Yamadera & Ginzan Onsen in One Day
A thousand steps up the cliff temple of Yamadera in the morning, soba at the bottom, then trains and a bus to the gas-lit wooden inns of Ginzan Onsen for the ni
Last updated 2026-09-03 · 1-day self-guided plan
Yamadera & Ginzan
Basho's mountain temple, then a hot spring town from another century
For travellers heading through Yamagata who want the region's two most photographed places in one day and are happy to end it in a ryokan.
- 1
Yamadera: Konpon Chudo and the start of the steps
The JR Senzan Line reaches Yamadera from Sendai in about an hour, or from Yamagata in 20 minutes; take a train that gets you there by 9:00. Cross the river from the station and the temple begins at Konpon Chudo, a hall with a flame said to have burned for over a thousand years, and a statue of the poet Basho, who wrote his cicada haiku here. The ticket gate for the climb is just beyond.
45 MinutesCost: ¥300–600 
2The thousand steps to Godaido
A little over a thousand stone steps wind up through cedars past cliff-face memorials and small halls; the Niomon gate marks the halfway point. At the top, the Okunoin hall is the temple's inner sanctuary and the Kaisando hall clings to the rock beside it, but the reward is Godaido, an open wooden balcony hung over the cliff with the whole valley and the railway below. Allow 40 minutes up, 25 down.
1.5 HoursCost: Free- 3
Soba and konnyaku at the base
Back at the bottom around 11:30, the street between the temple and the station is a row of soba houses and stands selling tama-konnyaku, balls of konjac stewed in soy and eaten off a skewer with mustard, the Yamagata snack. Order a cold soba with the local mountain vegetables, then take the Senzan Line to Yamagata, change to the Shinkansen for about 20 minutes to Oishida, and catch the bus to Ginzan; about two hours in total.
45 MinutesCost: ¥1,000–2,000 
4Ginzan Onsen main street and Shirogane Falls
The bus drops you by around 14:30 at the bottom of the town, where a single lane of three- and four-storey wooden inns lines both banks of a narrow stream, joined by little bridges. Walk to the top of the street to Shirogane Park, where a waterfall drops beside the path and a short trail leads to the old silver mine tunnels that gave the town its name. Check in to your ryokan on the way back down.
1.5 HoursCost: Free
5Ginzan at night
After a ryokan dinner, come out at dusk when the gas lamps along the stream are lit and the inns glow through their lattice windows; in winter, with snow on the eaves and the lamps haloed, this is the picture that made the town famous. The public bathhouse at the bottom of the street stays open into the evening for a second soak, and a free foot bath sits beside the bridge. Day-trippers have left on the last bus; it is yours.
1 HourCost: ¥500–1,000
Day 1 Estimated Cost
- Food¥2,000–3,500
- Trains & bus¥3,500–5,500
- Admissions & bath¥800–1,600
Tips
The Oishida to Ginzan bus meets specific Shinkansen arrivals a few times a day; check the timetable before you climb Yamadera, because missing one means an hour's wait or a taxi.
A thousand stone steps in the morning and icy lanes at night in winter: trail shoes with grip; the ryokan lends snow boots and umbrellas in season.
Ginzan has almost no restaurants outside the inns, so book dinner with your room and buy any snacks at Oishida station.
Godaido faces east, so the valley is lit until mid-morning; at Ginzan the lamps and windows come on at dusk, and the bridge at the bottom of the street is the vantage point.