Turkey, Australia, Canada, the U.S., and Finland. This was our second tour with newly certified EFT guides. Despite the cold, everyone started with bright smiles and high energy. Guides shared information about Kawagoe’s history, the unique Kurazukuri (warehouse-style) architecture, and local specialties. Guests asked many questions, and even within a short 30-minute tour, we had great conversations. Seeing guests smile and say, “That was fun!” made our efforts feel truly rewarding. We also heard that some guests had even stayed overnight in Kawagoe to visit places like Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine and Kita-in Temple, the most popular and well-known temple in Kawagoe.
For good news, we have officially started guiding Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, a most popular shrine and one of the main shrines in Kawagoe, adding a new guiding spot to the EFT Kawagoe Guide “Free Walking Tours”.
At Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, guests enjoyed unique experiences like Tai-mikuji (red snapper fortune papers), Imo-mikuji (Sweet Potato fortune papers), the Sacred Tree Walk, and the Hitogata Nagashi (floating human‐shaped paper to wash away the sins and bad luck). They also learned about the shrine’s history and purification rituals.
The next free walking guide tour will be held on Sunday, March 9th, 2025, from 11:30 to 15:30.
If you are interested in our activity, please come and see what we are doing. We will welcome everyone with our big smile.
