When we were at Tokyo Narita airport Marlon got each of a Suica Card. The Welcome Suica is an electronic money card for moving around and shopping. There is no more need to buy tickets from a vending machine. All you do is touch the Welcome Suica to the ticket gate and the fare is automatically deducted from your card. This card can be used also for subways, buses and in some stores like 7-11.
We used our Suica card to pay for a ride on the local train and to sit in the green car. The green car has nicer seats basically first class.
Once we arrived at the train station in Kawagoe we had to walk through the train station to get outside. The station was full of Christmas decorations.
The street we are on is considered the ‘Warehouse District’, or "Kurazukuri Street". The district is comprised of buildings constructed in the ‘warehouse’ architectural style. The district is approximately 400m. Many of the buildings were constructed during the Meiji period (1868 –1912) in the wake of a devastating fire. The new buildings were constructed to be fireproof and of superior quality. To this end, they were constructed in the ‘warehouse’ style with clay walls consisting of several layers.
The Bell Tower (Toki-no-Kane in Japanese, literally “Bell of Time”) was originally built in the early 1600s, but it has been rebuilt several times since then due to damage from fire. The current tower was constructed in 1894 after the Great Fire of Kawagoe. The tower is three stories tall (16 meters in height), and its beautiful chimes currently ring out four times a day: at 6 a.m., 12 noon, 3 p.m., and 6 p.m. In 1996, the Bell Tower's chimes were designated as one of the "100 Best Sound Sceneries in Japan," to be protected by the Ministry of the Environment. 
Beautiful bonsai made with Kiku flowers. Amazing work.
Our pictures in the 2020 Olympic rings made of Kiku flowers.
Leaving the Kiku festival and heading over to Kitain Temple. Kitain Temple holds great significance for the faithful. Jie Daishi, one of the head priests enshrined here, was believed to have magical powers to ward off evil. Worshipers visit the temple in order to pray for protection.
500 statues of Rakan. These statues represent the disciples of Buddha. They were carved between 1782 and 1825 with no two statues alike. It is said that if you feel among the statues in the dead of night you will find one that is warm. Mark it, come back during the day, and you will see it is the statue most resembling yourself.
Check out the dancing chicken on my noodles.
Great view out the window of the restaurant. Being on the 2nd floor and getting a great seat made this the place to be for lunch.
These statues were so real looking I had to take a 2nd look to confirm they were not real.
The Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine is said to be approximately 1500 years old and is where five deities are enshrined.
For 300 yen each. The ’tai’ in the lottery names and the ’tai’ for red snapper are a Japanese pun on the word for good luck. After you take the omikuji paper out of the red snapper, you can keep it as a charm!
We left the shrine to head back to the train station and passed under a huge bright orange torii gate. The gate was 15 meters and is said to be the largest wooden torii gate in Japan.
Snack Break before sitting on the train for 2 hours to get back to Utsunomiya. Stopped at Wendy's in the train station. Icecream and cake for some and some of us wanted a salty treat of fries covered in chili and cheese. :-)
We used our Suica card to pay for a ride on the local train and to sit in the green car. The green car has nicer seats basically first class.
Once we arrived at the train station in Kawagoe we had to walk through the train station to get outside. The station was full of Christmas decorations.
It was fun to watch this Christmas scene in the window of this store.
As we walked out of the train station we saw many banners hanging on poles down the street of Kurazukuri. Each one was promoting the Golf 2020 Olympics that will be held in Kawagoe.
The street we are on is considered the ‘Warehouse District’, or "Kurazukuri Street". The district is comprised of buildings constructed in the ‘warehouse’ architectural style. The district is approximately 400m. Many of the buildings were constructed during the Meiji period (1868 –1912) in the wake of a devastating fire. The new buildings were constructed to be fireproof and of superior quality. To this end, they were constructed in the ‘warehouse’ style with clay walls consisting of several layers.
Warehouse District, notice how thick the shutters are. They can be closed to prevent fire damage to the contents.
After walking down Kurazukuri Street we have reached our destination of the Kiku Flower festival. As we got closer to the festival I heard a Japanese lady singing and music playing. I was hoping there was some live entertainment. Once inside we found out it was just a recording.
After walking down Kurazukuri Street we have reached our destination of the Kiku Flower festival. As we got closer to the festival I heard a Japanese lady singing and music playing. I was hoping there was some live entertainment. Once inside we found out it was just a recording.
Leaving the Kiku festival and heading over to Kitain Temple. Kitain Temple holds great significance for the faithful. Jie Daishi, one of the head priests enshrined here, was believed to have magical powers to ward off evil. Worshipers visit the temple in order to pray for protection.
500 statues of Rakan. These statues represent the disciples of Buddha. They were carved between 1782 and 1825 with no two statues alike. It is said that if you feel among the statues in the dead of night you will find one that is warm. Mark it, come back during the day, and you will see it is the statue most resembling yourself.
Admiring some scenery of a Japanese garden with Keiko. 
With two sets of deities that are regarded as married couples, the shrine has been historically worshiped for "matrimonial happiness", "happiness in the family" and the "deity of matchmaking.
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