Ginzan Onsen and Yamadera

Yamagata Prefecture occupies the western side of Tohoku, between mountains and the Sea of Japan. This route brings together three inland spots linked by the Yamagata shinkansen: the hot-spring village of Ginzan in the north, Yamadera temple near the capital, and the Zao mountains to its south.

Ginzan Onsen grew beside an old silver mine in the narrow Ginzan River valley in the town of Obanazawa. The current wooden inns, three- and four-story buildings with balconies and glass windows, were rebuilt in the 1910s and 1920s and line both sides of the river, connected by short bridges. At night, gas lamps light the street, and in winter snow piles up on the roofs. The village receives many daytime visitors; staying overnight lets you see the street quieter.

Yamadera, the “mountain temple,” is the popular name for Risshaku-ji, founded in the 9th century on a rocky slope northeast of Yamagata city. Over a thousand stone steps climb among cedars to the upper halls, which look out over the valley. The poet Matsuo Basho passed through in 1689 and left a poem there about silence and the cicadas’ song, engraved on a stone along the path.

Yamagata city, the prefectural capital, is the base: it has the old prefectural government building, the Bunshokan, and is the departure point for Zao Onsen, the ski resort and sulfur hot springs whose trees covered in ice and snow form the juhyo, the “snow monsters,” at the height of winter. Yamagata is also known for its cherries, harvested in June and July.

This destination brings together 2 cities: Obanazawa, Yamagata.