Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata
Hot spring town lined with traditional wooden architecture is full of photogenic nostalgia!
Table of Contents
About Ginzan Onsen
Ginzan Onsen (銀山温泉, translated as – “Silver Mountain Hot Spring”) is a hot spring town located in the mountains of Yamagata Prefecture.
The name of this area was founded as a result of the discovery of a silver mine, as its name indicates (“ginzan” meaning “silver mine” in Japanese). However, these days it is better known as one of Japan’s prettiest hot-spring towns with historic ryokan lined up along the Ginzan river.
The area consists of a single street. It is a peaceful village made for rest and relaxation. The mountain village’s highlight is definitely the scenery, including the River that flowing through the town.
Ginzan Onsen’s traditionally styled ryokan occupy beautiful three and four story wooden buildings that, with their exposed woodwork and white plaster walls, provoke nostalgic feelings as if you have traveled back in time to old Japan .
In winter, the town really works its magic. The sight of the heavy snow that clings to the rooftops and walkways and illuminated by the soft glow of gaslights leaves a lasting impression.
Ryokan ＆ Parking
We actually came for only one day without stay a night there. The ryokan costs pretty much per person. It may cost about ￥20,000 and more per person. So we decided to go from Yamagata station with a rental car. It takes about 1 hour with a car to arrive to Ginzan Onsen.
The town center of Ginzan Onsen is very narrow and lack of parking. (If you don`t sleep in the ryokans) .
There a place with free and with alot of parking space but it is about 15 minutes by walk from Ginzan Onsen. There an option to take a bus from there which cost about ￥300 for one way to Ginzan Onsen, or just to walk for about 15 minutes.
The name of the parking lot is called – “taishoromankan” .
We park there at morning, and back to Yamagata Station at night.
If you sleep at the ryokan they may have a shuttle bus or a driver that can take you from the station (need to check it with the ryokan when you booking a room) and some of the ryokans have a parking place .
So.. what you can do in the area
１．Soak in Onsen！(of course!)
First there a foot bath (free of charge) that can be found around the town center.
When we came at the morning, the foot bath onsen was too much hot for stay long time. But, in the evening it was good balance of the cold weather and the hot water of the onsen.
Also, there was cute rubber ducks that placed in the foot bath .
Many of the town’s ryokan open their baths to non-staying guests during daytime for typically ￥500 ~ ￥1500
You can relaxing soak in a hot spring surrounded by snowy scenery ! And that`s what we did!
We payed for dailytime bath in ryokan called ” Takimikan” . At Takimikan’s open air baths, you can experience the beautiful nature of winter snow forest view. It`s cost ￥1,000 for use their bath if you are non-staying guest, and the use is until 14 pm .
When we use their open air bath , there was no other people so we could enjoy it like in a private onsen for about one hour. It was incredibly amazing
★The Onsen temperature:
The source temperature of this onsen is about 66.5°Ｃ, but that`s too much hot to soak so they add some cold water to maintain it, and let guests soak easily. So the temperature of the onsen itself is 52.0°Ｃ.
★The onsen quality:
has Sulfate and sodium monochloride
★efficacy:
Skin diseases, muscle pain, frozen shoulders
2．View a waterfall
In the innermost part of this town is Shirogane-koen Park, which features a 22-meter-tall waterfall,
Shirogane-no-Taki Falls (白銀の滝).
While in summer, you can walk nearly the waterfall and see it closer. But in the winter, it all cover with heavy snow layers and don`t have a pass . So you can only enjoy the waterfall from far view on the outside stairs of Takimikan Onsen.
3. Eating lunch at Izu-no-Hana
For lunchtime, head down to the restaurant “Izu-no-Hana” (伊豆の華）.
This restaurant has two floor seats place. I personally recommend you to seat in the second floor because you can have a seats with the view of the Ginzan street.
The restaurant have very nice atmosphere of Japanese style restaurant and also have tatami seats .
In the place menu, include mostly Soba (Japanese noodles). They have cold & hot soba menu.
You can order a vegetable soba with fried eggplant on top, for about ￥1,200, or an extra-large serving of “Itasoba”, for about ￥1,500.
Their menu also includes ramen, rice bowls, and tempura.
It was super tasty!! We both loved it very much. Really recommended. We saw that their sweets also looks good but we ate only lunch there.
※Must know – their lunch menu can be ordered only until 15:00 pm! After that, it is only sweets.
4. Eat delicious sweets at - Kurie クリエ
Taking a break for some pudding & hot cocoa marshmallow drink!
Another recommend place to seat and have a good time is at Kurie Cafe, located at the end of the street of Ginzan Onsen (near to Shirogane Falls).
The cafe has two floors but seats are only at second floor. The cafe has few seats so the place became full really sooner, you may wait for some times to get a seat. But it also has a good view to the main steet.
The price is about from ￥660~￥1,100
Really recommend! We seat there about one hour, and it was very nice.
5. Watermelon Daifuku
Another point that I didn`t mention about this area. Ginzan Onsen located in Obanazawa City, the northeastern part of Yamagata Prefecture. And why I write it now? this area is famous for Watermelon production!
So in Ginzan onsen , you can see in a souvenir store many watermelon products as :
★watermelon flavor noodles,
★watermelon soda,
★sweets in watermelon flavor,
★Also watermelon goods
The mostly, I loved the watermelon daifuku! (Daifuku is Japanese traditional sweets consisting of a small round mochi – rice cake – stuffed with sweet filling, most commonly anko – sweet beans) But, in this daifuku, it has not sweet beans, but has a watermelon flavor! It was so yummy! Bought a box and ate all until the evening 😉
6. Enjoy the Night View (Most Recommend!)
Between the gas lamp-lit street at twilight, and the snow along the tiles lining the pavement,
this is a view that you can’t tear your eyes away from!
And its stark contrast with the modern buildings and structures of today is where the beauty of this place lies.
When we visited there, the lights started at 17 pm. It still wasn`t completely dark, but the illumination by the gas lights give it so much beautiful view!
The street got crowded at 17:00pm~18:30pm but after 18:30 there mostly no one was there so we could take a beautiful pictures!
The night gallery pictures we took:
And…. The Highlight Of The Day
Information
Name:
Ginzan Onsen
Access:
There a direct bus from Oishida Station which takes about 35 minutes and cost for about ￥720 for one way (we recommend to check the bus schedule)
Address:
Ginzan Onsen, Obanazawa City, Yamagata Prefecture
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