Kawagoe City Museum

The Kawagoe City Museum (川越市立博物館, Kawagoe Shiritsu Hakubutsukan) introduces visitors to the history and culture of Kawagoe. It houses exhibits from the ancient times to modern times. Through excavated relics, preserved artifacts, models and actual-sized replicas, visitors can travel through time and learn about the changes in the city.

The museum explains the kurazukuri construction method with a large model, revealing the various layers making up the warehouses' walls. Other models include a geographical representation of the former castle town, illustrating how Kawagoe took shape over time.

From about the 17th century, ties between Kawagoe and Edo (present day Tokyo) began to deepen, and a lot of Kawagoe's cultural heritage had been influenced by the Edo culture. Visitors will be able to learn about how Kawagoe became known as "Little Edo" here.

The City Art Museum (川越市立美術館, Kawagoe Shiritsu Bijutsukan) is located just next to the City Museum. It exhibits works mainly by artists from or related to the city. The majority of the permanent collections on display are contemporary art pieces, but the museum holds special exhibitions about four times a year, displaying art of different styles.