The Kawagoe streets, with their dark warehouses of tiled roofs, a bell tower called Toki no Kane and rows of sweet shops selling sweet potato treats, are the best place to feel the atmosphere of old Tokyo, and it is worth the detour on any ride that ends in this area.
The ride that ended here began far to the west, on the Ashinoko skyline road, so this is the plains end. The roads are flat and fast, running between fields of vegetables, tea bushes and rice, with a surface that is generally good and bends that are slight. The Iruma and Koma rivers cross the area, and the Chichibu mountains stand on the horizon, white with snow in winter. Traffic is moderate, though heavy around Kawagoe, and the best time to ride is early in the day. Bamboo groves and low shrines break up the farmland, and in early summer the fields glow green with young tea and vegetables.
The area is known for its sweet potato, and the Kawagoe variety is among the best in Japan, with a creamy, sweet flesh. Further west, near Hidaka, the Kinchakuda park has a vast field of red spider lilies that bloom in September, a remarkable sight that draws large crowds. The Koma district, once settled by immigrants from the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, has a shrine that preserves the memory.
Fuel is easy, since Sakado and Kawagoe have stations and supermarkets, and the area has many small restaurants. Sweet potato ice cream, roasted sweet potatoes and sweet potato beer are sold in Kawagoe, and a bowl of udon is a local specialty. The Tobu Tojo line runs from Sakado to Ikebukuro in about fifty minutes.
Look at the horizon in the evening. The line of the Chichibu mountains is a reminder of the road you have ridden.