Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and back to Tokyo. Three weeks plus some extra days.
Prior to the group trip, I – Timothy – am solo in Tokyo. Using artificial intelligence, I concocted a busy four days featuring Ito on the Izu Peninsula and Sawara, also known as Little Edo. I also end this Journey Across Japan with a solo spell in Minato, near Taito and Tamachi Station.
In my quest for off the beaten path, more rural things the to do in and around Tokyo, ChatGPT guided me towards Sawara in Chiba Prefecture. It’s one of those places nicknamed Little Edo.
Sawara (佐原), now part of Katori City in Chiba Prefecture, is a charming canal town that preserves the spirit and appearance of Japan’s Edo period while tracing its roots back to prehistoric times. Situated about 20 kilometres northeast of Narita Airport and – kind of – easily reached from Tokyo by train, this small riverside town – often called Koedo, or ‘Little Edo’ – offers an evocative window into Japan’s past, with its wooden merchant houses, willow-lined waterways, and centuries-old traditions.
Human settlement in Sawara dates back thousands of years. Archaeological remains of Jōmon-period shell middens and Kofun burial mounds testify to its ancient origins. By the Nara period (710–794), Sawara had already developed as a busy port and a monzenmachi, or temple town, serving the nearby Katori Shrine, one of the oldest and most revered Shinto shrines in the region. In the Heian period (794–1185), it grew into a regional commercial hub supporting the surrounding agricultural estates, or shōen. During the Edo period (1603–1867), Sawara prospered as a vital inland port under the control of the Omigawa Domain, transporting rice and other goods to Edo (modern Tokyo) via the Tone River network. The town’s success brought wealth and refinement, reflected in the elegant merchant houses, storehouses (kura), and waterways that still define its historic centre today.
Modern Sawara Town was established in 1889, and in 1951 it merged with neighbouring communities to become Sawara City, which later expanded again in 1955. It maintained its identity as an independent municipality until 2006, when it was merged into the newly created City of Katori. Despite these administrative changes, Sawara remains the cultural and historical heart of the region — even housing Katori City Hall beside Highway 356.
The historic canal district is the town’s highlight, with streets largely unchanged since the Edo period. The picturesque Ja Ja Bridge, famous for its small artificial waterfall that flows at set times, is one of several graceful crossings spanning the waterway.
Wooden façades, traditional shop signs, and gently bobbing canal boats complete the scene, offering visitors a sense of stepping back in time. Boat rides along the canal are a tranquil way to experience the district, once busy with rice-laden barges.
Sawara also honours its most famous son, Inō Tadataka, the pioneering 19th-century cartographer who created Japan’s first accurate map of its entire coastline for the Tokugawa shogunate.
His achievements are celebrated at the Inō Tadataka Museum, which features some but not many English explanations, instruments, and original maps. By the way, photos are barely allowed in that museum. A recurring theme in Japan.
His nearby preserved residence offers a glimpse into the daily life of a scholar-merchant of the Edo era.
Festivals remain central to Sawara’s identity. The Sawara Grand Festival, held twice yearly in July and October, is one of the Kanto region’s most celebrated traditional events. Giant, elaborately carved floats bearing figures of mythological heroes and warriors parade through the narrow streets, accompanied by musicians and dancers.
Some of these magnificent floats can be admired year-round at the Dashi Kaikan Museum.
Nature lovers can explore the Sawara Municipal Aquatic Botanical Garden, now part of the Suigo Sawara Ayame Park within the Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park. Home to 1.5 million irises — the largest collection in Asia — the park comes alive in June with the annual Ayame Matsuri (Iris Festival). Lotus ponds, wisteria tunnels, and canal boat rides add to the seasonal beauty, making the area equally appealing beyond the historical townscape.
In March 1996, Sawara established a sister-city relationship with Nanjing in China, reflecting its ongoing commitment to cultural exchange.
Though now administratively part of Katori, Sawara has retained a distinctive identity rooted in centuries of river trade, craftsmanship, and devotion. With its atmospheric canals, lovingly preserved architecture, and gentle pace, it stands as one of the most rewarding small towns to visit from Tokyo — a place where the rhythms of old Japan still flow quietly along the water.
A visit
Don’t be fooled: Narita is far from Tokyo and Sawara is located beyond Narita. So it’s some two hours from Asakusa were I stayed. But I don’t mind long train rides. I even like them. But suburban trains in Tokyo are metro or subway style: benches on the sides and mostly standing up.
Sawara itself is nice enough. It was calm, very calm. I expected more people, as it is popular. And the town makes effort to help tourists find the old town and the landmarks. So it does look like they can cope with crowds.
While I’m pleased I went, the time and effort getting to Sawara is perhaps not proportionate to the ‘reward’ of visiting the town.
2025 Journey Across Japan
- Japan’s Superconducting Maglev train breaks world speed record at 603 km/h.
- Japan’s maglev bullet train delayed to 2035 or later as costs rise to ¥11 trillion.
- QUESTION | Should you be stressed about travelling to Japan, and fear of missing out?.
- Brussels Airport to Milan Malpensa with Brussels Airlines, operated by Air Baltic, ft. the 2025 check-in and boarding software hack.
- REVIEW | Sala Montale Exclusive Lounge and Sala Gae Aulentin Premium Lounge at Milan Malpensa Airport, extra Schengen.
- REVIEW | All Nippon Airways (ANA), Business Class, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Tokyo.
- REVIEW | Toei Animation Museum in Nerima, Tokyo.
- JAPAN | Tokyo Station, its Character Street and Pokémon Store.
- REVIEW | Onyado Nono Asakusa Hotel in Tokyo.
- TOKYO | Asakusa ft. Sensō-ji Temple.
- JAPAN | The Odoriko train from Tokyo to Ito on Izu Peninsula.
- PHOTOS & REVIEW | The Izu Teddy Bear Museum in Izu-Kōgen.
- JAPAN | A visit to Ito on Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture.
- REVIEW | Japan’s Saphir Odoriko in Premium Green Car from Ito on Izu Peninsula to Tokyo Station.
- GAY TOKYO | 24 Kaikan in Asakusa (+ Ueno and Shinjuku).