Mitsumine Shrine

Mitsumine Shrine sits on a ridge at about 1,100 meters in the Okuchichibu mountains, deep in the western end of Chichibu city. Legend says Yamato Takeru was led here by a wolf, and the wolf, called oinu-sama, is still the shrine's messenger: stone wolves guard the approach where other shrines have lion-dogs, and the charms carry wolf images. The rare triple torii, three gates joined into one, marks the start of the approach. Getting here is the hard part. The nearest stations, Seibu-Chichibu and the Chichibu Railway terminus at Mitsumineguchi, are still a long bus ride away, and the bus is the only public transport to the top. The Mitsumine Ropeway used to lift visitors up from the valley, but it stopped in 2006 and was formally abolished in December 2007, so today it is the bus or a car. By car the last section is a winding mountain road with sharp curves and falling rocks, and Chichibu city warns there are no toilets for about 9 km between Futatase parking at Lake Chichibu and the shrine. The city-run Mitsumine parking lot (520 yen for a car, normally open 8:00 to 18:00) can fill early on weekends and holidays. The shrine's own lodge, Kounkaku, takes overnight guests, which is the easiest way to see the mountain once the day visitors and the last bus have gone.