Ginzan Onsen
Historic Onsen Village With Taisho Era Inns · Obanazawa, Yamagata
A tiny hot-spring village in a narrow valley in the mountains of Yamagata, whose three- and four-storey wooden inns of the Taisho era line both banks of a small river, lit by gas lamps at night. Under deep snow in winter it looks like a scene from another century, and photographs of it have made it one of the most famous images of rural Japan, often said to have influenced the bathhouse in Spirited Away. The village grew up around a silver mine, which gives it its name, Silver Mountain; the old mine tunnels can be walked above the village, next to a waterfall. The village has only about a dozen inns, so most visitors come on day trips, and the valley became so crowded at dusk in winter that access for day visitors is now restricted in the evenings, with shuttle buses and reservations. Staying in one of the inns is the best way to see it, but they book up far ahead. A public bathhouse and footbaths serve day visitors. Ginzan is reached by bus from Oishida station on the Yamagata shinkansen.
Ginzan Shinhata, Obanazawa, Yamagata, 999-4333, Japan
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the village is open at all times, with the lamps lit from dusk. Shirogane-yu opens in the daytime with a weekly closing day and a last entry before closing. Buses from Oishida run a few times a day and the last one leaves early in the evening. In winter, day-visitor access in the evening has been restricted, private cars have been barred, and bus seats may need reserving. Confirm current rules and times before travelling.