Leisurely Travel Log - Chichibu, Shibazakura Hill -
Before I knew it, it's already late May...
Time flies so fast.
In the midst of that, this is a story from April, but I went on a day trip to Hitsujiyama Park in Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, to see the moss phlox, so I'm going to write about that experience!
It's a bit out of season now, but it's a place where you can enjoy beautiful moss phlox every year, so I would be happy if this makes you want to go next year.
So, please stay with me until the end!
[Famous Spot in Chichibu City: Hitsujiyama Park Moss Phlox Hill]
Everyone, do you know Chichibu City in Saitama Prefecture?
Chichibu City is a town located in the western part of Saitama Prefecture, with a population of about 60,000, situated in the center of the Chichibu Basin surrounded by the Chichibu Mountains.
Because it is surrounded by the Chichibu Mountains, it seems that most of the city is a forest area, but there are many attractive tourist spots!
This time, I will introduce the "Hitsujiyama Park Moss Phlox Hill" that I visit every spring!
Hitsujiyama Park in Chichibu City is located about a 20-minute walk from Ohanabatake Station on the Chichibu Railway or Seibu-Chichibu Station on the Seibu Railway, and it is a park on a small hill at the foot of Mt. Buko, the symbol of Chichibu City.
Inside Hitsujiyama Park, there is a place called "Moss Phlox Hill," where colorful moss phlox are planted.
The planting area is about 17,600 square meters, and it is said that over 400,000 moss phlox of 10 varieties are planted there.
The blooming season for the moss phlox is from mid-April to early May, and around that time, the Moss Phlox Festival is held every year.
I was born and raised in Saitama, but actually, I had never visited before then. Since my first visit in 2022, I have been going to see the moss phlox in full bloom every April.
When the season arrives, many people visit, so I go every year by taking the first train and arriving just after 7:00 AM, aiming for a time when there are as few people as possible, but there is a large parking lot, so there are still quite a few people even at that time.
As expected of a famous spot for moss phlox...
Because I visit early in the morning, if the weather is nice, I can enjoy the moss phlox with the cool, towering Mt. Buko in the background in the clear air.
If the timing is just right, you can leisurely enjoy the colorful moss phlox spreading out before you.
It is far from Tokyo, so it might be difficult to arrive early in the morning, but I definitely recommend it.
From here on, I will share how it went this year, including some photos!
[Departure on the First Train - Arrival at Seibu-Chichibu Station]
While keeping an eye on the blooming status of the moss phlox, I saw information that it was approaching full bloom, so I decided to go on short notice a few days later.
Every year, the blooming status changes, so it's a struggle to decide on the dates.
Late April.
4:30 AM.
It is still dim outside, and even though it is spring, it is still a chilly time of day.
To avoid the crowds at the destination, I decided to head out on the first train.
This time, I decided to head to the nearest station, Seibu-Chichibu Station, via the Seibu Railway.
On the way, I transferred trains at Higashi-Hanno Station.
The train I boarded was a 4-car, 2-door, semi-cross-seat train called the 4000 series, which debuted in 1988.
The interior of the train mostly had face-to-face seating, and since it was early in the morning, I was able to enjoy it leisurely by myself.
There was a small table by the window, so I tried placing the plastic bottle of cafe latte I bought on the way there.
The atmosphere of 'this is travel!', which you can't experience with regular horizontal seats, is also quite nice.
The line heading to Seibu-Chichibu is the Seibu Ikebukuro Line until Agano Station, and from there to Seibu-Chichibu Station, it becomes the Seibu Chichibu Line.
Since the Seibu Chichibu Line is a single-track section, the train sometimes stops at stations to allow trains going in the opposite direction to pass.
Those little moments are also one of the real pleasures of traveling.
The route to Chichibu pushes through mountainous terrain, so the view from the window is full of nature wherever you look!
The weather was truly beautiful that day, and just looking at the scenery from the train window was a great change of pace.
While doing all that, I arrived at Seibu-Chichibu Station!
When I exited the station ticket gate and looked to my right, I could clearly see the figure of 'Mt. Buko,' which symbolizes Chichibu! It always looks cool whenever I see it!!
'Mt. Buko' is a mountain located on the border of Chichibu City and Yokoze Town, with an elevation of 1,304 meters, and it is said to be counted as one of the 200 Famous Mountains in Japan.
It is also said to be called Mt. Takemitsu or Chichibu-dake, and there is an Ontake Shrine at the summit that enshrines Yamato Takeru.
The northern slope of Mt. Buko is limestone, and limestone mining has been actively carried out, causing significant changes to the mountain's appearance due to the mining, and it is said that the old summit has already been lost.
Mt. Buko is something I always see when I come to Chichibu.
Since there are many people who climb it, it is also one of the mountains I want to go climb soon.
In front of the station, there is a monument that says 'CHICHIBU', and you can also take commemorative photos with Mt. Buko in the background.
I suppose tourists visiting Chichibu take commemorative photos here.
With that said, let's head to our destination, 'Hitsujiyama Park,' while keeping an eye on Mt. Buko!
[Departure from Seibu-Chichibu Station - Arrival at Hitsujiyama Park]
As I wrote earlier, it takes about 20 minutes to walk from Seibu-Chichibu Station to Hitsujiyama Park.
I like walking, so I think 20 minutes is surprisingly close, but what about you all?
If you are someone who drives, visiting by car is also nice.
That way, you can get to the destination even faster.
However, it seems there are traffic regulations within the park during the blooming season of the moss phlox, so that is something to be aware of.
The path to Hitsujiyama Park mainly goes through residential areas, so I don't think it's that difficult.
There are signs like this along the way, so it's easy to tell how far you've come.
At first, you walk on a flat road, but an uphill slope begins halfway through.
As you go up the slope, you reach a height where you can look down on the houses.
Since there are few tall buildings, you can clearly see not only Chichibu city but also the mountains beyond, allowing you to enjoy the scenery.
What you see in the distance is the area around Chichibu Muse Park.
Further back, you can also see higher mountains.
Once you finish climbing the slope, you finally enter the grounds of Hitsujiyama Park.
Since the destination, Shibazakura Hill, is at the back of the park, you continue walking through the grounds.
In the fields along the way, there are many flowers and dandelion fluff, and it's inevitable that you'll stop to take pictures when they are illuminated by the morning sun, haha.
While taking detours, as I continued further, I discovered a sign at the entrance to Shibazakura Hill with a map of Chichibu city drawn on it!
Once you see this, you've finally arrived!
Chichibu is also a sacred site for various anime.
Among them, probably the most famous one is
"Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day," commonly known as "Anohana."
Don't you think?
Does everyone know it?
Locations that appear in the anime are scattered throughout Chichibu city, and each place has become a sacred site.
Because of that, the vending machines in the park were wrapped in "Anohana" designs.
The Shibazakura Festival is held at Shibazakura Hill to coincide with the blooming season, and an entrance fee is charged during the designated period.
The entrance fee varies depending on the time of day, so if you are thinking of visiting next year, please be careful!
Safely arrived at the entrance of the Shibazakura Festival venue!
It was just past 7 o'clock, so it was a time when there was no entrance fee, but since they were calling for contributions for the maintenance of "Shibazakura Hill," I made a contribution because I want to continue enjoying the beautiful shibazakura in the future.
I have nothing but gratitude for the people who always maintain it!
Thank you very much.
Beyond this tent, you can finally see Shibazakura Hill!
I couldn't stop being excited about what it would look like this year.
[Full-blooming shibazakura spreading across the entire area]
After passing through the entrance and climbing the slightly elevated hill, the Shibazakura Hill finally comes into view.
What do you think?? This full bloom of moss phlox spreading across the entire area, and the majestic Mount Buko visible beyond it!
I come here every year, but since I was able to visit during the peak bloom this time, it was breathtaking...
The weather was also fantastic, a perfectly clear sky without a single cloud!
Despite it being just past 7 o'clock, many people were already enjoying the scenery of the moss phlox.
I always wonder, what time do you all arrive??
With the moss phlox blooming so beautifully, I can certainly understand the desire to arrive early and take your time looking at them.
At Shibazakura Hill, various colors of moss phlox are planted like a patchwork quilt.
It's not that obvious when they haven't fully bloomed yet, but because they are in full bloom, that patchwork landscape really stands out!
By the way, when I first visited around mid-April 2022, it wasn't quite at peak bloom yet, so the patchwork looked a bit sparse.
Comparing them like this, I realize that even in the same month, the appearance of the moss phlox changes depending on the blooming status, which reminds me once again that the changes in nature are unpredictable.
Illuminated by the soft morning sun, the moss phlox is always beautiful and never gets old.
I am truly grateful to be able to enjoy such scenery within Saitama Prefecture.
Moreover, since I live in an area that is relatively easy to get to Chichibu from, I can manage to arrive at this time even by taking the first train.
When that's the case, I want to visit every year.
Beyond just looking at the moss phlox, since I have my camera with me, I want to capture them from various angles.
When I want to capture the moss phlox spreading across the vast grounds as shown earlier, I use a wide-angle lens.
By shooting with a wide-angle lens, I can capture a wide range of the scenery, conveying the dynamism of the landscape and the atmosphere of the place.
Conversely, when I want to focus on a specific part, I use a standard to telephoto range to focus on the subject I want to highlight, which looks like this.
However, I didn't have a standard lens with me that day, so I decided to get as close as possible to the subjects I wanted to photograph.
Speaking of cameras, by lowering the value called the F-stop in the settings, the areas in front of and behind the focused subject become easier to blur.
This makes it easier for the viewer's eyes to be drawn to what I want to show.
Man, photography and cameras are so interesting.
Did anyone notice that the two photos of the moss phlox mentioned earlier have slightly different color tones? Actually, I brought two different camera models that day and shot them separately.
By the way, the cameras and lenses I used that day were
1. Canon EOS R6 + RF28mm F2.8 STM
2. RICOH GR III
For me, when I perform photo development work on my computer, I change the color tones for each camera.
Since I often shoot different things with each camera, I set them to the colors of the image I want to express with each one.
Because of that, even photos of the same scenery become images with different impressions.
Man, photography and cameras are so interesting.
Putting aside the camera talk, let's get back to the moss phlox!
Within the grounds, there was a flower bed themed after "Anohana," planted with "forget-me-nots" that evoke the character "Menma."
Other types of flowers are also planted at Shibazakura Hill.
While the moss phlox is great, it's also a nice touch that you can enjoy these other flowers as well.
Even so, the weather is beautiful, and Mount Buko looks stunning and impressive!
I can't wait to go climb it...
There are plenty of benches set up throughout the grounds, so it's well-maintained to allow for breaks if you get tired. That's very appreciated.
Sitting on a bench and leisurely enjoying the moss phlox is also a great experience!
[Time to head home soon...]
Before I knew it, 8 o'clock was fast approaching.
Actually, I have other plans starting before noon today, so it's time for me to move on...
At this hour, the crowds grow even larger, making it difficult to take photos without people in them, so although I'm reluctant to leave, this concludes my moss phlox viewing for this year.
Every time I visit, I think about how lucky it is to have a place nearby in Saitama Prefecture where I can enjoy such beautiful moss phlox.
I'm sure I'll definitely visit here again when spring comes next year.
Leaving Shibazakura Hill and heading toward the exit, I pass through an area where many tents are set up.
Stalls selling local specialties are lined up here.
Since it's still early, only a limited number of shops are open, but they were warmly welcoming the visitors.
Unfortunately, I couldn't stop by because my next appointment is approaching, so I headed toward the exit with a heavy heart...
I want to eat something delicious here next year!!!
By the way, Hitsujiyama Park not only has Shibazakura Hill, but also features a scenic hill, a petting zoo, and an athletic field called the Wanpaku Plaza.
It's a park where you can enjoy more than just the moss phlox, so please be sure to explore the park grounds when you visit!
Leaving the Shibazakura Festival and Hitsujiyama Park, I head back to Seibu-Chichibu Station.
On the way back, I'll take a route that goes through nature—it feels a bit like hiking.
As I continue along the path, I come across some rather steep descending stairs.
Sturdy handrails are installed, so you can hold onto them and walk down slowly.
Since it's a route that lets you walk through a bit of nature, it's one I personally recommend.
As I walk leisurely while feeling the natural light, I come across one of my recommended spots.
Here it is!
A railway track that suddenly appears from the forest and stretches into the distance. And beyond that, you can see the Chichibu city area and the mountains of Chichibu.
Doesn't it look like a place straight out of an anime scene?
Every time I pass by here, I can't help but stop and take a picture.
By the way, this track is the Seibu Chichibu Line, and if you time it right, you can also take photos of trains passing along the tracks.
This time, a train passed by just before I arrived here, so I couldn't capture that scene... what a shame.
After enjoying the moss phlox and passing through my own little personal railway photography spot, I headed back to Seibu-Chichibu Station.
Walking leisurely, I returned to Seibu-Chichibu Station in no time!
By the way, the station building has this kind of modern design.
Right next to the station is the "Chichibu Tourist Information Center," where you can discover tourist spots and recommended information for Chichibu City.
It's a spot I'd like you to stop by first when you visit Chichibu.
I'm sure you'll find some tourist spots you'll want to visit!
There were also flags related to "Anohana" set up here.
Menma is so cute, isn't she?
If you haven't seen "Anohana," I would be happy if you could watch it at least once.
Seeing the characters face their own inner conflicts and move forward makes you realize feelings you might have forgotten.
If you have the chance, please do!
And when you visit Chichibu, please try a pilgrimage to the sacred sites as well.
[Strolling around Seibu-Chichibu Station]
I had some extra time before my train, so I decided to wander around the station area.
Actually, there is a hot spring facility attached right next to Seibu-Chichibu Station.
That is the "Seibu-Chichibu Station Front Hot Spring, Matsuri-no-Yu."
It seems to be based on the concept of the vibrant "festivals" of Chichibu, and in addition to the hot spring facilities, it also has a food court where you can enjoy Chichibu gourmet food and souvenir shops.
After sightseeing in Chichibu, you can soak in the hot spring, enjoy the local food, or buy souvenirs.
It's a facility that can be enjoyed in many different ways.
Although I often use the food court, I haven't been to the hot spring facility yet, so I'd like to try it next time.
I discovered a manhole cover in front of the station with an illustration inspired by the Chichibu Night Festival!
Speaking of Chichibu, there is the "Chichibu Night Festival" held every December.
It is a festival selected as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, famous for its beautiful festival music, gorgeous floats, and fireworks that light up the night sky.
The atmosphere of the festival with the fireworks in the background is truly spectacular...
I think, "I want to go every year!" but since the dates are fixed for December 2nd (Yoimiya) and 3rd (Taisai), it's quite difficult to coordinate my schedule...
It seems it's being held on weekdays this year too, so it will be hard to make it...
It's frustrating...
There is a project called "Station Oshi-Shishi" (Station Favorite Lion) where Seibu Railway and the Saitama Seibu Lions collaborate, and each Seibu Railway station has a manager or player from the Seibu Lions chosen as their "Oshi-Shishi".
As expected of Seibu Railway...
Photos and autographs of that station's Oshi-Shishi are displayed inside the station, and for Seibu-Chichibu Station, it was "Pitcher Ichiro Tamura"!
As a Lotte fan, knowing that each station has a designated favorite player makes me want to visit the station of my own favorite player.
That's nice... I'm jealous.
While doing that, the time for the train approached, so I headed inside the ticket gates.
For the return trip, just like the way there, I will be riding the 4000 series.
I was in a rush on the way there and couldn't take a photo, but the train body is white-based with red, blue, and green lines.
It's nice that it has a slightly retro feel.
I can also see Mount Buko from the platform, and I really feel that it is a mountain that symbolizes Chichibu.
Moreover, because of that mountainside, it is a mountain that you can't forget once you've seen it.
The departure time arrived in the blink of an eye.
The time was just before 9:00.
To catch the first train, I left before 5:00, and before I knew it, four hours had passed.
Even though the time spent swaying on the train is long, the journey to and from the destination, as well as the fun time at the destination, are important parts of the trip.
This time it ended up being a short stay, but I was able to have a fulfilling time!
It was a happy time being able to enjoy the full bloom of the moss phlox this year.
It is of course beautiful to see in photos, but the moss phlox seen in person is even more beautiful.
I would be more than happy if this article inspires even one more person to want to visit the Shibazakura Hill at Hitsujiyama Park next year.
There are still so many attractive tourist spots in Chichibu!
I will write another article to share the charms of Chichibu again, so I hope you look forward to that as well.
Thank you for staying with me until the end.
Well then, I look forward to seeing you in the next Leisurely Travel Log!
[Afterword]
Actually, my plans after this were to watch a baseball game at Belluna Dome.
It just so happened that this was the day of the Seibu Lions vs. Orix Buffaloes game, and I had secured my tickets well in advance.
Since it is along the same Seibu Railway line and the weather was nice, I made a plan to make a quick trip to Hitsujiyama Park.
I really wanted to enjoy Chichibu at a leisurely pace, but since the game started in the afternoon, I had to move quickly.
I was able to enjoy it enough even in a short time, so that was fine in its own way.
I was thinking of writing an article about the baseball game, but the downside is that a bit of time has passed since then...
As for the game... it ended in a dramatic walk-off loss for Orix, but there were plenty of satisfying moments for me personally, so I want to write about it soon!
