2 one-day model routes in Chichibu
- Plan A covers Mt. Hodo and the riverside in Nagatoro, and Plan B takes a morning bus to Mitsumine Shrine (about 80 minutes).
- Hodosan Ropeway is ¥1,200 round trip for adults, and general admission to Mitsumineyama Museum is ¥300.
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This page is for people with no plans or reservations yet. Follow either route below and you have a day in Chichibu, the mountain area in Saitama northwest of Tokyo.
A day in Chichibu depends on two places: the area around Nagatoro Station on the Chichibu Railway (Mt. Hodo, Iwadatami rocks and the Line Kudari boat ride), and Mitsumine Shrine deep in the mountains. Mitsumine Shrine takes about 80 minutes by Seibu Kanko Bus express from Seibu-Chichibu Station, so combining it with Nagatoro on the same day uses almost half the day just on travel. Choose one destination from the two plans below.
In short
- A day walking around Nagatoro: Plan A (Hodosan Ropeway, then Hodosan Small Animal Park, then the Iwadatami rocks in front of the station and the Line Kudari boat).
- A day to visit Mitsumine Shrine: Plan B (about 80 minutes by express bus from Seibu-Chichibu Station, then the shrine and museum, then back to Seibu-Chichibu Station).
- From Ikebukuro, a Seibu Railway limited express takes about 1 hour 20 minutes to Seibu-Chichibu Station. For Nagatoro you change to the Chichibu Railway at Ohanabatake Station.
Checked with official pages on November 1, 2026 (Japan time).
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1. Timetables for the 2 Chichibu routes
Nagatoro is the mountaintop in the morning and the riverside in the afternoon, and Mitsumine Shrine is going up on a morning bus and coming down in the early afternoon. Times are estimates and do not include travel time.
| Time | Plan A (Nagatoro) | Plan B (Mitsumine Shrine) | Nearest station |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | Hodosan Ropeway and the small animal park | Express bus to Mitsumine Shrine (about 80 min) | Nagatoro / Seibu-Chichibu |
| Noon | Top of Mt. Hodo | Mitsumine Shrine and museum | – |
| Afternoon | Nagatoro Line Kudari (reception is 1 min on foot from Nagatoro Station) | Bus to Seibu-Chichibu Station | Nagatoro / Seibu-Chichibu |
Sources: official sites of Mitsumine Shrine, Hodosan Ropeway and Chichibu Railway, checked on November 1, 2026.
2. Things to know in Chichibu (winter closures, bus length, river conditions)
In winter, the Line Kudari boat ride ends on December 4 and the Mitsumineyama Museum closes from December to March, so what you can do changes between November and December onward.
- The Nagatoro Line Kudari season is March 10 to December 4, and from November 24 to December 4 it is shortened to 10:00 to 14:30. In January and February, the “Pokapoka Kotatsu boat” (¥1,100 for adults, ¥700 for children) takes about 20 minutes around the Iwadatami rocks instead.
- To drive to Mitsumine Shrine, it is about 2 hours from Hanazono IC on the Kan-etsu Expressway via National Route 140 and the Minano-Yorii Bypass. The shrine asks drivers to use the Chichibu City Mitsumine car park.
- The times and fare of the express bus from Seibu-Chichibu Station to Mitsumine Shrine can be checked with Seibu Kanko Bus (Chichibu office, 0494-22-1635).
3. Plan A: Nagatoro, the mountaintop and the riverside
Hodosan Ropeway
A ropeway 832 m long that links the base station (212.7 m above sea level) to the summit station (453.0 m) in about 5 minutes. The fare is ¥700 one way and ¥1,200 round trip for adults (junior high school and older), and ¥350 one way and ¥600 round trip for children (age 3 and over). You buy tickets at the ticket counter at the base station (Hodosan Ropeway operation information and fares page, Japanese).
Operating times differ between weekdays and weekends and holidays, and in the autumn-leaf season it runs on the weekend and holiday schedule. At the summit there are the inner shrine of Hodosan Shrine and Hodosan Small Animal Park, with monkeys and deer (¥500 for adults, ¥250 for children).
| Name | Hodosan Ropeway |
|---|---|
| Address | Nagatoro Town, Chichibu District, Saitama |
| Hours / Closed | Operating times differ between weekdays and weekends/holidays (official timetable) |
| Phone | 0494-66-0258 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Nagatoro Line Kudari
A boat ride down the Arakawa River run by Chichibu Railway. Reception is at the Nagatoro Line Kudari office, 1 minute on foot from Nagatoro Station. It runs from 9:00 to about 16:00 (ending when the same-day tickets run out), and from November 24 to December 4, from 10:00 to 14:30 (Chichibu Railway Nagatoro Line Kudari page, Japanese).
On days when the Arakawa is high or low, the boats may not run, and the course that runs changes with the water level. On October 30 and 31, 2026, the official X account of Line Kudari (Japanese) announced that only the 3 km course was operating. The day’s service and course are announced on the official X account of Line Kudari (Japanese) and by phone at the office (0494-66-0950).
| Name | Nagatoro Line Kudari |
|---|---|
| Hours / Closed | 9:00–about 16:00 (November 24–December 4: 10:00–14:30). Operating period: March 10–December 4 |
| Phone | 0494-66-0950 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
4. Plan B: Mitsumine Shrine, going up on a morning bus
Mitsumine Shrine
A shrine high in the mountains of Okuchichibu, about 80 minutes by Seibu Kanko Bus express from Seibu-Chichibu Station. By train you can also change to the Chichibu Railway at Ohanabatake Station, ride to the last stop, Mitsumineguchi Station, and take a Seibu Kanko Bus from there (Mitsumine Shrine access page, Japanese).
The Mitsumineyama Museum in the grounds is open from 9:00 to 16:00, ¥300 for general admission and ¥100 up to junior high school students. It is closed every Tuesday and from December to March, including the New Year holidays. In November you can visit the shrine and the museum on the same day.
Facility information checked: November 1, 2026 (Japan time). Prices and hours may change.
| Name | Mitsumine Shrine |
|---|---|
| Address | 298-1 Mitsumine, Chichibu City, Saitama |
| Hours / Closed | Mitsumineyama Museum 9:00–16:00 (closed Tuesdays and December–March) |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Sources
7 pages we checked
Checked with official pages on November 1, 2026 (Japan time).
