Located in the westernmost part of Saitama prefecture, Chichibu covers a large mountainous region that shares its borders with four other prefectures. It is no surprise then, that Chichibu clocks in as the largest municipality in Saitama by land area. However, with terrain unsuited for growing rice, the town instead relies on silk production and limestone excavation. The city also promotes its abundant natural landscape and sightseeing opportunities.
The Chichibu Pilgrimage consists of visiting the 34 Kannon temples in area. The practice dates back as far as the 13th century.
But before that, rumor has it that there is a really good shaved-ice establishment called Asamireizo in the area. Ignoring the fact that it’s the middle of winter, we head to the store for a taste.
Some warm tea to prepare us for the cold treat that follows. This place is pretty popular despite the cold. Asamireizo is more of a complex, rather than a singular store. During the summertime wait times can exceed three hours, so maybe it is better to visit in the winter.
We go for simple strawberry and orange flavors. The store uses local natural spring water for its ice. Man this stuff is good! Drizzle the syrup on top of the mountain of thinly shaved ice with a little sweet milk, and take a bite. Almost immediately the ice melts away like cotton candy. I can see why this place is popular.
This guy waited so long outside he ended up mistaking a styrofoam ball for the store’s famous shaved ice. Also, he turned into a statue.
One of the best parts about visiting the temples is the countryside. I really enjoy the scenery that Chichibu has to offer. And since it’s February, we pretty much have all of the temples to ourselves.
We cheat by using a rental car to get to each temple. Clearly it’s allowed as almost every temple has designated parking lots.
A rest area with a great view for those who properly hiked to the temple.
Lots of the temples are said to be cared for by local residents. The little monk in the corner greets you at every temple.
The temples come in various sizes and styles.
A plethora of senjafuda decorate the temples left by people on pilgrimages.
Lots of little details at each shrine make each visit unique. It could be a large tree in the garden, rows of statues, or a single candle lit in the offering area.
The Anohana anime series featured many locations from the Chichibu area. As a result, ema featuring characters from the show can now be purchased at one of the temples.
Snow falls during our visits to many of the temples. Luckily we don’t have to stay out in the cold for too long since our rental car is nearby.
We had a pretty good time in Chichibu. Although we didn’t get to all 34 temples, we’ll be back to finish up the last half. Maybe next time we will brave the summer heat, so long as our car is ready to chauffeur us around.
Bonus pics of us at the first 17 temples for proof:
