For a concise introduction to Kawagoe, its history, culture, and its links to the old town of Edo (now Tokyo), visit the Kawagoe City Museum. It has a large collection of relics from various time periods, including models and replicas to bring the past alive.
Kawagoe City Museum 日本語: 川越市立博物館 (Photo: Wikipedia)
There are explanations of things such as the kurazukuri building methods, and models of what the castle and town looked like.
Next door is the small Kawagoe Art Museum 川越市立美術館, which contains mostly works by local artists. There are special exhibitions several times per year. It was opened on the 80th anniversary of the city (Kawagoe Citizens’ Day) on Dec. 1, 2002.
Kawagoe City Art Museum
Basement Floor contains the Permanent Collections Gallery. First Floor has the works of Aihara Kyuichiro, an artist of Western-style painting and an honorary citizen of Kawagoe City, is on display in the Aihara Kyuichiro Memorial Gallery.
Kawagoe City Art Museum displays
Popular also are the Touch Collections where one can enjoy art by other than the sense of sight. The Art Information Corner has information on the museum’s collections, and art in general. The other floor and annex have meeting rooms and art classes, reservations needed in advance.
《金沢下本多町 旅みやげ第二集》大正10年（1921）
渡邊木版美術画舗蔵
Both museums are open from 9 am to 5 pm. They are closed Mondays and the 4th Friday of the month, or the following day if these are a national holiday. They are also closed December 28 trhough January 4.
They both cost 200 yen each for adults, though there are many combination tickets with places around the city, such as 300 yen to enter both. The museums are at the Museum stop on the Tobu bus line or the City Museum and City Art Museum stop on the Eagle bus line.
There is limited English on the website: http://museum.city.kawagoe.saitama.jp/lang/english.html
