Last weekend, me and my friends went on a roadtrip to Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata Prefecture. It’s my first time going to Yamagata and I was so excited to go to Ginzan Onsen because I’m crazy for onsen like that.
I hate crowds though and every time I travel, I try to go to the less popular places. I always search for the off-the-beaten-paths or I would read Japanese blogs/posts and go to wherever locals go so it’s less likely to be packed with tourists on a bus tour. So I really prepared myself for the influx of tourist in Ginzan Onsen especially because it’s winter peak season now.
I wanted to go to Ginan onsen because someone posted that it was the inspiration for Ghibli’s Spirit Away movie. I loved that movie, I probably saw it more than 10 times already. But sorry to burst everyone’s bubble.. there were a few that are “rumored” to be the inspiration behind the movie but it looks like Miyazaki Hayao never confirmed it.
But he had an interview before where he mentioned that he often sought inspiration by visiting the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum in Koganei, Tokyo and based some of the buildings in the spirit world on the Pseudo-Western style buildings from the Meiji period that were available there.
Some places that are rumored to be inspiration behind the movie are:
- Dogo Onsen in Ehime Prefecture
- Sekizenkan Kashoutei , Shima Onsen – Gunma Prefecture
- Kanaguya Ryokan, Shibu Onsen -Nagano Prefecture (Visiting all nine baths at Shibu Onsen is meant to bring good luck, and you’ll get a special towel on which to collect nine stamps to prove you’ve done so. It is a 10-minute bus ride from the trailhead to the famous Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park)
- Notoya Ryokan (能登谷旅館), Ginzan onsen- Yamagata Prefecture
- Jiufen, Taiwan.
I plan on going to all places but so far, apart from being too crowded, I’ll rate Ginzan onsen a 6/10 because I’ve been to better onsen but I don’t want to rate it too low because the owner of the Ryokan that we stayed at was super nice and that made the trip all the way here so much better.
New Ginzan Onsen Rules
Now, I don’t know if this is temporary but they imposed a new rule during this winter peak season to control the visitors that only those who has a reservation at a ryokan in Ginzan Onsen will be able to stay after 17:00. Because of this, most ryokans will only accept day-onsen customers until 14:30 and you have to leave by 17:00. Then only their ryokan guests can use their in-house onsen after 5pm.
I wanted to go to Takimikan’s rotenburo (outdoor bath) because the picture looked super nice but since we got there around 17:00, they were not able to accept us anymore. I was told that they only accept day-onsen customers from 11:00-14:30 (stay until 17:00). I don’t know the times for other places.
Where we stayed:
Everyone knows that this onsen town is booked up 2 months in advance during peak season and when my tourist friend Michael said he wants to go here, I tried to find a ryokan that is available. I called all ryokans there one by one and asked if they have a cancelation and it took me about a week to find one.
We stayed at Onjuku Yanadaya for ¥27,500 per person through Jalan website. I highly recommend booking through this website because this booking didn’t appear anywhere else. It is used by Japanese mostly and they have great deals.
It used to be just a Japanese website before that’s why not a lot of foreigners use it but now they have an English one (it will direct you to another one). I cannot confirm if the Japanese and English website has the exact same deals but I suggest using the Japanese website and just translate from your browser.
This is not a trip for me but more for my friend who is only traveling in Japan for a short time, so next time I go here again, I want it to be on a more relaxed itinerary. I will probably stay at Takimikan or Notoya Ryokan and will try to get there as early as I can to try the other onsen and foot baths.
Our Ryokan has a homey vibe and they were very accommodating. They even picked us up near the entrance and guided us to the parking lot because it’s not near the ryokan. This area is so small you can go around and explore in a day. I think if we got there earlier, we were able to enjoy it more. It is also infront of Notoya Ryokan so I didn’t really feel like I missed out on something.
Notoya Ryokan night and day..
Freebies:
- Towel (face towel and bath towel) and toothbrush are free.
- They also have yukata and geta that you can wear outside to take pictures. It was very cold and we were very tired so we didn’t go out to take pictures.
- Free socks (you van take it home with you) for when you want to go outside in your geta.
- They gave us kimono design pouches as souvenir.
- Free water and coffee.
- Hair dryer, shampoo/conditioner and body soap are free to use.
They prepared us a very sumptuous feast for dinner while listening to the owner and her daughter play the piano and violin.
The small pot was for shabu-shabu. I think I missed one plate because there was definitely rice and Yamagata is famous for their high-quality rice. We were so full to the point of food coma after eating all that. I also wanted to try Yamagata’s cherry but I think cherry season is from mid-May to early July. So I guess it’s just another reason to go back.
After dinner we went back to our room and they already finished setting up our futon. I was in a hurry to jump in the bath and their bath is one of the hottest one I’ve ever had in Japan. Their onsen is small but you can go in privately so tattoos are definitely okay and this is best for couples who wants to go take a bath together.
They only accept 4 groups a day (I think max is 4-5 each group) so it wasn’t crowded but you do have to wait for the other groups to finish their bath. There’s only two baths so they ask you to limit your bath to 40min per use.
We told them we need to leave super early the next day to go to Zao to see the snow monsters so they don’t have to prepare breakfast for us and they gave us a discount of ¥2,000/ person.
Zao Snow Monsters
We tried to go here the previous day on our way to Ginzan Onsen from Tokyo but when we got there around 14:00, tickets were sold out. It’s a shame because the weather was clearer that day. The next day we went to the summit station via cable car but we couldn’t see anything.
Expectations vs Reality
We had to go down to the middle station where the cafe is at, and we had a better view there so no regrets.
I was told by the staff that the online booking is sold out for the next 2 weeks and the only way we can buy tickets is if we line up at 7:30am or at 17:00 for the night illumination event. For the morning tickets, they will sell until they see that the line is long enough.
We got there at 8:00 and parked here, the one close to the Zao Ropeway Sanroku station was full both times we tried to park there. We paid ¥1,000 and they gave us a receipt to leave on the dashboard of the car.
Tips to have a better experience..
I think, the best way to see the Zao Snow Monsters is to snowboard/ski in the area because they have a different lift nearby. But it’s only reserved for people who are in snowboarding/ski gears because when we got to the summit, you really can’t see anything from the second cable car because the windows are more opaque than the first one. Maybe on a clearer day it’s much better but I think the chair lifts will have better view from above.
But if ever you want to just take the cable car like us, I suggest you reserve cable car tickets in advance from their website. Be advised that it was super cold (-5°C) and windy at the summit and you must have winter gloves and the whole shebang. Check the weather at the summit before going so you are prepared. I use Yamap app or https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks to check the weather forecast in the mountains.
Another option to see snow monsters..
Alternatively, you can go to Akita Prefecture and go on a winter hike in Hachimantai because it looks like they have much better snow monsters there. Picture below is from Quinlan Faris‘ winter snowshoeing tour the same weekend we went to Zao and it looks sooooo much better and less crowded. Check out GoNorth Japan if you’re interested in hiking in northern Japan.
We want to explore Yamagata more before heading back to Tokyo and was gonna check out Zao Fox Village but went to Ouchijuku (Yamagata Prefecture) instead. We got there around 16:20 and most shops are closed so I suggest go here early. We saw A LOT of places to eat soba, but we were still full so we didn’t try any.
This place is almost like Shirakawago in Gifu Prefecture, but maybe smaller and less known to tourists. But it has it’s own charm.
The view point was closed though for some reason so we couldn’t see the village from above which I think would’ve been a great view especially with all the snow on top of the thatched roofs.
I did like the short walk to Takakura Shrine. There are trees and a huge field that’s covered in snow. It was slippery though so make sure you are wearing snow boots or micro spikes. I was wearing my gore-tex hiking boots and it was a little bit scary.
All in all, it was a good roadtrip, but I would probably go for 3 days next time so I can really take time to enjoy the area. But if you only have two days, I suggest you leave Tokyo really early, make sure you’re at Zao Ropeway station around 8:00-9:00 if you don’t have your tickets yet, then go straight to Ginzan Onsen around 12:00 so you have plenty of time to explore the area and go onsen hopping. The next day you can go dip in the onsen in the morning before you leave to go to the Fox Village and then to Ouchijuku when the shops are still open.
Places I want to go next time..
If you have 3 days, you can also stay at Zao Onsen on the first night and check out Yamadera , fox village and snow monsters before going to Ginzan Onsen. Note that Yamadera might be better in autumn and there’s 1000 steps to get to the top.
I wish we had more time because I also want to go to Mt. Haguro to see the Hagurosan Gojunoto (Five Story Pagoda) Five story pagodas symbolizes a great element in Buddhism; earth, water, fire, wind, and void, respectively. All these combine to represent the entire universe. The history of this place is quite amazing and Mt. Haguro is one of the 3 sacred mountains.
3 sacred mountains of Dewa Sanzan:
- Mt. Haguro – Symbolize the world of the present in the Pilgrimage of Rebirth on the Dewa Sanzan. Mt. Haguro is famous for its line of cedar trees; hundreds of 300-500-year-old cedars that line the stone stairway; 2,446 steps all the way up to Dewa Sanzan Shrine at the top. It is said that your wish will be granted if you can find 33 carvings on the steps.
Open: Year-round - Mt. Gassan – Symbolizes the past.
Open: July to mid-October for hiking
April to July for Skiing - Mt. Yudono – Symbolizes the future. After venturing to Mt. Haguro and Mt. Gassan on the Dewa Sanzan Journey of Rebirth, the final stop is Mt. Yudono, also known as Oku-no-in, the temple of the deep, where we are reborn. The secluded Mt. Yudono is home to one of the most mystical natural features in Japan, so mystical, in fact, that it is forbidden to even mention. Yep you read that right. You are forbidden to talk about the object of worship at Mt. Yudono Shrine. You can’t take pictures and videos as well.
Open: Golden Week in May to end of October
My godsister told me about this place and we planned on going but we couldn’t due to unforeseen circumstances. I was still trying to find a good place to go for my birthday retreat and I read about the Yamabushi parade on the stone stairway during the Akinomine Ritual around the same week so I think I will try to go in the summer. I guess Yamagata is calling me again.
Please read this first before going here and especially if you want to go during the winter. Apparently you can hike all year round and they lend snowshoes for free at the nearby Ideha Cultural Museum.