Kashiya Yokocho Candy Alley Travel Guide

Those with a sweet tooth will find it difficult to peel themselves away from this sugary street in Saitama. Known at Candy Alley, it’s packed with vendors hawking all kinds of sweet treats both traditional and modern. You’ll find traditional wagashi sweets filled with bean paste, cakes made from sweet potato, rice crackers sprinkled with sugar, boiled sweets, deep-fried cookies called karinto, and much more!

There’s enough to discover among the 20 stores that you’ll first want to fill your stomach, then a bag or two to take home as well. Even if you’re not that into sweet food, it’s worth taking a stroll down the short alley just to get a feel of the charming old-Japan atmosphere. The street has been a hub for candy production since the Meiji era, and still retains much of the historic feel of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Kashiya Yokocho is a little out of the way, located in the northwest of Saitama City, but buses here run from several of the major stations. For true candy lovers, that little hurdle won’t sound like a big deal at all.