Chichibu Yomatsuri from Tokyo

Hello,

We would like to attend the Chichibu Night Festival at December 3rd. I've read on this site that it's doable to travel to and from Tokyo (Ikebukoro) that day. Does anyone have experience with that? Do you need to rush to get back to Tokyo or are there trains running later because of the festival?

And in general: I imagine it's going to be really crowded. If we would arrive there late in the afternoon, will we be able to see the floats?

Thanks.

I cant help you with your question I'm sorry but I would say that Chichibu is a really nice area to stay the night if that is an option. I stayed a couple of nights at Hotel Miyama in one of the rooms with a bath on the balcony, it was really good and very reasonable.

I visited the Chichibu Night Festival from Tokyo in 2014. My friend and I arrived late in the afternoon and wandered around the festival area for a bit, and didn't have much trouble finding a spot to watch the floats from after it got dark. It was very cold so we didn't stay for the full parade. Trains back to Tokyo ran later (can't remember how late).