Yamadera
Yamadera, The Mountain Temple Of Risshaku Ji In Yamagata, Reached By A Climb Of About A Thousand Stone Steps Through Cedars To Halls And A Small Observation Point Above The Valley. Visited By The Poet Basho In 1689. · Yamagata, Yamagata
Yamadera, the mountain temple, is the popular name of Risshaku-ji, a Tendai temple complex clinging to a cliffside in Yamagata. It is about 20 minutes by the Senzan Line from Yamagata Station, with the base only a few minutes on foot from Yamadera Station. The visit is a climb of roughly a thousand stone steps through old cedars, past small halls, to the Godaido, a viewing deck over the valley. The temple was founded in 860, and the poet Basho composed a famous haiku about the stillness of cicadas here in 1689. A small haiku museum and the main hall, the Konpon Chudo, are at the lower end of the complex. It suits walkers, photographers and anyone interested in quiet temples and poetry. It is worth the detour in fresh green, in autumn colour or under snow. It is not worth it for people who cannot manage the steps, or at midday on a hot, humid day when the climb is a sweat. Allow about an hour and a half return.
Risshaku-ji, Yamadera, Yamagata, a few minutes from Yamadera Station on the Senzan Line from Yamagata or Sendai, Yamagata, Yamagata, Japan
The temple grounds are open daily from morning until late afternoon, with the last climb ticket sold earlier than closing - confirm the times, because they shorten in winter and the paths become unsafe in snow and ice. A small admission fee is collected at the gate for the upper halls; the lower area is open. From Yamagata Station the Senzan Line reaches Yamadera in roughly 20 minutes, with fewer trains per hour than in a city, so check the timetable and the last train back. From Sendai it takes roughly an hour on the same line, depending on the service. Nothing needs booking, but weekends in autumn colour are crowded. Carry cash for tickets and shop counters.