Best Ryoteis in Kawagoe

Kilala ang Kawagoe sa tawag na “Little Edo” dahil sa mga lumang gusali dito na nagpapaalala sa buhay noong Edo Period (1603-1868). Kabilang sa mga lumang gusaling naipreserba sa loob ng maraming taon ang mga ryotei o “caretaker tearooms.” Noong Edo Period, dito nagpupulong ang mga pinuno ng mga makakapangyarihang angkan at mga opsiyal ng gobyerno. Sinsabing napakaekslusibo noon ng paggamit ng mga lugar na ito. By referral lamang tinatanggap ang mga taong nais kumain dito. Bagamat mayroon pa ring mga ekslusibong ryotei sa kasalukuyan, marami na rin ang tumatanggap ng mga walk-in. 

Kasama ng mahal na pagkain at pribadong mga silid noon ang serbisyo ng mga geisha. Subalit sa paglipas ng panahon, nawala na ang mga geisha at naging simpleng kainan na lamang ang mga ryotei. Gayun pa man, hindi nagbago ang mataas na kalidad ng mga pagkaing inihahain dito at ang metikulosong serbisyong ibinibigay ng mga nakai o mga babeng tagasilbi dito. Ang mga nakai ay nasa ilalim ng pamumuno ng okami na noon ay karaniwang asawa ng may-ari ng ryotei at siyang naninigurado na maayos ang pagsisilbi sa lahat ng mga kumakain dito. 

Mga magagaling na chef na may maraming taon ng karanasan sa pagluluto ang naghahanda ng mga pagkain sa ryotei. Dahil din deka-dekada na ang tagal ng mga ryotei na ito, nakabuo na ito ng mahabang kasaysayan at ekspertong paraan sa paghahanda ng kanilang mga specialty. Ang mga pagkain sa ryotei ay kaiseki o tradisyonal na Japanese multi-course meal na nangangailangan ng matinding kasanayan ng mga taong naghahanda nito.

Ang mga sumusunod ang ilan sa mga kilalang ryotei sa Kawagoe:

Subukan ang traditional hand-rolled sushi sa Kousushi Kawagoe. Unang nagbukas noong 1901, ang ryotei na ito ay mayroon nang mahigit sa 100 taon ng kasaysayaan sa paggawa ng sushi na nilalahukan nila ng pinakasariwang isda at seafood na nababagay sa bawat season. Mayroon silang 10 counter seats na nagpapaalala ng mga sinaunang araw ng pagbubukas ng lugar na ito. Maliit man ang silid na ito, gawa naman sa matibay na cypress ang mga upuan at lamesa na tiyak na magpapakomportable sa pagkain ng mga bibisita dito. Mayroon din silang mga pribadong silid na may magandang tanawin ng hardin kung saan maaaring magtipon ang mga pamilya, magkakaibigan o magkakatrabaho sa espesyal na mga okasyon. Mayroon din silang tatami mat room na mayroong mga upuan at lamesa na nakaharap sa hardin. Nagkakahalaga lamang ng halos Y2000 ang kanilang mga lunch meals. Mayroon din silang mga espesyal na menu para sa mga magrereserba ng pribadong mga silid na nagkakahalaga ng Y5000-Y15,000.

Subukan ang seasonal Kaiseki ng Yamaya. Nagsimula ang Yamaya bilang isang catering business na unang itinayo sa tabi ng tirahan ni Yokoto Gorobei, isang mayamang mangangalakal noong Edo Period. Noong 1868, binili ni Hambei, ang unang nagmay-ari ng Yamaya, ang isa sa mga magagandang guesthouses ni Yokota na siyang naging lugar ng kasalukuyang Yamaya. Ipinagmamalaki ng ryotei na ito ang kanilang seasonal kaiseki ryori na maaaring kainin habang pinagmamsdan ang magandang hardin. Nagkakahalaga ng Y1,500-Y3,000 ang lunch menu nila sa non-reserved rooms at Y4,500 pataas naman sa reserved rooms. 

Subukan ang inihaw na unagi sa Azumaya. Kilala ang Azumaya sa natatanging sarap ng unagi nila na maingat na inihaw sa uling at nilagyan ng espesyal na sauce. Unang binuksan ang lugar na ito noong 1868. Sa loob ng mahigit 100, napagbuti ng Azumaya ang pagluluto ng kanilang mga unagi na sinasabing malutong ang labas ngunit malambot at malinamnam ang loob. Bukod sa pagkain, huwag din kalimutang silipin ang magandang pond sa labas ng ryotei. Ang tubig mula sa bukal nito ay dating dumdaloy sa may Kitain Temple. Nagkakahalaga ng Y1700 ang unagi set nila. 

A Day Trip to Kawagoe: Remnants of the Edo Period

Kawagoe is popularly known as "Little Edo"  because of its well-preserved buildings that mirror the kind of life locals led in the Edo Period (1603-1868). The area where the historical sites are concentrated is not that big. Purchasing a day pass for the either the Co-Edo Loop Bus (Y500) or the Sightseeing bus (Y300) will surely be worth it. Although both buses stop in most of the historical sites, the Co-Edo Loop Bus has more trips in a day. There is one departing from Kawagoe Station every fifteen minutes or every so often on weekdays. 

Because I had very limited time on the day I went to Kawagoe, I decided to go straight to the places that interested me the most. There are a number of temples and shrines in the area that could cultivate varying degrees of interest in people but as for me, I chose to go to the ones that have very strong historical significance. Here are some of the highly recommended places that tourists must visit in a day trip in Kawagoe:

Visit Honmaru Goten of Kawagoe Castle. This is the only remaining structure left of the Kawagoe Castle. The honmaru goten or the lord's residence was built in 1848 although the original castle was built 500 years earlier in 1457 by Ota Doshin and his son Dokan under the order of Uesugi Mochitomo. When Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, conquered the Kanto area in 1590, he established Kawagoe as one of the main fiefs in his domain. Kawagoe became a military base for defending Edo and a commercial base for transporting goods to the center of Edo. 

Lunch in one of the ryoteis. A ryotei is a high class, luxurious traditional Japanese restaurant that used to cater to the heads of powerful clans in the Edo Period and government officials. It is also called "caretaker tearooms" because clan members usually bring their guests in these establishments for a private meeting. While geishas used to accompany customers in the past, the ryotei eventually became just a restaurant in the recent decades. Geishas might have disappeared in the scene but hospitable serving ladies called nakai still make sure that customers are well-attended during their stay. A ryotei usually serves a multi-course traditional Japanese meals called kaiseki. It is a full course meal that is prepared only by people who have garnered years of expertise in preparing this food. See this post for my dining experience in a ryotei and this post for the Best Ryoteis in Kawagoe. 

Indulge in sweets on Kashiya Yokocho (Penny Candy Lane). This small area composed of small, short alleys are lined with traditional sweet shops, candy shops and Japanese treats that will surely bring out the child in you. The shops also provide the passers-by with free samples of their treats. Do not miss the chance to sample the famous Kawagoe treats such as fugashi (wheat gluten snacks) and dango (skewered rice dumplings) glazed with sweet soy sauce. 

In one of the small alleys, there is also a small antiques shop that triggered my interests. It sells postcards from the pre-war period, cups and saucers, Japanese pencils from 1984, magazines with Beatles on the cover and other random stuff like telephones and watches from some decades ago.

Shop on Kura no Machi. This is a long street lined with Japanese homes that had once been storage places for household tools and storehouses of goods. These buildings are said to be fire resistant. Along this road, there are shops that sell traditional Japanese delicacies, a Hello Kitty shop that sells everything, of course, Hello Kitty from magnets to towels, from umbrellas to purses. Along this road, you will also find the Kurazukuri Museum, which used to be the house of tobacco wholesale dealer Bunzo Koyama; the Kawagoe Festival Museum, where the colorful floats paraded during the Kawagoe Festival are stored' and the Toki no Kane, a bell tower used in the Edo Period to announce the time (this happened to be under renovation when I visited). You can also take a leisurely tour around the area on a two-wheeled rickshaw.

Explore the Kitain Temple. The temple was founded by a monk called Ennin in 830 A.D. but was  burnt down during a fight in 1205 and was reconstructed in 1298 by the monk Sonkai. The Kitain became the main temple of the three-temple complex including the Nakain and Minamiin when Tenkai, a monk who became close to the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Ieyasu. There are several places of interest within the compounds of the Kitain temple such as the Toshogu Shrine, where Ieyasu was enshrined and honored; Remains of the Edo Castle including the room where the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu was born; the graves of five feudal lords or daimyo who ruled Kawagoe in the 18th and 19th Centuries; and the 500 statues of Rakan, each carved with a unique facial expression and pose.

Take a side street. Take a side street or a side alley on your way back to the station. There are other gems hidden behind the more touristy Kura no Machi. If you take a detour at one point, you would surely discover a place that would stir your interest.