Introduction
Speaking of Chichibu, it has attracted many worshipers since the Edo period for the Chichibu 34 Kannon pilgrimage. The main reason for this is that it is close to Edo and there are no checkpoints. It is also questionable that the total number is exactly 100, including the 33 Kannon tours in Saigoku (Kinki area) and the 33 Kannon tours in Bando (Kanto area). In addition to these Kannon sacred sites, there is also a tour of the 88 places in Shikoku visited by Kobo Taishi (>>refer to “Kukai (Kobo-Taishi) is an influencer, creator of the pilgrimage” ), so how should I organize these relationships in my head? I wonder if it’s like AKB48, HKT48, or Nogizaka46.
Now, aside from the internal details of Chichibu, Chichibu is close to Tokyo, but it would be a waste to go straight to Chichibu just from that reason and there are many attractive detours along the way. There are two main detour routes: the route that connects the Chichibu Basin to the Kanto Plain along the Arakawa River, or the route that goes along the Seibu Railway from western Tokyo through Hanno and from the Koma Valley to the Chichibu Basin via a tunnel. To be more precise, the third route is from Yamanashi, crossing the Nishizawa Valley and entering the Chichibu Basin from behind Chichibu- Mitsumine Shrine.
There are many attractive detours along these routes. Some posts are out of season, but please look for other detours.
Detail (only approach method, read more each blog)
Early summer detour to lavender fields and Little Kyoto >>read more
This route enters the Chichibu Basin from the front along the Arakawa River. To get to the lavender fields, take the Tobu Tojo Line from Ikebukuro Station to Musashi-Arashiyama Station, about an hour away, with frequent trains. It’s about a 15 minute bus ride from here, but it’s a peaceful country road, so be careful not to fall asleep and go back one section like I did. It was quite a walk.
Little Kyoto Ogawa town is only 7 minutes from Musashi-Arashiyama Station to Ogawamachi Station. Renting a bicycle is convenient for exploring the town. If you have the guts, you can make a quick run to a sake brewery in the suburbs.
There are trains from Ogawamachi Station via Yorii to Chichibu (Ohanabatake Station) for about an hour, approximately every 30 minutes. Depending on where you book your accommodation, be aware that there is only one train every 1 to 2 hours beyond Kagemori, which is the next station after Ohanabatake.
The regular lodging, “Kaya-no-ie”, which is translated as “house made of oak tree”, is located just before the innermost part of the Chichibu Basin, and the nearest station is Bushu-Hino Station (about 20 minutes from Ohanabatake), and they will pick you up and drop you off if you make a reservation in advance.
A detour in the middle of autumn: Marshal Togo in Koma Valley >>read more
This is the route that passes through the tunnel and enters the Chichibu Basin from the side. It takes less than 2 hours to travel from Ikebukuro to Seibu Chichibu on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line without using the paid express train. It takes 1 hour and 20 minutes to get to Agano Station, the closest station to Togo Park. As you transfer at Hanno, the mountains gradually approach you. This line seems to have walking routes in various places, so the number of passengers gradually decreases.
Once you arrive at Seibu Chichibu, walk along the back roads 5 minutes to the retro Ohanabatake Station and transfer to the Chichibu Railway. This inconvenience makes me want to travel. If they weren’t aiming for the same platform anyway, I wonder why they made an S-curve and finally built Seibu Chichibu Station parallel to Chichibu Railway. I think it would be a pure idea to lay rails so that the Kintetsu Tenri Line meets the JR Sakurai Line at a right angle at Tenri Station (those who are intrigued by this are well-versed).
Autumn Chichibu Golden Course, Nagatoro and Tsukinoishi Momiji Park >>read more
To be honest, I’m not sure whether to enter the northernmost part of the Chichibu Basin (Nagatoro station) from directly in front of it or from the side. It also depends on how you incorporate other detours. It’s a little faster to go directly in front, but if you use the Seibu Railway’s free pass, you can enter the basin directly from the side. It comes with a shopping coupon worth 950 yen at Seibu Chichibu Station, which will come in handy at the end of your trip.
A detour in late autumn, Heirinji Temple completely dyed in red >>read more
It takes about 20 minutes to get to Hibarigaoka station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line. It takes about 30 minutes by bus from here. There are other railway routes to Heirinji, but the bus time from the nearest station remains the same for all of them, about 30 minutes. It takes about an hour and a half from Hibarigaoka to Ohanabatake.
Midwinter night festival that you must see at least once, with fireworks going off overhead >>read more
This is no longer a detour. It’s right favorite destination. There are coin lockers at the tourist office on the right after exiting Seibu Chichibu Station, so leave your luggage there. Otherwise, you’ll have to carry a heavy load while touring the town. Please note that lockers at Seibu Chichibu Station are only available inside the station, and there are almost no lockers at Chichibu Railway stations.
It takes about 30 minutes to walk from Ohanabatake station to Chichibu Shrine while looking at the festival shops. Don’t just walk around aimlessly. While looking at the published operation schedule, it is necessary to make a preliminary inspection of the site in advance to make sure that there are no buildings blocking the view of the fireworks, and to have an idea of where the festival cars and fireworks will be viewed at the night festival. Once you leave your luggage at the inn, have a meal, and then come out again to see the night festival, you should follow the preparations you had made during the day and enjoy the night festival to your heart’s content.
Additionally, during the time when the festival cars cross the railroad crossing, the overhead wire near Ohanabatake Station on the Chichibu Railway is removed. Therefore, if your inn is closest to a station west of Ohanabatake Station, you will need to know in advance the sections where the railway is running and how to get there. I walked to Kagemori Station, which was one station away, and then took a train to Bushu-Hino Station and returned to my hotel.
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