Ginzan Onsen is a hot spring town located in Obanazawa City, Yamagata Prefecture ( Yamagata Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. ) , Japan.
The the hot spring was discovered by the miner of the Nobezawa silver mine, which once prospered in this area.during the Ashikaga Shogunate period, and prospered with a population of 200,000 to 300,000 during the Kanei period (early 17th century) during the Edo period. Silver mining declined, and hot springs became popular instead.
The hotels are distributed along the banks of Yinshan River, and there are also public baths and foot baths. The buildings and landscapes of the hot spring town are protected by the preservation regulations and are full of Taisho romance.
On both banks of the Ginzan River, a tributary of the Mogami River, inns with multi-story wooden structures line up from the Taisho era to the early Showa era. Many inns have three-story, four-story wooden balconies that are very modern at the time of their construction, and some inns have paintings on the exterior. There are many bridges on the river, and gas lights are lined up on the cobblestone sidewalks. Every weekend from May to October, a hanagasa dance is performed on the bridge.
The town center of Ginzan Onsen is a pedestrian-only zone due to the narrow streets and lack of parking, Being the setting for the NHK TV series “Oshin”, it was in the limelight and became known nationwide.
Access : Coordinates: 38.569722, 140.531111 / Railway: Approximately 40 minutes by bus from Oishida Station on the Yamagata Shinkansen.
Highlights :
- General vehicles are prohibited in the hot spring town. Guests will park in the parking lot designated by the inn, and day-trippers will park their car on an undeveloped land about a 3-minute walk to the hot spring town and head for the hot spring town on foot.
- In 1986, enacted the “Ginzan Onsen Houses Conservation Ordinance” to improve the landscape, and received the 1995 “Yamagata Landscape Design Award”.
- In the hot spring town, there are two communal baths, the old “Oyu” and the recently created “Shiroganeyu”. There is also a footbath on the promenade of the hot spring town. Both Shirogane-yu and Fujiya were renovated by Kengo Kuma.
- A spectacular, 22 meter tall waterfall rushes constantly at the back of the town.
Go next : Shirogane Park / Obanazawa , Famous for its hot spring resorts, delicious beef, and beautiful natural scenery.
