Mount Hodo, Saitama, Japan
I originally planned to visit a few shrines and explore the town, but decided to add a short hike too. I started near Chichibu Shrine, strolled through the old town, then took a train to Nagatoro Station. From there, it was a quick 10-minute walk to Hodosan Shrine. Since the New Year crowds had cleared, it was nice and quiet.
To reach the inner shrine, you can hike or take a cable car—I chose to hike. The trail was a gentle uphill on a wide gravel road. There weren’t many views until just before the top, where a small shop sits near the shrine. After a short break, I continued behind the inner shrine up to Mt. Hodosan’s peak (497m). The mountain views were beautiful.
I took the Nagatoro Alps trail to descend, which had lots of leaf-covered stairs. Climbing up this way would be tougher! The trees were bare as I made my way to Nogami Station and luckily arrived with 5 minutes to spare—missing it would’ve meant waiting an hour. There are plenty more trails in the area, so I’ll definitely be back to explore more.
Route Detail
Distance: 10.01km from Nagatoro Station to Nogami Station
Total elevation gain: 504m
Time: 2h 12m (total time with breaks 2h 16m)
Difficulty: Easy
Peaks: Mt Hodosan 497m
Transportation
Train from Higashi-Hanno Station to Nagatoro Station ¥970
