This rural part of Saitama is one of my favourite places in the prefecture (one of the top 10  Saitama sights in this post from a decade ago!) but one that I have only visited a few times, and not for over ten years! It was time to change all that and on this occasion it was actually my wife who pushed for us to go there.

The main reason for this trip was to ride on Japan’s most futuristic luxury liner and to take the dog out for a half-day trip. Of course if we had only wanted to ride the train, we could have just taken it between a couple of the stations but we decided to take it the full distance and have a walk round some of Chichibu.

Not long after disembarking at Seibu-Chichibu station we saw Laview in full flight as it sped by us. It’s quite the sight and naturally more impressive than seeing it stationery.

On the outskirts of the park were the small but pleasant Bokusui Falls with a beautiful and charming water wheel nearby.

Hitsujiyama Park was our main (only!) destination for the day and this western-style building looked like an interesting sight until we got nearer and realised it was just a toilet block!

When my wife and I were deciding where to go to see the blooming pink moss phlox in all its glory just over a decade ago, Shibazakura no Oka (pink moss hill) in Chichibu was one of two options but we eventually decided on the other one as it included Mount Fuji in the background.

Fuji Shibazakura in May 2012

This one in Saitama may not have that iconic symbol of Japan but it does still have some beautiful and glorious-looking mountains in the near distance.

During the peak season when the stunning pink carpet of flowers is in peak bloom, the place is not surprisingly packed full of visitors. Out of season though is a different story and there wasn’t anyone else to be seen on the day we were there. It was a gloriously sunny morning and so peaceful and quiet that we both had a short nap on the benches!

As we headed north through the rest of the park I couldn’t resist climbing over this wooden structure at Adventure Forest Wanpaku Square. It’s certainly been a few decades since I did such a thing!

Kazuhainari Shrine was just beyond that which requires a climb of 62 steps if you’re coming from the car park or the road. Fortunately, we didn’t have to ascend it as we were already at the top!

Our final place to visit was what I thought was a big lake that I’d noticed on Google Maps. It seemed a nice view from a nearby wooden bandstand but as we neared it I realised it wasn’t a lake that we could take a break next to.

That was because it was a reservoir built for agricultural purposes.

This stone buddha was located on a little hill beside the pond and was erected for a rather complex historical story involving the curse of a travelling nun. By that you can probably infer that I didn’t really understand the full story!!

We didn’t return to Seibu-Chichibu station as I realised on the way that Yokoze station was a more convenient end point meaning that we didn’t have to backtrack at all.

It made for a nice and compact circuit trail of the Chichibu area which my wife had never been to before. As I said this trip was more about the train ride but what we did see whetted our appetite to explore the area a bit more on our next visit.

Click here to read ‘Riding On Japan’s Most Futuristic Luxury Liner’

Click here to read ‘Tokyo Daytripper: Autumn Leaves In Chichibu’ 

Click here to read ‘TF Flashback: River Rafting In Saitama (2005)’ 

Click here to read ‘Tokyo Daytripper: Top 10 Saitama Sights’