Time Bell Tower to Senba Tosho-gu, Kawagoe: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from the Time Bell Tower to Senba Tosho-gu in Kawagoe: 5 stops, about 3.2 km, about 40 minutes of walking plus about 29 minutes of listening. Start at the Time Bell Tower, the wooden symbol of Kawagoe, rebuilt in 1894 after the Great Fire and still rung four times a day. Walk to Hikawa Shrine, guardian of the castle town since 1457, with a main hall carved in 1849. Continue to Kawagoe Castle, where the lord’s Honmaru Goten still stands, then to Kita-in, with a hall from the original Edo Castle and about 540 stone Rakan. Finish beside it at Senba Tosho-gu, Tokugawa Ieyasu’s shrine, rebuilt in 1640.
- Stops:
- 5
- Distance:
- about 3.2 km
- Walking:
- about 40 min
- Listening:
- about 29 min
Two ways to do this walk
Kawagoe with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsTime Bell Tower to Senba Tosho-gu, Kawagoe: how long does the walk take?
About 69 minutes in all: about 40 minutes on foot over about 3.2 km, plus about 29 minutes of audio at the 5 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Time Bell Tower to Senba Tosho-gu, Kawagoe: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Time Bell Tower, Hikawa Shrine, Kawagoe Castle, Kita-in, and Senba Tosho-gu. The longest stretch between two stops is about 1.1 km, about 15 min on foot.
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
To get to the first stop, or if you’re far from the route, Google Maps has walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
Toki no Kane, the wooden bell tower of the old storehouse quarter, rebuilt in 1894 after the Great Fire and rung four times a day.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Hikawa Shrine · about 1.0 km, about 13 min on foot
Stop 2
The castle town’s guardian shrine, honoured by Kawagoe’s lords since 1457, with a main hall covered in carvings from 1849 and the floats of the Kawagoe Festival.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Kawagoe Castle · about 0.7 km, about 9 min on foot
Stop 3
A flatland castle fought over by the Uesugi and the Hojo, the closest castle to Tokyo you can enter, where the lord’s Honmaru Goten still stands.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Kita-in · about 1.1 km, about 15 min on foot
Stop 4
Kawagoe Daishi, a temple some 1,200 years old, with a hall that was part of the original Edo Castle and about 540 stone Rakan, each with its own face.
about 5 min of audio
Next stop: Senba Tosho-gu · about 0.4 km, about 5 min on foot
Stop 5
One of Japan’s three great Toshogu shrines to Tokugawa Ieyasu, founded where his remains rested in 1617 and rebuilt in 1640 after a great fire.
about 6 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Planning a trip to Kawagoe?
Get your plan
Mappu sketches your days free in the chat, no account needed. Then take the full plan with you:
- Weekend trip, €9.99: Your day-by-day plan plus 2 live walks
- Save your trip’s free guides on your phone in the Mappu app: they play with no signal
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
Route checked by Mappu on November 1, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.