Kashiya Yokochō

菓子屋横丁Saitama

Food area

What makes this place special?

At a Glance

Kashiya Yokochō, or Penny Candy Lane, is a shopping street of candy shops in Motomachi, Kawagoe, Saitama. Confectionery and penny candy stores line both sides of the stone-paved street, and its quiet old atmosphere and nostalgic feel draw visitors. It was chosen as one of the Ministry of the Environment's 100 Scent Sceneries.

The street began in 1796, when Suzuki Tōzaemon started making simple candies to Tokyo tastes in what was then the temple town of Yōjuin. More shops followed. After the Great Kantō Earthquake, the street made and shipped Edo-style sweets such as Chitose-ame, Kintarō-ame, mizu-yōkan and karinto in place of devastated Tokyo. There were more than 70 shops in the early Shōwa era, and about 20 still make sweets by traditional methods.