Mt. Kannon

Mt. Kannon (698 m) is a small rocky peak on the boundary of Ogano Town and Chichibu City in Saitama, taking its name from the temple Kannon-in—the 31st site on the Chichibu 34-Kannon pilgrimage—on its midslope. The Niō Gate at the foot houses what is said to be Japan's largest stone-carved Niō guardian figures, and the route up the mountain passes the Wa-shikutsu rock cave, Shōjō Falls, and the Shōjō-kutsu stone Buddha (a designated Saitama Prefectural Historic Site). The classic outing climbs 296 stone steps from the Niō Gate, on through Kannon-in and the falls to the summit, in about an hour and a half each way—a Chichibu favourite combining pilgrimage with light hiking.