Kawagoe review?

I wanted to visit a typical Japanese town however I won’t be able to travel far from Tokyo. Does Kawagoe truly resemble little edo, are the buildings original from the period or just Reconstructed?

Is it too touristy-crowded in March?

I am unsure of the history of the town, I visited one section, Kurazukuri Street which looks original and fairly interesting:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6501.html

Kawagoe is nice but it's reasonably small. I do think there are many much better towns but I'm not sure which is close to Tokyo. Completing a search or a new thread asking about traditional towns near Tokyo might do the trick.....

Two other options near Tokyo:

Sawara: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6406.html
Tochigi (Kuranomachi): https://travel.navitime.com/en/area/jp/guide/NTJarea0097-en/

Kawagoe is the most convenient from Tokyo, though.

If you really like traditional architecture and history, you'll enjoy Kawagoe. The streets themselves are that of a modern, bustling city but the preservation of the buildings is excellent and they haven't completely covered them with signage and advertising like some places do (Otaru, you disappointed me). We had morning tea in one of the preserved warehouses and it was very memorable. Don't forget to stroll around the candy alley area.

I am always disappointed by Kawagoe but did enjoy Sawara a lot. But harder to reach from Tokyo.
For me the problem with Kawagoe is the traffic on the one nice main street. That kind of makes it not very enjoyable. Also for me it is too touristy. Too many tourist shops.

I guess that you have Kamakura already on your itinerary. It’s definitely the number 1 destination for a day trip from Tokyo.

An other alternative option to Kawagoe might be the Edo Tatemono museum. It’s an open air museum with old houses you can also visit inside. It’s in the center of a big, nice park. But it’s not an actual town.

Will you be in Nara or Osaka as well on your trip? If yes Kurashiki and Imaicho are interesting.

Enjoy your trip to Tokyo!