The townscape of Kawagoe was reflected in the glass doors of a warehouse built in the Ichiban-gai area

Old townscape of Kawagoe reflected in the glass door — Old town reflected in the glass door

A short distance from Kawagoe Station, the Ichiban-gai area was bustling with people. This is a popular place where many people come to stroll through the old streets reminiscent of Edo (old Tokyo). The rows of buildings along the street, called kura-zukuri, are a sight to behold. You may feel like you've stepped back in time to a bygone era, but don't worry. The constant stream of cars passing in front of the kura-zukuri buildings will not let you lose your self-confidence so easily.

The kura-zukuri is a highly fireproof structure with earthen plastered exterior walls. Originally developed as a machiya style in Edo, the kura-zukuri was adopted for the streets of Kawagoe because of the great fire that broke out in 1893. The fire destroyed one-third of the city, and the city was rebuilt using highly fire-resistant kura-zukuri.

That's right. I had assumed that the old warehouse townscape was built in the Edo period (1603-1868), but it was not until the Meiji period (1868-1912) that this townscape was actually built. It is true that 1893 was more than 100 years ago, which is old enough. However, I wondered if it was not old enough to be called Little Edo.

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