Ranzan Gorge

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

Researched and written by Hinato

Ranzan Gorgeautumn colourTsuki riverbarbecueHiki

Saitama · Ranzan

36.0210°N, 139.3157°E

Getting the most out of Ranzan Gorge is less about the destination than about timing the light right.

A botanist visiting in 1928 said this stretch of the Tsuki river reminded him of Arashiyama in Kyoto, and the town has been called Ranzan ever since — the same characters, read the Kanto way. The gorge is modest by the standards of Japanese scenery: a river running over a shelf of rock between wooded slopes, with a footpath along it and a viewpoint about fifteen minutes up.

What it has is maples, and a season that peaks from mid-November into early December, later than most of the Kanto region because the valley is low and sheltered. There is a barbecue ground on the riverbank that operates through the warmer months and is one of the better known in the prefecture. Outside the two or three busy autumn weekends the valley is more or less empty.

What to know before you go

Access hours

Open at all hours

Closed: Open year-round

When to go

Mid-November–early December for autumn colour | Summer for the riverside barbecue ground

Fee

Free | Free tourist car park at the upstream end | Barbecue ground parking ¥500 for walkers, ¥1,000 for barbecue users

Time to allow

1.5–2 hours

Access route

Getting there in detail

Kamagata, Ranzan Town, Hiki District. By car from Musashi-Ranzan Station on the Tobu Tojo Line. Free to walk and open at all hours. A small free tourist car park sits at the upstream end and fills quickly in autumn; the barbecue ground car park charges ¥1,000 per car for barbecue users and ¥500 for walkers, with more space. The observation point is about a short walk from the barbecue ground car park. The autumn festival period runs from mid-November into early December.

Local knowledge

**Mid-November to early December, which is late.** The valley colours after most of the Kanto region, so it works as a second chance if you missed the peak elsewhere. **Pay for the barbecue car park if you are walking in autumn.** ¥500 for walkers, and it has space when the free one at the top is full. **The barbecue ground has covered pitches.** Equipment and food can be booked in advance up to four days ahead, which makes it viable without a car full of gear. **The name is borrowed and the town admits it.** A botanist compared the view to Arashiyama in 1928 and the place was renamed. Going in expecting Kyoto is a mistake; going in expecting a quiet river is not. **Off season it is empty.** Two or three weekends a year are busy and the rest of the time this is a river with a path beside it, twenty minutes from a station on the Tojo line.

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