How to Walk Around Chichibu by a Local ③ How to Walk Around Chichibu Shrine | The Shrine Where Chichibu's Festivals Gather

If you walk from Imamiya Shrine through the main street and Higashimachi Street to Banba Street, you will arrive at Chichibu Shrine in about 10 to 15 minutes.

This is the center of Chichibu town.

For those visiting Chichibu for sightseeing, this is likely one of the first places that comes to mind.

However, for me, having grown up in Chichibu, I feel it is less of a tourist shrine and more of a shrine at the heart of Chichibu's festivals.

Various events are held at Chichibu Shrine throughout the year.

For example

・Chichibu Night Festival
・Kawase Festival
・Setsubun Festival (Oniyarai)

And recently
many people also gather for the Chichibu Whisky Festival.

Thinking about it this way, I believe Chichibu Shrine is not only a shrine, but also a place where Chichibu's culture and events gather.

Chichibu Shrine and Festivals

I have three main opportunities to be involved with Chichibu Shrine through festivals each year.

・Kawase Festival
・Chichibu Night Festival
・Chichibu Whisky Festival

For the Kawase Festival, representatives from the eight districts that own floats gather first, and preliminary meetings are held at Chichibu Shrine.

There are about two meetings for the eight districts, and one additional meeting involving the Tourism Association and Chichibu City.

That is how the preparations for the festival begin to move forward little by little.

The Chichibu Whisky Festival is also a relatively new event, only about 13 years old, but meetings are held in the Sanshuden hall, and on the morning of the event, it begins after a prayer for safety is offered at the main hall.

Even for an event with a short history,
it begins after offering prayers at the shrine in this way.

Watching this,
I feel like I am witnessing the moment a festival is born.

The Mysterious Structure of Chichibu's Festivals

Many festivals across the country are organized by shrines.

However, Chichibu's festivals are a little different.

Whether it is the Chichibu Night Festival or the Kawase Festival,
the main organizers of the festivals are the individual neighborhood associations.

They are not hosted by the shrine,
nor are they hosted by the local government.

I believe they are festivals that have continued while many towns have been involved,
maintaining a balance.

That is why Chichibu Shrine is

not so much the 'headquarters' of the festivals,
but rather a spiritual anchor for them.

That is how I feel about it now,
and what kind of presence I think it has.

My way of walking through Chichibu Shrine

Recently, on days when my day off coincides with my child's,
I sometimes go to Chichibu Shrine for a walk.

First, I bow once in front of the torii gate.

I avoid walking in the center of the approach (the seichu),
and purify my hands and mouth at the chozuya (water pavilion).

Then, first, I head to the main hall.

The carvings on the main hall are also a highlight.
Carvings said to be the work of the famous Edo-period master Hidari Jingoro, such as the 'Connecting Dragon' and the 'Treasure-Child/Child-Rearing Tiger,' remain here.

My child is dying to feed the carp as soon as possible,
but I make them wait a little while so we can greet the deity first.

After finishing our prayers,
we head to the pond near the Heiseiden.

Carp food is sold near the pond for 100 yen.

When you throw the food in,
more carp gather than you could ever imagine.

The children are overjoyed every time.

When we have time,
we also stop by the Heiseiden.

When you enter the building,
the first thing you notice isthe wonderful aroma of coffee.

If you have time, have a drink.

If you have even more time, head to the
Chichibu Matsuri Kaikan right in front of you when you leave the Heisei-den.

In my case,

500 yen for adults,
250 yen for my first-grade daughter,
and free for my youngest daughter

so it is very reasonably priced for the whole family to enjoy.

The projection mapping and 3D theater inside the building
show the pulling of the floats,
and actually, I appear in them quite often.

My children still

say, "It's Daddy, it's Daddy!"

and are happy about it.

However, I am already bracing myself for the day
that will surely come soon
when they lose interest.

To the Banba-dori approach

Once you have enjoyed the area around the shrine,
head to the Banba-dori approach.

It is a standard routine for us to buy taiyaki
at Hahasotaiyaki, which the kids also love, to take home.

On a nice day,
it is also great to get an Ichiro's Malt highball
at the drink stand machikado and walk home while drinking it.

If I were a tourist staying overnight who came by train,
I would go to a hormone restaurant I had reserved in advance.

And then go bar hopping to some deep spots.

If I weren't staying overnight, I might take a quick bath at Matsuri no Yu,
buy some souvenirs, and head home.

That is how I would enjoy it.

Memories of the Chichibu Night Festival

However, for me, Chichibu Shrine
is inextricably linked to my memories of the Chichibu Night Festival.

When I was a child, my biggest dream during the Chichibu Night Festival
was to ride on a float.

To ride on a float as a drummer.

That was my dream.

Eventually, when I started riding on the floats as a drummer,
my next dream became to be taken up to Dangozaka.

And when I became an adult, my dream changed again.

To be pulled up Dangozaka as a Kajitori (the name used in Nakamachi, generally known as a festival musician).

Last year, that dream came true.

At Dangozaka,
the moment when the float, the music, and the fireworks become one.

The float rises toward the night sky,
and fireworks bloom in full in the sky right before your eyes.

That scene
is hard to put into words.

I would like to write about this experience as a Kajitori
in another article.

Chichibu Shrine is the "Shrine of Festivals"

Recently, it is often very busy with tourists on weekends and holidays, but the Chichibu Shrine on ordinary days is a very quiet place.

There are people walking slowly through the shrine grounds,
and children feeding the carp in the pond.

However, on the day of the festival,
it becomes a place where the thoughts of everyone in town gather.

Mitsumine Shrine, Imamiya Shrine, and Chichibu Shrine.

There are many shrines in Chichibu,
and it is interesting that each one has a different role.

If Mitsumine Shrine is the entrance to the mountains,
then Imamiya Shrine is the entrance to walking around town.

And I believe Chichibu Shrine
is the place where Chichibu's festivals and culture gather.

English Summary

Chichibu Shrine is located in the center of Chichibu City and is one of the most important shrines in the region.

For visitors, it is known as a historic shrine. However, for locals who grew up in Chichibu, it is also the place where many of the city's festivals begin.

Major events such as the Kawase Festival, the famous Chichibu Night Festival, and even the newer Chichibu Whisky Festival are closely connected to this shrine.

Unlike many festivals in Japan that are organized by shrines, Chichibu's festivals are mainly organized by local towns. The shrine serves more as a spiritual center or gathering place rather than the official organizer.

The author also shares his personal way of visiting the shrine with his children—feeding koi fish in the pond, enjoying coffee at Heiseiden, visiting the Chichibu Festival Museum, and walking back through Banba Street with taiyaki and sometimes a glass of Ichiro’s Malt highball.

For locals, Chichibu Shrine is not only a place of worship, but also a place where everyday life and festival traditions meet.

How to Walk Around Chichibu Magazine by a Local

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