Our Hiking Mt. Kumotori trip started bright and early in the morning. The trip would be four days and three nights. We packed our bags the night before and were out the door by 5:30. We used the Seishun 18 ticket that we purchased the day before and took a 6:08 Joban Line train for Ueno Station. After about 2 hours we transferred at Ueno Station. We then hopped on an hour long Takasaki Line train for Kagohara Station.

We got off at Kumagaya Station and stopped off at the local Starbucks. Next, we picked up the Saitama Frappuccino from the Jimoto 47 Frappuccino campaign. The Frappuccino consisted of a strawberry citrus blend with a yuzu peel topping. The drink in my opinion was quite tart, borderline sour, to the point where it was almost unenjoyable. The colored sprinkles were hard to chew and just a distraction in my opinion.

While we were drinking our beverage, we made our way to the Chichibu Railway Station. The station was just outside the JR Gate but still within the enclosed station building. We came to take Chichibu Railway’s special train called the Paleo Express. The train is branded as the closest steam locomotive to the Tokyo metropolitan area. The Paleo Express gets its name from the Paleoparadoxia, a large, sea mammal that resided in the Chichibu region some 10 – 20 million years ago.

In order to get on this train, we had to make a special reservation online. To board the train there were two tickets that we needed to purchase. One for the train trip itself and a second to ride the special Paleo Express. We purchased the ticket for the train trip itself at the normal kiosks. We then showed the station attendant our reservation confirmation email and he ushered us to the next area. Next, we paid the additional fee and got our Paleo Express tickets. Before heading down to the platform we were given some old train tickets as souvenirs and picked up a couple of penny-presses. The cute mascots for the paleo express are Paleo-kun and Palena-chan.

The trains red seats definitely gave it a vintage feel.

We were pretty surprised to see just how many people along the train line would just stop what they were doing, look up and wave at the train. A good amount of families with young children were waiting at stations or railroad crossings to wave as the train went by. The primary ridership of the train consisted of a lot of families with young children.

Apparently, there is a special bento that can be purchased for lunch, however we needed to pre-order it ahead of time. Throughout the trip a number of carts came down the main aisle with a variety of locally produced goods and souvenirs. We picked up a delicious strawberry cider and some mango apple gelato.

While on the train a member of the local tourism association informed us about a local stamp rally for the Chichibu Railway. Every train station that we went to along the line would give us a sticker unique to that station. After you collect a certain amount of stamps you can redeem them for a certain gift/prize.

The train made a half dozen or so stops along the way to take on and let off passengers. The train ride itself was a little rough. As the train moved along the track, it would jerk back and forth. We got used to it after a while, but its definitely not like the trains in central Tokyo.

The scenery varied from rice fields, to residential, to industrial. We particularly enjoyed going over the bridges that crossed the Arakawa River. The landscape changed as we entered the more mountainous region of Chichibu.

Chichibu is the setting for Anohana an anime about five friends who mourn and celebrate the life of their deceased friend. Lets just say that Chichibu Railway and town itself lean into it pretty hard. Many of the local shops had posters from the films in there windows. Pretty much all of the shops sell souvenirs that relate to the anime. We will say that the town has done a really good job at maintaining the animes relevance over time. It seems like they have a stamp rally every year.

The train ends at Mitsumineguchi Station. We got off and explored the area for a bit. It was pretty sparse except for a food stall, a shop or two, public restrooms and a bus stop. We tried some Miso Potato which is something of a local specialty. It consisted of slices of potato covered in a tempura like batter and then drizzled with a miso sauce. The sauce had a nice balance between not being too sweet and not too salty.

Before leaving we picked up a souvenir file folder and got a sticker for the stamp rally. It was here that we learned about another stamp rally to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Anohana. We looked at the requirements and were pleased to find that it was very doable. So we picked up a special stamp and took a train from Mitsumine Station to Ohanabatake Station. After getting to Ohanabatake Station we picked up another sticker for our stamp rally and an actual stamp for our other stamp rally.

We then headed to our Airbnb to drop off our bags. The Airbnb which turned out to be a hostel was a short five minute walk from the station. After dropping off our bags we took a short seven minute walk to Chichibu Station. We had to purchase a train ticket to access the stamp, but were able to complete that stamp rally and received an Anohana poster. We also picked up a sticker for our other stamp rally (We could have redeemed the other stamp/sticker rally here, but we must have forgotten). Feeling quite good, we headed back towards Chichibu Shrine to check it out and pick up a Goshuincho.

Along the way we passed by the Chichibu Festival Museum and saw some people stamping something. We asked the receptionist what the stamp was for and we learned about our third and last stamp rally for the city of Chichibu. We mapped it out and there were six stamps in total (one for each of the main characters) and five more spread throughout the town.

Afterwards, we backtracked to Chichibu Station and went through a pretty big souvenir shop that had a good amount of Anohana merch and other locally produced goods. On the second floor of the building was the stamp with a small exhibit to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the anime. It was pretty neat, they had a recreation of the “hideout” from the show and had written messages from the voice actors/actresses. After we took a short seven minute walk to Chichibu Roadside Station. At the station we found the stamp and stopped by the food stall to get some water and another round of Miso Potato. We backtracked a little to a tourist information center to pick up another stamp.

Since we were right next to the Chichibu Shrine we decided to check out the shrine and got the Goshuincho that we had passed on before. After a quick prayer we took a 10 minute walk to Chichibu Community Center. Along the way we went through Ohanabatake Station and redeemed our stickers for a notebook. Chichibu Community Center was a very nice modern building. When we stopped by they had some kind of ping pong event going on.

To wrap up our final stamp rally we headed for the Chichibu Sightseeing Information Center next to Seibu Chichibu Station. At the information center we picked up our final stamp and redeemed them for a special 10 year anniversary pin with Menma from Anohana on it. We also picked up a couple of maps in English. Right next door was the local bus office and we were able to pinpoint the location of where our bus for tomorrow would be.

Attached to the station building is an onsen and food court. They definitely make things very convenient here. One of the main dishes that we wanted to try while in Chichibu was the Waraji Katsudon. It consisted of a number of large fillets of marinated pork katsu over rice. We had marked a couple of different places and wanted to try at least one of them. However, they seem to only be open for lunch. The places we had chosen opened at 11:00 and then closed by 3:30 to 4:00. Luckily we were still able to try it at the food court next to the station. We also got some gelato (black sesame and apple cinnamon flavors).

After dinner we took a short 15 minute walk to Miharashi no oka which was a hill that overlooked the city. We stayed for about 30 minutes as the sun set and the city lights came alive. Afterwards we headed back to our Airbnb. On our way back, we picked up some food for breakfast the next day and stocked up on onigiri for the hike.

Our lodging for the night was a private room at the Chichibu Hostel. The location was fantastic, it was a short walk from Ohanabatake Station, just down the street from Chichibu Shrine, and close to a number of restaurants. The hostel itself was just off the main brick lined road and was located behind a restaurant/bar. Inside the hostel was quite modern with renovated facilities and amenities. The overall modern design and blackboard art were nice touches. We would definitely stay here again.

One last picture of our haul for the day.

More to Come…

Budget: (Does not include food/souvenirs)

• Train from Mito Station to Kumagaya Station ¥2,410/person (Seishun 18 Train Pass)
• Train from Kumagaya Station to Mitsumineguchi Station ¥960/person (Chichibu Railway)
• Paleo Express Ticket ¥740/person (Seat Reservation Included)
• Train from Mitsumineguchi Station to Ohanabatake Station ¥450/person (Chichibu Railway)
• Lodging at Chichibu Hostel (No Meals) ¥5,135/person/night
• Total: ¥9,695/person