By hiking standards, we got up quite late at 8:00 am. The earliest bus from Seibu Chichibu Station was at 8:30 am. Typically we like to take the earliest bus possible which is usually at 6:00 am or so. It gives us more cushion on the backend in case something unexpected happens. We got to the bus stop about 20 minutes before the bus came. Its a good thing that we got there early too, as a line was already forming. I stopped by a local Family Mart to stock up on a couple more onigiri. In the time that I was gone a train had come and the line for the bus extended all the way to the entrance of the station. Fortunately we were able to get a seat. The bus filled up with passengers until there was no more room even for standing. The bus ride was over on hour long and we were grateful to have had a seat.

As the bus approached Mitsumine Shrine we hit some pretty heavy traffic. There was fairly limited parking at the shrine and in order for a new car to pull in, an existing car would have to leave. There was a designated bus stop, however the bus was still caught in traffic. The bus driver was kind enough to let us off and we walked the five or so minutes to the parking lot. We made our way to the shrine which was up a short but steep hill.

The shrine complex was quite large and had many unique areas. We did a quick prayer, got a Goshuincho, and then headed out.

On our way out we stopped by a soba/udon shop for a quick lunch. This shop had a large terrace which gave us a beautiful view of the mountains and river valley below. I had udon with mountain vegetables. The mountain vegetables were really good, they did not have the bitter taste that vegetables typically have. Instead, they were firm and had absorbed the broth quite nicely.

After lunch we briefly checked out the Mitsumine Visitors Center before searching for the trailhead. The visitors center had a lot of information about the region and displayed a nice topographical map of the area. Apparently Mt. Kumotori is where the main character Tanjiro and his family lived in the anime Kimetsu no Yaiba.

We searched around for a bit before finally finding the trailhead. The ascent in total took us about six hours at a pace of approximately 15 min/.5 km. There were convenient trail markers that allowed us to track our progress. There were also pink tape markers on the trees that helped keep us on the right trail.

Every now and then, there were little rest areas with picnic tables. The trail for the most part was not too difficult to traverse although parts of the trail were covered with tree roots and it slowed our pace considerably.. There was just one section that required a chain to climb up and we used it to maintain our balance.

Along the way we reached the summits of a couple of smaller mountains like Mt Maeshiraiwayama & Mt. Shiraiwayama. We took a short break at a clearing with a nice picnic table. Though due to our time constraints we couldn’t dilly dally too much.

As we continued on, the trail started to open up a bit. We were able to quicken our pace and make good time covering the last couple of kilometers.

Kumotori Lodge

Once we got to the Kumotori Lodge we checked in and paid the tent site fee of ¥500 per person. We were initially worried that they would “run out” of tent sites, however this was not the case. The sites closest to the amenities were already occupied, but further back down the trail there were more tent sites. We saw people pitching tents on any flat and relatively clear area. By all accounts, there are essentially an unlimited amount of tent sites.

After setting up our tent, we boiled some water for our cup of noodles and freeze dried pasta meal. The pasta had a really light taste, but was a little spicy in my opinion. After dinner we cleaned up, went to the bathroom at the lodge, got a souvenir pin, then went back to our tent to call it a night. The picture on the right is of the current Japanese Emperor Naruhito when he stayed at the Kumotori lodge back in 1995.

TIP: Take the bus to Mitsumine Shrine from Seibu Chichibu Station. The bus does stop at Mitsumineguchi Station. However, in our case the bus was already full by the time we got to Mitsumineguchi Station. We found many disappointed travelers when we arrived at Mitsumineguchi Station and there was no room on the bus. The next bus came in 40 minutes and there was no guarantee there would be space available.

Goshuincho TIP: When you get to Mitsumine Shrine, pray at the main shrine first (If you are inclined to). Then get your goshuincho. The goshuincho we got was on a separate piece of paper that you can glue into your book at a later time. The line for the shrine got really long while we were in line for the goshuincho.

Final Thoughts

From a budget travelling perspective, today was an ideal day. Transportation was under ¥1,000 per person and lodging of ¥500/person/night is pretty unheard of (even for a campsite). These cost savings come at another cost and that is weight. While we do have all the required gear to go camping/hiking/backpacking, our gear is far from optimized (in other words all our gear is bulky and heavy). While I did take the brunt of the weight, Amy’s pack was also quite heavy. I think she definitely would have enjoyed the hike more if her pack was significantly less heavy and bulky. The camping aspect was nice though, and we do intend to go more often. Here and there, we’ll try and pick up a few pieces of optimized gear when we can.

In my college days I wouldn’t even think twice about this being the optimal way to travel. I had lots of time and not a lot of money. Now, as a working adult with a moderate income, my priorities have shifted. I think my motto of trying to save money at the expense of ease and comfort might not be applicable to these more strenuous trips. Sure, the lodge would have costed an extra ¥8,000/person (¥5,300/person without meals), but the reduction in gear would probably have been worth it. In the future, due to our schedules, fewer trips will likely be taken. On the flip side our unchanged travel budget will give us greater flexibility and allow us to splurge on certain luxuries.

When we return to the area, we’ll likely stay at the lodge (without meals) and bring our own food up.

More to Come…

Budget: (Does not include food/souvenirs)

• Bus from Seibu Chichibu Station to Mitsumine Shrine ¥980/person
• Lodging at Kumotori Mountain Lodge Campground (Tent Fee Only) ¥500/person/night
• Total: ¥1,480/person