Kawagoe City - host of the 2010 Asian Amateur Championship
This week, residents of Kawagoe City cannot fail to notice that the Asian Amateur Championship has arrived. Banners hang from hundreds of lamp-posts and posters adorn shop windows in the modern city centre. Off the main streets, however, there is a glimpse of the old 16th century castle town, which was a key location in the north of Edo (the former name for Tokyo) belonging to the Kawagoe Clan.
Kawagoe, which became the first city of the Saitama Prefecture in 1922, has long enjoyed a strong cultural connection with Tokyo, a relationship that led to it being nicknamed ‘Koedo’, meaning ‘a little Edo’. It is said that ‘There are many little Tokyo’s in the world, but Kawagoe is the only Koedo.”
Sights to see include the ‘Tori no Kane’, the Bell of Time, which was originally built between 1624 and 1644. The 16-metre-high structure that can be seen today dates back to 1894, one year after the Great Fire of Kawagoe. The tower has been telling Kawagoe’s residents the time for over 350 years, and continues to do so at 6am, 12pm, 3pm and 6pm.
The ‘Tendaishu’ is the most famous temple in Saitama Prefecture, renowned nationwide in Japan. First constructed in 830, it now houses many artifacts relocated from Edo Castle. Through the seasons of the year, there are many events at the temple such as the ‘Daruma Fair’ on New Year’s Day, ‘Setsubun’ in February and the ‘Cherry Blossom Festival’ in spring.
And those with a sweet tooth can visit ‘Kashiya Yokocho’ – ‘Confectionery Row’ – a famous stone-paved alley, which is embedded with colourful glass and lined by over 20 traditional Japanese sweet-shops. The nostalgic scents that waft along the stone slabs led the Ministry of the environment to choose Kashiya Yokocho as one of its ‘100 Scent Sceneries’ in 2001.
Speaking at the Championship’s welcome reception, Yoshiaki Kawai, Mayor of the Asian Amateur Championship’s host city of Kawagoe, said: “It is a great honour to hold this great championship in Kawagoe. We invite everyone to come and enjoy the atmosphere of old Tokyo in our city.”
