Scorching Hot Kawagoe Yokai Town Walk 2025 | Event implementation report interwoven with yokai and the local community

On a summer day when monsters and local people intersect

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On July 5, 2025, the Kawagoe Yokai Walk was held again this year in the town of Koedo Kawagoe. Our company was one of the organizers of the event, and we walked through the town with many yokai, visited the shops, and witnessed the parade of one hundred demons.

This event is an initiative that links local shops and tourist attractions with yokai culture while touring the downtown area of Kawagoe, and allows people to enjoy walking around the town. This year, a total of 67 cooperating shops participated, and 12 of them participated in a scheme where shops and people (including yokai) could interact using "yokai tour cards." In addition, this year, we were able to gain support from Kawagoe City, the Koedo Kawagoe Tourism Association, and the Kawagoe Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which gave us the feeling that the event had reached a milestone.

Between the Yokai Tour and the Extreme Heat

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This year, Kawagoe was as hot as usual, and on the day, it was a scorching hot day that exceeded body temperature. The temperature exceeded 37 degrees. In the harsh weather that was hardly ideal for walking around the city, the yokai walked through the city of Kawagoe in search of shade and coolness.

The way the Yokai Tour Card scheme works is that buyers of the card travel around participating stores and exchange the card as proof of their interaction, but the heat saw a sharp decline in the number of people out and about, and the event didn't see the wave of activity that had been expected, resulting in a somewhat quiet start.

However, there were zero reports of accidents or heatstroke. Thanks to each participant carefully managing themselves and following the rules, we were able to embrace the whole city safely. As an organizer, we couldn't be more grateful and proud.

The Yokai's First Steps

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Another feature of this year's event was that there were a lot of people who were participating for the first time. During the event, we heard people say things like, "I see how much fun it is every year on social media, and I've always wanted to participate."

It takes a bit of courage and ingenuity to take part in the event as a yokai. But the expressions on the faces of the yokai who took that step were cheerful, and as their appearances became more familiar to the town, it seemed as if the entire town was transformed into the setting for a story.

The moment when the local area and the monsters meet

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The town of Kawagoe warmly welcomed the yokai. The shop owners responded with smiles, saying, "It's that time of year again!" and "Thank you for working hard in this heat!" Some even said, "I had no idea there were such interesting things happening here! I wish I'd known about it sooner!", creating a chain of encounters.

Local children taking commemorative photos with the monsters in front of the stalls and shops, and children freezing up in fear... I think it's precisely because these places where the ordinary and the extraordinary intersect that this event is meaningful.

Night Parade of One Hundred Demons and the Town at Night

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In the evening, the atmosphere in the town lightens a little, and the monsters begin to prepare for the parade of one hundred demons. At twilight, when the sun has just set, the streets of Kawagoe change completely. The monster procession moves along slowly, and people stop to stare at the fantastic sight, taking pictures. It's a huge procession of 60 people in total. It's a spectacular sight. This time, Yukino-sama and her mother came along to play live on kokyu and drums, which added to the atmosphere of the parade.

Also, while the intense heat during the day caused sales at outdoor stalls to stagnate, the number of people increased slightly from the evening into the night, making the area lively. As an organizer, I was reminded that in times of heat like this, it is necessary to be creative in designing the time slots, concentrating stalls and queues in the evening and later, and separating the daytime from sightseeing.

The Magic of the Town Called Yokai

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Even under the harsh conditions of a scorching heat, this Kawagoe Yokai Town Walk was a day filled with many learning experiences and a sense of accomplishment. The space where the local community and yokai coexist is by no means flashy, but I think it has the power to quietly but surely change the town.

A memorable landscape for someone. The moment someone takes a step forward. As if embracing all of these things, the yokai continue to walk the streets of the town today.

I hope to see you again in Kawagoe next year.

※Group photo: Official photographer Agitomon (@agito_photos)