This February Kawagoe will have a very special illumination event centered around Honmaru Goten, with six other participating locations. This is only the third year ever of this event. I visited the very first one, in 2024, and really enjoyed it. There is quite a romantic feel in the old town at night. The photos in this post are from then. The “lantern lit night walk for adults” is on from public holiday February 11th to Sunday February 15th 2026. Just five nights. Not only is each of the five locations lit by lantern, but, if it’s the same as last year, they will also have Japanese umbrellas and bamboo lanterns at Honmaru Goten.
Kawagoe Night Walk
In the first year there were seven locations in total, in the second year six of them and this year there is five. Moreover, three of the five are different to previous years. However, in my experience four of the “missing” locations are lit up most of the year round these days. So I have included them after the official list.
1. Honmaru Goten
The main location for the Kawagoe Night Walk is Honmaru Goten, formerly a palace, which is part of the remains of the Kawagoe Castle. For the inaugural event they had beautiful Japanese umbrellas, wagasa, and bamboo lights at this site, as per the photo above. Presumably they will have them again in 2026. Honmaru Goten itself is not open, as in you can’t go inside, but they are lighting the building up in different colors. The color changes every few minutes. Shades include red, purple, blue and green.
2. Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine
Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine is about a seven minute walk from Honmaru Goten. The shrine is frequently lit up for special occasions. The lights in this photo are new, modern lights, but they also have stunning old lanterns on the grounds. The atmosphere by day and night at this shrine is very different.
3. Koedo Kurari
Koedo Kurari has a winter illumination event since last winter (2024/2025). This year the illumination started in December and is on until March 29th. They have various events on during the day throughout the year. They will have their annual character and mascot event on the first day of the Kawagoe Night Walk, February 11th, until 4 pm.
4. Nakacho Tourist Information Center
Above, the beautiful tourist center by day. This year is the first time the Nakacho Tourist Information Center is on the Night Walk list. It will be lit up from 5 pm to 9 pm for the five nights of the event.
5. Resona Koedo Terrace
New to the list in 2026, the Resona Koedo Terrace was transformed from a bank to a community space in 2024. The above photo was taken on New Year’s Day when the former bank was also lit up.
Other locations
There is no guarantee that the following four locations will be lit up. But in my experience they have some lighting all year round.
Kawagoe Kumano Shrine
Kawagoe Kumano shrine was on the official list in 2024. Moreover, it is usually lit up nightly during the year anyway. They have these beautiful lanterns, as you can see in the photo, with the emblem of the three legged crow on them. Even when there is no event on, its not unusual to see people praying here at night.
Renkeiji
Renkeiji participated in the 2025 event, but it is not participating in the 2026 event. The temple is usually softly lit every night, but the parasol and special lighting that you see in the photo above only comes out for special occasions! Furthermore, the Coedo Imo Park that was on in Renkeiji for three years in a row, is also changing location this year and will not be on at Renkeiji in 2026.
The Bell Tower
The symbol of Kawagoe, the bell tower was on the list in 2025. Moreover, surprisingly, it was the busiest of all the locations, with dozens of photographers gathered. It was quite hard to get a photo without people in it. I only had a three second window to get this shot and unfortunately it is blurrier than I would have hoped! But you get the gist! The bell tower is about a 5 minute walk from Kashiya Yokocho, which was another that was on the 2025 list, that is not on the 2026 list and the shops will not be open.
Ichibangai
In my experience, Ichibangai is softly lit most night of the years.
Information
Event: Lantern Lit Night Walk for Adults – Honmaru Goten Light Up 「あかり灯る大人な夜散歩 -川越城本丸御殿をライトアップ-」
Dates: Wednesday February 11th to Sunday February 15th 2026
Time: from 6 pm to 9 pm
Cost: there is no participation or admission fees.
Venue: Various, as above – five of Kawagoe’s key historic sites. All of the locations are within walking distance of Kawagoe’s three main stations in the historic area, but Honmaru Goten and Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine are quite a walk. Any bus that goes to Kawagoe City Hall will leave you within a closer walking distance. The tourist buses usually go to both too, but they don’t operate at night.
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