Yokai-ya goes to Kawagoe. ~The "bonds with the local community" revealed through visiting the area~

To the town of Kawagoe

On Sunday, June 1, 2025, Kawagoe was bustling with tourists, and there was a festival-like atmosphere. In the midst of all this, I went out to greet people in preparation for the "Kawagoe Yokai Town Walk" to be held on July 5, 2025. Yes, just like a roll of cotton, I just went wherever my mood took me.

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Outline of the event: A tour of the town with monsters

"Kawagoe Yokai Town Walk" is an evolution of the yokai culture project that was born in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Kawagoe City Government. It has been further enhanced and is set to develop into a large-scale walking event where yokai will appear all over the city. At participating stores, visitors can use a "yokai tour card" to enjoy shopping and experiences, and maybe each store will come up with their own yokai-themed ideas?!

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From Renkeiji Temple to Kashiya Yokocho - In the footsteps of monsters

First, we headed to Renkeiji Temple. It was the main venue for the event and the center of Kawagoe's history and faith. From there, we walked like monsters through the town, going through Tatemonzen-dori, Taisho Roman-dori, Toki no Kane-dori, Hatsugan Shopping Street, Benten Yokocho, and Kashiya Yokocho. I always think that Kawagoe is huge! Just walking around once takes quite a bit of energy. That's how much there is to see.

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People's voices, connections

As I was making the rounds to say hello, I noticed that when I handed out flyers to many of the store owners and said, "Every year, we hold an event called the Kawagoe Town Walk," they responded with, "Oh, the usual one!" and "Good luck!" Even though it was a busy Sunday, they stopped what they were doing and listened to me, and I realized that their ties with the local community are firmly rooted.

Of course, there were some stores I visited for the first time. At those stores, I got responses like, "Wow, there's an event like that!" and "Sounds interesting!", and some were so curious that they asked me questions like, "What are you going to do?" As I talked, it felt like the "seeds of the yokai" were sprouting little by little. There were no stores that were unpleasant! I was nervous at first, but I was relieved.

What was particularly memorable was a conversation with an elderly couple who own a general goods store (hand towels, etc.) near Kashiya Yokocho. "Kawagoe has nice main streets, but these side streets have the real charm," they said. It was exactly like the world of yokai. It's not conspicuous, but it's a charm that can only be found there, and it stayed in my mind.

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The mechanism and mechanism behind the Yokai Tour Card

This time, I didn't make any appointments beforehand, so I just walked around to greet people in a "walk-in" style. However, I did prepare some handouts. The handouts included detailed information about the purpose and content of the event, the role of the participating stores, and even how the "Yokai Tour Cards" work. When I explained things to people while handing them these materials, they were at ease and willing to listen.

What we wanted to convey was that the very act of "yokai wandering around the town" is a point of contact between the local people and the yokai. This will also become a tourist resource, bringing new vitality to the shopping district. We believe that the "yokai tour tag" device can play a role like a "magic of relationships" that connects customers and stores.

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Footsteps carrying the future

To be honest, there are still some things we won't know until we try it. But that's what makes it so interesting. As the general store owner said, perhaps the real fun lies in the inconspicuous places. If more and more stores say, "We'd like to participate next time," the town of Kawagoe will become even more full of yokai and an even more fun place.

This constant round of greetings is an important preparation for that future. Yokai are not just a thing from old tales, but sometimes they walk the shopping streets, sometimes they pass through the noren curtains of long-established stores, and sometimes they quietly but surely change the scenery of the town. I hope that I can become one of them.