Home/Saitama/Chichibu/Misotsuchi Icicles

Misotsuchi Icicles

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

MisotsuchiicicleswinterChichibuillumination

Illustration of Misotsuchi Icicles, Saitama — Illustration — not a photograph

Misotsuchi Icicles rewards arriving early more than almost anything else on this list — the event itself is only half the experience.

Spring water seeps out of a rock face beside the Arakawa in the far west of Chichibu, and through January and February it freezes into a wall of ice about 8 metres high and 30 wide. Part of the formation is natural and part is helped along with spray, which the operators are open about; the natural section is the one at the water's edge and is a genuine winter phenomenon of this valley.

It is the best known of three ice displays in Chichibu that have become the region's winter draw, and it is lit after dark through the season, which turns the ice blue and green. Access is a short walk down to the river from a car park on the Chichibu highway. This is the coldest inhabited corner of Saitama and the temperature at the riverbank in the evening is the main thing visitors underestimate.

Event essentials

Time to allow

1–1.5 hours

Timing

Early January–late February, when the icicles form

Hours

8:30 AM – 5:00 PM during the season | Illumination 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM on weekdays and 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM at weekends and public holidays

Closed: Seasonal only — roughly early January to late February, with dates set each year by the weather

Cost to attend

¥300 junior high school students and over | ¥200 elementary school | Parking ¥500 per car

Getting there

Access notes

Misotsuchi, Otaki, Chichibu City. By car from Chichibu; buses run from Seibu-Chichibu Station towards Nakatsugawa. The 2026 season ran 9 January to 23 February, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, with illumination from 10 January to 23 February at 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on weekdays and 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at weekends and on public holidays. Contribution ¥300 for junior high school students and over, ¥200 elementary school. Parking ¥500 per car. Dates shift each year — confirm with the Chichibu tourist association.

Where to watch from

**Part of it is assisted and the operators say so.** The formation at the water's edge is natural seepage; the larger wall behind is helped with spray. Knowing which is which before you arrive avoids the disappointment people report. **Dress for standing still beside a river at night in the coldest part of Saitama.** Illumination runs from 5:00 PM and the temperature at the bank drops below freezing. Boots with grip; the path ices. **Confirm the dates every year.** The season is set by the weather and announced annually. A mild January shortens it. **Three ice displays in Chichibu.** Ashigakubo and Onouchi Valley are the other two, and a stamp scheme runs across all three. Ashigakubo is walkable from a station, which this is not. **Nothing else is open up here in January.** Otaki is a mountain village at the far end of the valley. Fill the tank, and note that the last bus back is early.

View on Google Maps