Chichibu
秩父36°00′ N 139°05′ ECityPop. 59,326Kanto and Boso
Chichibu suits road riders who want mountain passes a train ride from central Tokyo, and its trade-off is the crowd on 2 and 3 December, when the Chichibu Night Festival fills the town centre.
Photo Koda6029 · Wikimedia Commons · CC0 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay by Seibu-Chichibu Station to ride the passes round the basin and come back to waraji katsudon a minute's walk from the platform.
Eat in Chichibu
Chichibu lies in a basin in western Saitama below Mt. Buko, and the Seibu line from Ikebukuro ends at Seibu-Chichibu Station. Riders base here for the climbs on the basin's rim. The Chichibu tourism association runs cycle stations at Seibu-Chichibu, Nagatoro, Minano, Ogano, Ryokami, Ashigakubo and Yokoze.
A rental e-assist bike costs ¥1,000 for an hour or ¥2,500 until 17:00, and a plain bike costs ¥500 or ¥1,500. The Chichibu station in the tourist information hall across from Seibu-Chichibu has taken web bookings for two e-bikes since 1 March 2026 and stopped taking phone bookings. Last rentals go out at 15:00.
The Chichibu Night Festival on 2 and 3 December is the annual festival of Chichibu Shrine, with six floats hauled through the streets and fireworks over the Otabisho. UNESCO added it in 2016 to the listing of Japan's Yama, Hoko and Yatai float festivals.
Quick answers about Chichibuよくある質問
Is Chichibu a good place to stay?
Stay by Seibu-Chichibu Station to ride the passes round the basin and come back to waraji katsudon a minute's walk from the platform.
Within 12 km
Places to stay nearby宿
Within 12 km