Every December, on the night of the third, giant wooden floats lit with lanterns are hauled through the streets of Chichibu to the beat of drums and the crackle of fireworks, in a festival that is among the most famous in Japan. The Chichibu Night Festival has been held for centuries, and it draws huge crowds. The rest of the year, Chichibu is a quiet mountain town in a basin west of Tokyo, ringed by forested peaks.
Mount Buko, which looms over the town, has been quarried for limestone for decades, and its summit has been cut away into terraces, a scarred profile that dominates the view. The cement industry was a mainstay of the local economy. Chichibu is also a pilgrimage centre, with a circuit of thirty-four temples dedicated to Kannon, the goddess of mercy, scattered through the valleys.
In spring, Hitsujiyama park is covered with a carpet of pink and white moss phlox, shibazakura, and the crowds come to see it. Nagatoro, to the north, has river boats that shoot the rapids of the Arakawa between flat rock formations.
The food is hearty and local: waraji katsu, a pork cutlet as big as a straw sandal, served over rice, and soba from local buckwheat. Chichibu also makes whisky, and a small distillery has won international prizes.
For riders, the roads around Chichibu are among the best near Tokyo. Route 299 climbs over the mountains to the east, and Route 140 heads west through a long tunnel into Yamanashi. Both are winding, well surfaced and busy with riders on weekends, and the police know it. In winter, watch for ice on shaded corners. Fill the tank in town: once you are on the passes, stations are scarce.