I Looked Into Wood Roof Oku-Chichibu Auto Campsite

This time in my series looking into campsites in the Chichibu/Nagatoro area, I'm covering Wood Roof Oku-Chichibu Auto Campsite.

It's located in Otaki, Chichibu City, an area that seemed to be a bit deeper into the mountains than the facilities I've looked into so far.

What Kind of Place Is Wood Roof Oku-Chichibu?

This is a campsite located in Otaki, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture. Camping operations apparently run from early April through late November (closed Monday through Friday during the season, open every day in July and August). During the winter, camping is closed, and apparently the site operates as a paid parking lot for the nearby Misotsuchi Icicles instead.
Reservations are apparently web-only, with no phone reservations or inquiries accepted.

Pricing apparently starts at 6,600 yen for auto campsites, 7,300 yen for forest sites, and 7,800 yen for wood deck sites (each plot accommodates up to 5 people, with a maximum of 3 adults; AC power is an additional 1,200 yen). The TULALA bungalow starts at 27,500 yen, the Roof Eagle bungalow at 37,500 yen, and the attic rooms at 17,000 yen.
There are also a few usage restrictions worth checking, such as a ban on student group use and no pets allowed (except service dogs).

Check-in is apparently from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, and check-out from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM. After 10:00 AM, an early check-in option (billed by arrival time, 550 yen per hour) is apparently available, though during busy periods priority is given to extensions from previous guests, so it might not always be possible.
The gate closes at 7:00 PM and reopens at 8:30 AM the next day, though entry and exit are apparently still possible after closing.

Trash is basically take-it-with-you, and if you want the facility to handle disposal, you apparently need to purchase paid trash bags (220 yen each for burnable and non-burnable waste). Payment is apparently accepted not just in cash but also by credit card, transit IC cards, and QR code payments.

Komorin

Having a gear-free plan called the 'Easy Camp Pack' was reassuring news for an indoor type like me who doesn't own any gear.

Specifically, it apparently comes bundled with a tent, tarp, barbecue set, and other rental items, with staff handling the setup and teardown. It sounds like all you need to bring is food and consumables like paper plates. The price is apparently 13,200 yen for up to 2 people and 14,300 yen for 3-4 people, on top of the auto campsite usage fee.

Checking the Facilities That Matter to an Indoor Type Like Me

The restrooms are apparently flush toilets fully equipped with washlets.
For bathing, there are apparently coin-operated hot water showers (200 yen for 6 minutes, 2 rooms each for men and women with 2 stalls each), and since there's a coin laundry on site too, worries about luggage and changes of clothes should be minimal. The powder room apparently even has a hairdryer, a large mirror, and a sink with hot water, giving the impression that getting ready would be easy.

Bungalows like Roof Eagle apparently also come with air conditioning and a refrigerator, so the facilities seemed quite well equipped.

The cooking area attached to the management building apparently has a kitchen where hot water comes out of every faucet, and paid gas stoves (330 yen per hour) are also available for use. At the shop, you can apparently buy charcoal and daily necessities, as well as food and drinks like canned beer, coffee, and soft-serve ice cream.

• Power sites: AC power is available at 10 of the 16 auto camp plots, 3 of the 8 forest plots, and 2 of the 11 wood deck plots
• Wi-Fi: Available at every site on the grounds
• Cooking area: Hot water supply available
• Rental/shop/cafe: Tent, bedding, and BBQ equipment rentals; charcoal, firewood, and daily necessities for sale
• Gear-free plan available: the 'Easy Camp Pack'

Given the signal conditions I'll cover later, having Wi-Fi available at every site on the grounds felt like a reassuring point.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

When I checked this facility's address using the official "My Area Connectivity Simulation" tool, the overall rating came back as "C". Since it's an area tucked into the mountains, this was a somewhat modest rating compared to the other facilities I've looked into.

That said, since Wi-Fi is apparently available at every site on the grounds, relying on that whenever the signal is a concern seemed like the realistic option.

Komorin

The rating was modest, but knowing in advance that Wi-Fi is available at every site on the grounds seemed like it would be a reassuring bit of information to have.

I use Rakuten Mobile as my regular carrier, and checking signal conditions like this has become a bit of a daily habit for me. If you haven't signed up yet, it might be worth checking out the official site once when you're considering a contract.

Access

By car, it's apparently about 50 km from the Hanazono IC on the Kan-Etsu Expressway via National Route 140, or about 18 km from the Kamisaka Tunnel exit (56 km total) after taking National Routes 20 and 411 from the Katsunuma IC on the Chuo Expressway. As for nearby landmarks, it's apparently about 5 minutes by car from the Otaki Onsen roadside station, 10 minutes by car from the Loop Bridge, and 2 minutes by car from the Miyadaira intersection.

Nearby Spots Worth a Visit While You're Here

• Misotsuchi Icicles (about 1 minute on foot, right below the campsite)
• Fudo Falls (5 minutes by car): You can get right up close to this 30-meter waterfall
• Otaki Onsen Roadside Station "Yuyukan" (5 minutes by car): A day-trip hot spring with an attached restaurant and local specialty shop
• Trout On! Nyukawa (20 minutes by car): A managed stream fishing spot
• Nyukawa Gorge Hiking Course (20 minutes by car): A trail along the gorge that runs through old-growth forest
• Nakatsu Gorge (30 minutes by car): A gorge lined with sheer cliffs and unusual rock formations, considered one of the finest spots for autumn foliage along the Chichibu route
• Mitsumine Shrine (20-30 minutes by car)
• Mitsuminekuchi Station (SL Paleo Express turntable) (15-20 minutes by car)
• Yamanashi Prefecture Fuefukigawa Fruit Park (1 hour by car)

Being able to walk to the icicle spot in just a minute seemed worth remembering, including how the parking lot gets used during winter.

The Misotsuchi Icicles are apparently open every year during the coldest part of winter, from January through February, timed with the Otaki Ice Festival, and there's also illumination in the evenings. There's a viewing deck (wood deck) set up within the campsite grounds where you can look out over the icicles, and during the festival period, the on-site parking lot and cafe also operate, so you can apparently warm up by a bonfire with a coffee, amazake, or miso-flavored potatoes in hand. It felt like this was where the connection came together: the campsite pausing its camping operations in winter so it can serve as parking for the icicle festival.

Wrapping Up

To sum it up, Wood Roof Oku-Chichibu turned out to be a well-equipped campsite with Wi-Fi available at every site and even a gear-free plan on offer. Since it's located in a mountainous area, the fact that the signal rating came back as a somewhat modest "C" is worth knowing ahead of time.

If signal strength is a concern, relying on the on-site Wi-Fi or checking your destination in advance with the official tool might give you some peace of mind.

Having looked into all this, Rakuten Mobile does offer an official tool for checking signal conditions, so if you're thinking about signing up, it might be worth taking a look at it once.

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Related Links

• Official Site