Take a short trip to Chichibu in spring with your JAL card. A refreshing trip to experience nature and history

Be sure to bring your JAL card with you on your trip to Chichibu. You can earn miles not only when you fly, but also when you use your JAL card to pay at stores in your destination that accept credit cards.

​"Miles Trip" is when you exchange your miles for reward tickets and save money on airfare, then enjoy more luxury than usual with sightseeing and accommodation at your destination. Why not collect miles for a short trip as you aim for your next miles trip?

*Prices include tax.
*The business days and business hours of each spot may have changed. Please check with each store or facility directly to confirm their operating status.

Activities, gourmet food, hot springs... a short trip to enjoy the natural bounty of Chichibu

Who would have thought that such a place rich in nature existed so close to Tokyo? Those who visit Chichibu for the first time may be surprised by its beautiful scenery. This is a refreshing trip to enjoy the "blessings of nature" of Chichibu.

It takes about 80 minutes from Ikebukuro Station on the Seibu Railway's Laview Limited Express. Once you arrive at Seibu Chichibu Station, we recommend renting a car and taking your time to explore the area. If you use the ticketless service to purchase tickets for the Laview Limited Express in advance online, you won't have to line up at the ticket counter or ticket machine to purchase an express ticket, making it convenient and smooth.

Rent a car from Toyota Rent a Car and go for a drive!

When you get off the Laview Express at Seibu Chichibu Station, the mountains surrounding the basin and the blue sky spread out before your eyes. You can smell the spring in the fresh air. Then, head to Toyota Rent-a-Car Seibu Chichibu Ekimae Branch in front of the station. As it is a JAL Card affiliated store, you can earn double the usual shopping miles if you pay for your rental fee with your JAL Card on-site.

We picked up the reserved car and our refreshing journey began!

Toyota Rent a Car Seibu Chichibu Station

Cycling and discovering the bounty of the forest at the nature-rich Chichibu Muse Park

The first place we recommend visiting is Chichibu Muse Park, about a 10-minute drive from Seibu Chichibu Station. Located in a hilly area that straddles Chichibu City and Ogano Town, the park is a vast park dotted with a variety of attractions, restaurants, and cycling paths amidst lush nature.

The observation deck at Chichibu Muse Park, 363 meters above sea level, is a special seat from which to view the Chichibu landscape interwoven with mountains and human settlements. Right in front of you you can see the mountains, including Mt. Buko, the symbol of Chichibu, and the townscape that spreads across the Chichibu Basin. It is recommended not only during the day when the sky is blue, but also at dusk when the city lights start to light up and at night when you can see a star-filled sky. What's more, it is said that you can sometimes see a sea of clouds in the early morning (*).

*The highest incidence rate is in November at nearly 50%, followed by April at just over 20%, and in other months it is around 20%.

The park is very large, covering an area of 271 hectares (about the size of 58 Tokyo Domes!), so you can enjoy driving around looking for your favorite spots (*).

*If you are using public transportation, the Gururin-go circular bus that travels around the park from Seibu Chichibu Station is convenient.

If you want to enjoy Chichibu Muse Park in an active way, head to the Sky Road that crosses the park from north to south. This road is about 3km long and has walking paths and cycling paths, and you can also rent bicycles (regular bicycles / 500 yen per bicycle for 2 hours). Enjoying a leisurely cycle while admiring the Chichibu mountain range and flowers such as wintersweet is sure to refresh your body and mind!

Next, we head to the Plum Garden, where about 600 plum trees are in full bloom. The Plum Garden, where about 15 varieties of plum trees, including Shirakaga, Nobai, and Bungo, bloom with colorful flowers, is usually at its best from mid- to late March.

There are other famous flower spots scattered throughout the park. Another attraction of Chichibu Muse Park is that you can enjoy a variety of flowers each season, such as cherry blossoms and daffodils in early to mid-April, rhododendrons in early to mid-May, and hydrangeas from mid-June to late July.

At lunchtime, we went to Maple Base, a log cabin-style restaurant located on the grounds of Chichibu Muse Park. This is Japan's first "sugar house," which opened in 2016. A "sugar house" is a shed in Canada that produces maple syrup.

In fact, Chichibu is a treasure trove of maples, with 20 of the 27 types of maples found in Japan growing there. This shop produces and sells maple syrup made from the sap of maples that grow in the Chichibu forests, and also serves food.

The store also features exhibits on the process of making maple syrup and circular forest conservation efforts centered around sap collection.

In the cafe space, you can enjoy dishes made with fruits from Chichibu, such as "Seasonal Pancakes" (3 pieces for 1,100 yen) and "Sausage and Egg Pancakes" (3 pieces for 1,200 yen) (the fruits used in the seasonal pancakes change depending on the season).

The regular menu uses maple syrup from Canada, but you can also order Chichibu maple syrup (700 yen) as an additional charge. The rare Chichibu maple syrup has a gentle sweetness that spreads softly in your mouth, and the Japanese flavor is reminiscent of brown sugar syrup.

Other unique drinks worth checking out include "Bitter Yellow" (350 yen), a non-alcoholic beer-flavored drink that makes use of the bitterness of Phellodendron amurense, a tree that grows wild in the forests of Chichibu, and "Maple Sap Tea" (hot 450 yen, iced 500 yen), made with maple sap.

The maple syrup served at this store is also available for purchase at the official online store. Why not order it and enjoy the bounty of Chichibu's forests at home? When you do, be sure to pay with your JAL card.

Chichibu Muse Park

Maple base

Relax in the hot springs and hear the babbling brook at "Wado Onsen Yunoyado Wado"

When the sun starts to set in the western sky, check in to your inn a little early. Wadou Kosen Yunoyado Wado, located about a 10-minute drive from downtown Chichibu, is a hot spring inn located on the banks of the Yokose River, a tributary of the Arakawa River.

As soon as you step inside the building, you'll see a beautiful view of trees and blue skies outside the large windows of the lounge. On the spacious terrace, you can hear the murmuring of a river. The open atmosphere created by Chichibu's abundant nature will make you relax.

Once you've checked in, head straight to the large public bath. The rock bath "Iwa-kagami," which uses Chichibu serpentine rock for the floor, and the open-air bath overlooking the Yokose River, are relaxing and comfortable spaces. The thick, smooth water is a famous hot spring with a long history in Chichibu. It is also known as "Yakushi no Yu" (Medicine Hot Spring) because of the legend that it was used as eye drops and wound medicine.

Wadokosen Yunoyado Wado has a total of 38 rooms, with various types of rooms available. On this day, we decided to stay in a slightly more luxurious room with an open-air bath. Relax in a spacious Japanese-style room, take a nap in bed, or soak in the open-air bath on the terrace... You can enjoy a relaxing time that only a hot spring inn can provide.

Guests staying in rooms with open-air baths are served the "Wado Kaiseki" meal, which changes monthly. The cuisine, which uses an abundance of carefully selected ingredients, including local "mountain delicacies" such as river fish and wild vegetables, is beautifully presented and rich in flavor.

"Wado Onsen Yunoyado Wado" is a JAL Card authorized dealer. If you pay with your JAL Card, you will earn double miles, making it even more profitable!

By the way, Wadou Onsen has a deep connection to the Wadokaichin coins, which are well-known from history textbooks. In 708, the Imperial Court was delighted to receive copper from the Wadou Mine in Chichibu, and changed the era name to "Wado" and issued the Wadokaichin coin, Japan's first currency.

If you think about it, copper is also a gift from nature. Near Wadou Onsen Yunoyado Wadou is the Wadou Ruins, where a mine once stood, so we recommend visiting it.

Wadou mineral springs Yunoyado Wadou

Experience the beauty of Japan at Chichibu Shrine, the guardian deity of the Chichibu region

During the Edo period, Chichibu prospered through the production of lumber and silk textiles, and since the Meiji period, it has developed into a cement industry using limestone mined from Mt. Buko. The town still harbors the culture and atmosphere of the past. On the second day of your trip, take a stroll around the town to enjoy the charms of Chichibu.

The first place we visited was Chichibu Shrine. It has one of the longest histories in the Kanto region, having been mentioned in the Engishiki, a text compiled in 927. The shrine is also known for its Chichibu Night Festival, which is held on December 3rd and is counted as one of Japan's three major float festivals, along with the Kyoto Gion Festival and the Hida Takayama Festival.

The grounds, with the sacred large ginkgo tree spreading its branches and leaves in a dignified atmosphere, give off a feeling of dignity. When you are surrounded by this atmosphere, you realize that this is a place of prayer that has been carefully protected since ancient times.

Standing in the center of the temple grounds is the main shrine, built in 1592. At first glance, you'll be amazed by the vividness and power of the countless carvings carved into the main shrine. The company has been carrying out preservation and repair work on the main shrine's carvings since July 2019, and by spring 2023, most of the repairs will be completed, leaving only one side, and you'll be able to see the carvings brought back to life in vivid colors using traditional techniques and materials.

The dynamic sculptures, such as the "Connecting Dragon" and "Children, Child-raising Tiger," said to be the work of the Edo period master craftsman Hidari Jingoro, are breathtakingly powerful. The World Heritage site Nikko Toshogu Shrine is famous for its vividly colored sculptures, but the Chichibu Shrine sculptures were actually made around the same time. They also share the involvement of painters such as Kano Tan'yu and Kano Eitoku. Incidentally, the company handling the repairs this time is Konishi Art and Crafts, which has worked on many national treasure shrines and temples, including Nikko Toshogu Shrine. In other words, you can enjoy the "national treasure-class" sculptures that are known only to those in the know.

Each sculpture has a story to tell, stimulating curiosity. In contrast to the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" at Nikko Toshogu Shrine, the sculpture depicts the "Three Healthy Monkeys" which represent "Look carefully, listen carefully, and speak well."

Looking at the colorful shrine buildings will make you feel as if you are touring an art museum.

But why is there such a magnificent shrine in Chichibu, a place surrounded by mountains?

"Chichibu is blessed with an abundance of timber, and during the Edo period it was under the direct control of the shogunate. Trees cut here were used in the construction of important buildings for the Edo shogunate. For this reason, it has a deep connection with the Tokugawa family, and I believe it was built 'for Chichibu,'" says deputy chief priest Sonoda Ken.

Chichibu Shrine is a recommended place to experience the history and culture that has been nurtured by Chichibu's rich nature.

Within the shrine grounds, underground water from Mt. Buko, the object of worship for Chichibu Shrine, springs forth, and the "water divination" ritual is also popular. When you dip a fortune slip into the pure water, the letters appear on the paper.

Chichibu Shrine

Stroll along Banba Street, where many precious buildings from the Taisho to early Showa periods remain

After visiting Chichibu Shrine, take a stroll around Banba-dori, the main approach to the shrine. This is a photogenic area dotted with buildings built from the Taisho to early Showa eras. In addition to retro buildings such as tobacco shops and clinics, there are also stylish cafes and bars that have been renovated from historic buildings, so you can enjoy walking around the town and feel like you've traveled back in time.

Banba Street

Savor the soba noodles grown with Chichibu water at "Handmade Soba Musashi-ya"

If you get hungry while walking around the city, head to "Teuchi Soba Musashi-ya," located right next to "Chichibu Shrine." In this quaint restaurant built in 1984, you can enjoy "freshly ground, freshly made, and freshly boiled" soba noodles.

The Chichibu region is a mountainous area with a lot of poor soil, so rice cultivation is not common. Instead, buckwheat and wheat have been cultivated and eaten in every household since ancient times. Today, there are many soba restaurants throughout the city, where you can eat soba with unique characteristics.

Here, they are particularly particular about the buckwheat flour they grind in-house, and by grinding in the buckwheat husks, they are able to bring out the original aroma and flavor of the buckwheat. Chichibu, surrounded by mountains, is also famous for its delicious water. Using that water may also be the secret to the outstanding smoothness of the drink.

In addition to the popular menu item "Ten-seiro" (1,650 yen), you can also enjoy local Chichibu delicacies such as "Miso Potato" (460 yen).

You can also pay with your JAL card. Enjoy delicious soba and collect miles.

Musashiya Handmade Soba

If you're looking to buy souvenirs from Chichibu, head to Jibasan Shoten, where you can find everything from alcohol to sweets and miscellaneous goods

After filling our stomachs with soba, we headed to Jibasan Shoten, located about a 5-minute walk from Chichibu Shrine, to look for souvenirs. This shop, which was recently renovated in March 2022, is adjacent to Chichibu Station on the Chichibu Railway, and as its name suggests, it is a veritable treasure trove of souvenirs, carrying a whopping 1,400 types of local Chichibu products. JAL cards are also accepted.

The Chichibu region is dotted with historic sake breweries, wineries, breweries, whiskey distilleries, and more, making it a "town of alcohol" known only to those in the know. Jibasan Shoten also has a wide variety of alcoholic beverages on offer.

Among them, the whiskey "Ichiro's Malt" made at the "Venture Whisky Chichibu Distillery" is highly regarded worldwide and is a rare product. If you're lucky, you may be able to purchase it at the store, so be sure to check it out.

Besides alcohol, there are plenty of souvenirs unique to Chichibu, such as "Shakushina Pickles" (from 380 yen) and Chichibu Meisen accessories. There is also a shop corner with popular local bento boxes and bread, and a market wagon selling vegetables and fruits delivered directly from local farmers. There is also an eat-in space, so you can enjoy a relaxing end to your trip to Chichibu!

Jibasan Shop

The Chichibu area is located just 80 minutes away from central Tokyo by train, and offers a variety of ways to enjoy the area, including experiencing the rich nature of the four seasons, experiencing history, tasting alcohol and local cuisine, and more. It's great for a casual weekend getaway, but why not make a little trip out to visit when you're traveling to Tokyo?

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