PASSE SEIBU KAWAGOE

This was an easy, one-transfer ride from Seibu Shinjuku to Kawagoe Station and back! No hassle, just went there, rode one train, and I was in Kawagoe in an hour. It makes a day trip to the countryside very, very accessible! Plus, it's cheap for a roundtrip ticket!

Este fue nuestro primer día en Japón y nuestra primera vez como turistas navegando trenes y transbordos, por lo que al principio estábamos comprensiblemente nerviosos. El Seibu Kawagoe Pass hizo que todo fuera mucho más fácil y manejable. Las instrucciones eran claras, las rutas sencillas y los trenes puntuales y cómodos. Una vez que completamos lo que nos pareció la parte más desafiante —nuestros primeros transbordos de tren— nos sentimos mucho más seguros explorando los días siguientes. Kawagoe en sí fue un destino maravilloso con su encantador ambiente de “Pequeño Edo”, calles tradicionales y un ambiente relajado. Realmente disfrutamos la experiencia y nos encantaría volver. En general, el sistema Seibu fue confiable, eficiente y muy amigable para los turistas, lo que lo convierte en una excelente opción para los visitantes primerizos en Japón.

非常划算且易于使用。西武川越周游券让从西武新宿到川越的旅程顺畅便捷。兑换过程简单，火车班次频繁，而且有助于节省交通费用。强烈推荐给想要轻松前往川越一日游的旅客。

予約は簡単でした。西武池袋駅の観光案内カウンターで、3人のフレンドリーなスタッフがQRコードでチケットを引き換えてくれました。プラットフォーム5から電車に乗り、所沢でプラットフォーム1に乗り換えるという明確な指示がありました。レビュー通り、川越は確かに歩いて回れますが、かなりの距離を歩くことになり、住宅街も通るので覚悟が必要です。しかし、良い経験でした。

This was really easy to use. You had to exchange the ticket at Ikebukuro Station. The information center to do so was very easy to locate. The center staff was helpful, and the journey to Kawagoe was smooth and comfortable. It is a very nice little town to explore. On the return journey, you can get off at Shinjuku Station.

The Seibu Kawagoe Pass is definitely worth purchasing. It costs less than a single train ride from Ikebukuro Station to Hon-Kawagoe Station and covers a full round trip, making it a budget-friendly option. We opted not to get the combined train and bus ticket, as most attractions in Kawagoe’s Little Edo area are easily accessible on foot.

The booth area was a little hard to find initially but eventually we did. Got this cute little transit charm to use and we were able to get to Kawagoe from Ikebukuro and back to our hotel in Shinjuku.

I booked this because I was a huge fan of the Anime: Kamisama Kiss! This is the setting of that Anime and also, since we can’t go to Kyoto, I thought, this is an alternative to that. The Seibu Railway pass is such a great value! We didn’t have to pay for the transportation going there from Ikebukuro station. It’s so easy to redeem and use! By the way, even though it says here that you can ride from Shinjuku station, you cannot redeem the Seibu Railway Pass from there. It is redeemable at Ikebukuro Station. Go to the Tourist Information there to redeem the pass, and pass through the small ticket office on the side of the gate passes (where you insert your individual train tickets or scan your IC card) and just show them the pass so they can stamp it. Going back from Kawagoe, we headed straight to Shinjuku station. We noticed Kawagoe is more popular with local tourists than foreigners. There are more local tourists than foreigners and the old town where the Bell tower is, is just a couple of meters away from Kawagoe station. Don’t forget to try the Sweet Potato Chips and the Takoyaki like sandwiched in between two shrimp crackers! They’re both so delicious and can only be purchased there! I didn’t like the taste of the dango (rice cake balls on a stick covered in sweet soy sauce) though, lol!

とても使いやすいです。唯一の欠点は、引き換えが池袋駅であるため、本川越に向かうには所沢での乗り換えが必要になることです。とはいえ、本川越から西武新宿へ直接戻る選択肢もあります。また、デジタルパスには特急券の料金は含まれておらず、普通列車用であることにも注意してください。

I bought it during the buy-one-get-one-free promotion! Redemption was easy (follow the signs to the east exit) to find the Seibu counter. The staff could speak English and Chinese! The total train journey was less than an hour. At Hon-Kawagoe station, we visited the information counter (located after you tap out) as the local staff provided much more in-depth information, directions, and food recommendations. Overall, it was a super pleasant and easy day trip from Tokyo!