Japan: Macy Lor (Learning on Excursions)

Program: AIP Internship in Tokyo, Summer

Since my program didn’t have any field trips included, I planned excursions every weekend with my friends who were also on the program. The one excursion that stood out to me in particular was when I visited Kawagoe, which is a city outside of Tokyo that was about 50 minutes away from my home. My friends and I took a day excursion to Kawagoe to learn more about the city’s history. Kawagoe is a small city known as “Little Edo” because it preserves a remnant of an old town from the Edo Period. The city has walled warehouse-style buildings, historic merchant shops, and narrow streets that transport visitors back in time. Walking through Kawagoe felt like stepping into a different era while still experiencing modern-day life in Japan. I enjoyed Kawagoe because it had a peaceful atmosphere and it was a nice escape from the busy side of Tokyo.

During our outing, I visited a small shrine in Kawagoe called Kumano Shrine. My friend made the itinerary for the excursion, so I followed wherever she took us. It was a beautiful shrine with a prayer site with money washing, stone walking and fortune telling, which can bring luck in matchmaking. The shrine is believed to bring good luck to visitors and ward off evil spirits. Although it was small compared to other shrines I’ve visited, it was still peaceful and memorable. When my friend and I walked around the shrine, we noticed that it had two three-legged crow statues. One crow was golden and the other crow was black. We also saw a pathway of lanterns. They were not lit up but it would’ve been beautiful to witness them lit at night.

My friends and I went shopping on Kurazukuri Street, which is known as the Warehouse District. Almost all the storehouses were built out of wood and clay during the Edo period. It was surreal to see the merchant storehouses right in front of me because I don’t see any of these types of buildings in my daily life in Tokyo. My friends and I did lots of souvenir shopping and walking along the streets. We visited the Miffy Storehouse Kitchen and Bakery, Snoopy Village, and Donguri Kyowakoku, which is the official Studio Ghibli store. As you can see in the picture, there are no built-in sidewalks on the streets where you can walk, which makes it hard. There was a two-way road where cars passed by, and pedestrians walked alongside the storefront. It was different from Tokyo because many streets in Tokyo are wider and provide more space for pedestrians to walk.

I visited another shrine in Kawagoe, called Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, that was a lot bigger than the other shrine I visited before. It had many wind chimes, light lanterns, walkable pathways to explore the shrine, as well as toy fish fortunes. My friend did her research before coming here and told me that Hikawa Shrine is most famous for its matchmaking and asking for blessings to pray for romance, good marriages, and harmony.

The shrine is known for the Kawagoe Festival held in mid-October as well as Shinto rituals. The sounds of the wind chimes made the atmosphere feel calm and relaxing. It also wasn’t busy with tourists, which made it more peaceful and enjoyable to explore.

This excursion connected to one of my course topics by allowing me to observe and document cultural experiences through photographs. As I explored Kawagoe, I was being attentive to the city’s historic architecture and shrines rather than viewing them as tourist attractions. It encouraged me to reflect on the significance of these places and how they represent Japan’s history and traditions.