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Saitama Prefecture

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Chichibu

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Chichibu

River stream at the base of the Mitsumine Shrine hiking route

Exploring the Mountains in this Remote Town

Essential Chichibu Hiking Itinerary

Nestled within a mountain range, (秩父) is a hiking paradise with many mountains and hiking trails available to visitors.
One of the most accessible and most interesting trails is the hiking trail up Mount Mitsumine.
Apart from being easily accessible from Seibu-Chichibu Station, the wide variety of amenities at the top of the hiking route make it a worthwhile climb to the top.

Ultimate One Day Chichibu Hiking Itinerary

Hiking Up a Sacred Mountain to Escape Into Nature

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Our Essential Chichibu Hiking Itinerary guides you on how to hike up (三峰山山登り, Mitsumine-san Yama-nobori), a short bus ride away from Seibu-Chichibu Station.
The general gist is that you'll start off at Seibu-Chichibu Station, hop onto the local bus until Ōwa bus stop, where the hiking route begins. The hiking route takes around 2.5 to 3 hours to get to the top, and is recommended for beginner-intermediate level of climbers. The path is clearly marked and defined, but the inclines require a large amount of stamina.
Once you reach the top, you can get lunch at the shopping street, and check out the (三峯神社, Mitsumine-jinja). Then you'll hop on the bus back to Seibu-Chichibu Station, where you can soak in the and have dinner.
River stream at the base of the Mitsumine Shrine hiking route

Itinerary Details

Start off at Seibu-Chichibu Station

Recommended Time:

10:00

西武秩父駅

Seibu-Chichibu Station

SI

36

西武池袋線

Seibu Ikebukuro Line

Take the bus to Ōwa

Est.

10:00

55 mins
Before boarding the bus, we recommend stocking up on some water and snacks for the hike at Seibu-Chichibu Station. Onigiri (rice balls) is generally a good snack option that is filling, easy to carry, and easy to keep.
The bus departs Seibu-Chichibu Station at 9.10am, 10.20am, and 11.30am on weekdays, and 8.30am, 9.10am, and 10.20am on weekends (timetable). We recommend catching the 10.20am bus at latest to ensure you have ample time to enjoy the hike up.
35 mins

Recommended Time:

10:20

Seibu-Chichibu Station

to

Ōwa

River stream at the base of the Mitsumine Shrine hiking route

Est.

11:05

3 hours

Hiking Mount Mitsumine (三峰山山登り)

Hiking up Mount Mitsumine

Not just a regular hiking route, this route is also a pilgrimage route for those climbing up to Mitsumine Shrine at the top. As such, when you first get off the bus and walk to the start of the hiking route, you will be greeted by a large gate that also makes for a great pre-hike photo spot. Following down that path, you will find this beautiful red wooden bridge that crosses the river to the start of the hike.
Waraji Katsudon at Oshimaya in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture

Est.

14:05

1 hour

Ōshimaya (大島屋)

Grab some Waraji Katsudon at Oshimaya

A Chichibu specialty, is a dish where a bowl of rice is topped with drenched in sauce. is actually the name of traditional Japanese straw slippers – since the pork cutlets dipped in sauce resembled these slippers in shape and color, they were named Waraji Katsu.
Main building of Mitsumine Shrine in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture

Est.

15:05

1 hour

Mitsumine Shrine (三峯神社)

Check out the beautiful architecture of Mitsumine Jinja

One of the most important sites in Chichibu, the Mitsumine Shrine's entrance features a rare mitsu-torii (三ツ鳥居, a triple torii gate) as opposed to the usual double . Rather than usual that guard the entrance to the shrine, the shrine is guarded by two stone instead. One of the rare shrines that worship Japanese wolves, you can find many wolf motifs around the shrine, including at the shrine gift shop. These wolves are thought to be guardians against misfortune.

Head back to Seibu-Chichibu Station

Est.

16:05

1.5 hours
The bus departs Mitsumine-Jinja bus stop (located at the public parking lot just below the shopping street) at every 30 minute mark of each hour from 12.30pm to 4.30pm (timetable). Make sure to catch the last bus by 4.30pm or you will have to call a taxi to get down.
1.5 hours

Recommended Time:

16:30

Mitsumine Shrine

to

Seibu-Chichibu Station

Exterior of Matsuri no Yu in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture

Credit: Kaze315 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Est.

17:35

1 hour

Matsuri no Yu (祭の湯)

Take a soak at the Matsuri-no-yu

Matsuri-no-yu is a modern facility that features a variety of outdoor and indoor baths. The outdoor baths consist of a seasonal bath (that changes theme with the seasons), a rock bath, a lying down bath, and a private tub bath. The indoor baths consist of a silk bath (a milky bath good for the skin), a carbonated bath, jacuzzi baths and a sauna.
Cream puff at Matsuri no Utage in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture

Est.

18:35

1 hour
Closed on Mon-Fri

Matsuri no Utage (呑喰処 祭の宴)

Grab dinner and get some gelato

After your bath at (祭の湯), grab dinner at Matsuri-no-utage, a food court located in the same building as Matsuri-no-yu. This food court serves up a variety of local specialties, and although the standard of food is quite average, its convenience after a long day makes for an enticing dinner location.

End off the day at Seibu-Chichibu Station

Est.

19:35

西武秩父駅

Seibu-Chichibu Station

SI

36

西武池袋線

Seibu Ikebukuro Line

Check it out as part of

Main building of Mitsumine Shrine in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture

Ultimate Chichibu Hiking Day Trip Itinerary from Tokyo

Escape from Urban Tokyo by Hiking this Sacred Mountain

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Due to changing circumstances, readers are advised to do their own additional research. All information on this site is purely for reference only.

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