The Ginzan Onsen, made famous by Spirited Away and Ashin, preserves Taisho-era architecture

Photo & Text /Right-up 45-degree angle

DAY 6: Sendai – Mogami River in Yamagata Prefecture – Ginzan Onsen – Yamagata (Stay: SUPER HOTEL Yamagata) A self-guided trip to Ginzan Onsen (http://serene1102.pixnet.net/blog/post/30128376)

With Western-style buildings dating back to the early Taisho period and the added charm of Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away, Ginzan Onsen has long been a dream destination in Tohoku for right-up visitors.

Taking the Odate City-operated bus to Ginzan Onsen, there’s only one road ahead—just follow it straight and you’ll arrive at the Ginzan Onsen town.

The retro-style Western street lamps lining the riverbank give off a nostalgic vibe.

By the riverside, there’s a foot bath where cold travelers can warm up their feet.

There’s a small shrine on the street, likely the spiritual center of the hot spring town.

Both sides of the street are lined with wooden ryokan buildings—some with grand facades, others long-abandoned and no longer in business. There’s no sense of bustling commercialism here, but rather a feeling of being pulled into a bygone era.

Along this small street, nearly every ryokan has a wooden bridge leading across to the other side.

This is the most renowned luxury ryokan: Notoya, which also served as the model for the “Yuya” bathhouse where Chihiro worked in Spirited Away. (Editor’s note: Another theory suggests it’s based on Dogo Onsen Honkan.)

This is another well-known and pricey ryokan.

Ginzan Onsen got its name from its history as a silver mine, but its hot spring industry began during the Taisho era. It wasn’t until the early Taisho period that hot spring sources suddenly gushed forth in abundance. With business booming, the local hot spring operators all built multi-story Western-style buildings around the same time, giving Ginzan Onsen its current distinctive look.

Sending a postcard of Ginzan Onsen to friends amidst this beautiful scenery is simply romantic.

Walking straight along the riverside, there’s also a hiking route that follows the mountain path.

Typically, you’d walk to the Shirogane Falls. But by venturing further into the mountains, you can also visit other waterfalls and old silver mine tunnels.

Freezing right-up, after enjoying the scenery, I started looking for a day-trip hot spring. Although some ryokan in Ginzan Onsen offer day-use hot springs, they usually close by 2 PM, making it nearly impossible to soak in the afternoon. Looking at the sign above, there are three public hot springs available for rest and relaxation: “Omokage-yu,” “Kajika-yu,” and “Shirogane-yu.”

The one directly to the right in front is “Kajika-yu,” one of the middle ones, but it consists of individual small bathhouses rather than the large communal baths right-up was hoping for.

It’s divided into separate male and female entrances, with an entrance fee of 300 yen per person, available from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

Eager to soak in a hot spring, right-up walked further to the bridge near the bus stop at the entrance of the hot spring town and found another public hot spring, “Shirogane-yu.” This building looked much newer than the previous one. The entrance fee is also 300 yen per person, available from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM, and includes a towel.

The first floor is for men, and the second floor is for women only. The bath area is small, and since it was just right-up and a friend, soaking in the triangular tub by the window allowed us to feel the crisp outside air. Though it seemed like people outside might be able to see in, the privacy measures were actually quite good.

After the soak, I strolled back to the hot spring town, where the ryokan had already begun lighting up for the night.

The guests staying at the ryokan were probably already settled in, enjoying a pre-dinner soak. Visiting in late autumn, it was almost dark by 5 PM.

The town became even quieter, with only the sound of flowing water and the murmurs of fellow travelers admiring the scenery.

If you have the chance to visit Ginzan Onsen, staying at a luxury hot spring ryokan for a night is ideal; but if that’s not an option (or within your budget), visiting in the afternoon like right-up and taking the last bus around 6 PM can still let you enjoy Ginzan Onsen’s nighttime charm.

[Yamagata] Ginzan Onsen

http://www.ginzanonsen.jp/index.html

Yamagata wOdate l⑹ write a postscript /p>

Bus fare: 690 yen /p>

Traveling to Yamanaka Onsen on Your Own (http://serene1102.pixnet.net/blog/post/30128376)