Mount Kumotori Mitsumine Route

The Mitsumine approach to Mount Kumotori begins at the trailhead beside Mitsumine Shrine, reached by Seibu bus from Seibu-Chichibu Station (approximately 75 minutes, ¥950 one-way) in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture. No permit is required to hike, though reservations are recommended for the mountain huts along the route during peak season. The round trip covers roughly 18km from the shrine trailhead, climbing from about 1,102m to the 2,017m summit, the highest point in Saitama Prefecture and a spot where the Saitama, Tokyo, and Yamanashi prefectural borders meet. Elevation gain is approximately 900m, but the length and remoteness of the route mean most hikers split the trip over two days with an overnight stay at one of the mountain huts near the summit, such as Kumotori Sansou. The path follows a well-maintained ridge trail through beech and fir forest for much of its length, with a mix of dirt track, wooden boardwalk sections over boggy saddles, and rockier, exposed stretches on the final approach to the summit, where shade disappears and wind exposure increases sharply. Panoramic views extend across the Okuchichibu mountains and, in clear conditions, to Mount Fuji. Water can be refilled at the mountain huts, which also sell simple meals, but natural sources along the open ridge are unreliable, so hikers should not depend on them. Day hikers with an early start and strong fitness can complete the route in a single long day, but the standard itinerary is an overnight hut stay, allowing a sunrise summit push before the long descent back to Mitsumine Shrine.