Japan | Winter Trip to Ginzan Onsen Snow Village | Like Spirited Away

Japan | Winter Trip to Ginzan Onsen Snow Village | Like Spirited Away

Onsen means hot springs. Looks like “Spirited Away,” doesn’t it ? Tokyo Station in winter, Japan. 11:30 a.m. Ginzan Onsen is located 400 km north of Tokyo. From Tokyo Station to Oishida Station near Ginzan
Onsen, it takes about 3 hours by Shinkansen. From Oishida Station, use the shuttle bus of the inn. We will probably arrive at the inn around 4:00 p.m. Let’s get a box lunch here and eat it on the train. Beef tongue bento (box lunch)
1,380JPY/9.2USD Beef doman-naka bento (box lunch)
1,480JPY/9.7USD The most popular lunch boxes are safely bought. woo-hoo ! Departure at 12:00, Yamabiko 137, track 23. Line 23 is here. The Shinkansen bullet train has arrived ! What a cool design ! Let’s hurry a bit so we don’t miss the ride. The departure bell rushes us. The train departs Tokyo Station at 12:00 on time. Economy class, Tokyo Station to Oishida Station,
12,500JPY/83USD per person. Oishida Station in Yamagata Prefecture
is the nearest station to Ginzan Onsen. Now, let’s have lunch. Notice the yellow string at the bottom of the screen.
What happens when you pull that string ? Not a fire. As soon as the string is pulled out,
the bento box will be heated up with hot steam. The lunch seems to have warmed up. Beef tongue lunch box. Sprinkle salt. Ooh, Dripping fat is telling me to eat it quickly. The rice is mixed with barley. We can assure you this is very delicious. This is also beef lunch box. a very popular Yamagata bento
called “Gyuu-niku Doman-naka.” Very good ! Kelp. “Kamaboko”, made from minced fish. Beef and minced meat stewed and served on rice. Meat traffic jam. What a great view ! We also bring some snacks. Matcha flavored chocolate. Soy sauce flavored rice crackers and peanuts. Once you leave Fukushima City,
you’ll be greeted by a snowy world like this. Very quiet. In February 2025,
Japan was hit by record-breaking snowfall. This view is the proof. Sigh, beautiful snowy scenery. Though it’s lonely. Arriving at Oishida Station soon. 3:15 p.m. Arrived on time. All of them are tourists going to Ginzan Onsen. Exit of Oishida Station. Take a shuttle bus to the accommodation. There is no charge for transportation. There are 6 passengers. It seems to take 25 minutes
from Oishida Station to Ginzan Onsen. What we are seeing now is a wall of snow. No traffic light, but the car has stopped. Apparently, one bus got stuck in the snow.
That snowplow is on its way to rescue it. We have to wait until the bus is rescued. Resolved. Arriving at the entrance of Ginzan Onsen. Shirogane Bridge. 4:00 p.m. A short walk from the parking lot to the inn. The river is called Ginzan River. So many tourists come to this small village
deep in the mountains. Looks like a lot of foreign tourists. This is where we are staying tonight. The name of the inn is “Yanadaya” It’s a small inn with only 4 rooms. The guests were four couples. It says that bench coats, umbrellas,
and boots may be used freely. Free of charge.
I had a total of 5 cappuccinos. Behind the red and blue curtains are hot springs. Now let’s look at the room. Women can choose their favorite “yukata” from here. We’ve been here in anticipation of the view beyond. Wow ! Excellent ! Rooms with a river view are more expensive. We would love to see it all the time,
but it’s very cold, so close the window. Room tours will resume. Teapot, Japanese tea leaves, Japanese style teacups. Sweet things that are always found in onsen ryokan. What is that on the right side ? A figurine with a bull horn design. “Yukata” (Japanese bathrobe)
It’s normal to wear this in ryokan (Japanese inn). This basket is a luggage container
for going to the bath. Towels are in this bag. This nice patterned bag was a gift from the inn. Amenity “Tabi”
These are socks to wear inside the inn. “Obi” It’s a yukata belt. “Hanten” Wear when it’s cold in yukata alone. One night with 2 meals,
28,750JPY/192USD per person. Ryokans in Ginzan Onsen are all expensive.
In return, you can see this view. Thick and warm bedding. It’s really very cold in Ginzan Onsen in midwinter. It’s rare to find a water machine in a room. It’s an ordinary plastic cup. Toilet seat with bidet functions. 5:30 p.m. Before dinner, let’s take a short walk. To see the town of Ginzan Onsen lit up,
Many tourists are here. Let me explain a little
about the history of Ginzan hot spring. It originated in the “Edo” period, the 17th century.
It prospered from silver mining. However, it eventually declined.
Instead, hot-spring cures became popular. However, in the “Taisho” era, early 20th century,
the Ginzan River flood destroyed the town. Soon after, it was rebuilt
and became the beautiful cityscape we see today. Old, quaint hotels line this river,
but there are only a dozen of them. Therefore, it’s not easy to get a reservation. The hit TV drama “Oshin” in the 1980s
was filmed here. The TV drama was also watched
in many Asian countries in the 1990s. Footbath with no one there. Because it’s very hard to take off shoes and socks. This view is right in front of you. Very hot. It’s really a quiet village deep in the mountains,
though, In 1,999,
Yamagata Shinkansen line from Tokyo is extended. Oishida Station near Ginzan Onsen became a stop,
Accessibility has been improved remarkably. As a result, tourists began to flood into this area
to catch a glimpse of this nostalgic scenery. View from Shirogane Bridge. Dinner is almost ready. Let’s go back to the inn. Can’t proceed due to crowd. Is this bridge the best photo spot ? It’s said that Ginzan Onsen
is the model of “Spirited Away.” Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, this 2001 animated film
has been seen around the world. I haven’t seen that movie yet. It’s time for supper. Obanazawa Beef “shabu-shabu” Vegetables are boiled first. Wait for water to boil. How about an aperitif ? It tastes exactly like watermelon. The hallmark of Japanese cuisine is, above all,
this artistic way of serving food. “Oshinko” (Japanese pickles) Vinegared surf clam. Menu. There is a partition between tables to keep privacy. From the motion and sound of the meat being
shaken and boiled, It’s now called “shabu-shabu.” Eaten with “ponzu” “Ponzu” is made from soy sauce and citrus acidity. This is the last beef.
We are about to say a sad goodbye to the main dish. By the way,
these “shiitake” mushrooms are also delicious. “Tofu” is also the best. Yamagata’s specialty, “Imoni” Taro, meat and vegetables
in a soy sauce flavored broth. It tastes even better when chili peppers are added. “Sashimi”
Carp, Croaker, Yellowtail, Rockfish, Octopus. Soy sauce. These are chopped radishes.
a decoration for “sashimi”, but I eat it. Everything tastes better
when it’s dipped in soy sauce. Yamagata’s rice, “Tsuyahime”
Sparkling and shining. The best tasting rice ! This amount is not enough. Miso soup with nameko mushrooms and tofu. Teriyaki Cod. Sardine (image of western glace with soy sauce) Buckwheat dumplings
(deep-fried buckwheat flour, soy sauce flavored) “Zaru-soba” (buckwheat noodle) Handmade noodles with firm texture. “Sobayu”
The water used to boil buckwheat noodles. When soba is finished,
“sobayu” is added to soba sauce and drunk. Dessert is soybean flour pudding. The flavor of soybean flour is just right. Warm Japanese tea served at the end. Very good. Thanks for the meal. While guests are eating, bedding is laid out. Even cigarette butts look like art. Hot spring water. The time is 8:30 at night. Let’s take a look at the quiet midwinter night
in Ginzan Onsen Snow Village. I wonder when and where in the world it was ? If you are concentrating on shooting,
you are in real danger of falling ! The lighting on the left
is used for the filming of a movie. The man and woman standing in the middle
seem to be the main actors. It seems to be a foreign film. It’s cold, so I’m going back to the inn now.
The view was breathtakingly beautiful. Let’s warm up in hot spring. One bath is rented out for bathing.
Bathing time is about 45 minutes. Hot ! Feels great ! 11:00 p.m. at night. Good night. 6:00 a.m. the next morning. Good morning ! Before breakfast, going to take a hot spring bath. This bath is different from the one
we took last night. Hot !
Even hotter than last night’s bath, which was hot. So, we will add water. This is okay. But it’s still hot. Time for breakfast. Miso pickles and “tsukudani” of kombu seaweed. Boiled spinach seasoned with soy sauce. “Nori” seaweed. Spicy cod roe. Szechuan pickles. Simmered mushroom. Eggs cooked in hot spring. “Nameko” mushroom and grated radish. Grilled Salmon. And rice is TSUYAHIME !
We’re so happy to have plenty of it. This rice is produced in Yamagata Prefecture,
where we are now ! Onsen egg with soy sauce. This is from the famous “Nogawa” Tofu Shop
in Ginzan Onsen ! Not only tofu, but also the soup is excellent ! So delicious that I want to buy “Tsuyahime.” But I wonder if I can cook rice like this at home ? This is your second cup of rice, right ? Whoever thought of egg rice deserves a Nobel Prize ! At the very least,
he/she should be treated as a dietary hero. Because everyone loves rice with eggs. Yogurt. Coffee after meal. Full stomach since morning. Thanks for the food. We went outside for a bit to smoke after breakfast. Shining with extraordinary beauty today ! Checking out. Suitcases were left at the hotel. 10:00 a.m. in the morning.
Let’s go see Ginzan Onsen town in the daytime. I’m not frustrated. I just want to feel the snow. Like in Spirited Away ? There’s a waterfall ahead. There’s a public toilet.
There seems to be something to the right of it. Let’s go there. Underpass ? Hydrophobic tunnels. It was built for the purpose of draining silver mines. No Entry, it says. Climbing up the snowy mountain to the waterfall. But no waterfall in sight. Wow, a village with heavy snowfall ! Can we go further ? My legs are stuck. I can’t see the waterfall,
and I don’t think I can go any further. Looks like We’ll just have to give up. A waterfall hidden by heavy snow. There seems to be no other way but to slide down. Thank God !
We made it back safely without getting lost. “Kokeshi” doll store. Let’s take a look. Kokeshi dolls are made of wood. Since the “Edo” period, they have been sold
in hot spring resorts in northeastern Japan. Of course, here at Ginzan Onsen, too. Cute ? Creepy ? The TV drama “Oshin” was filmed in Ginzan Onsen. Ayako Kobayashi,
who played the role of Oshin as a young girl It’s unclear what the cheer is about. A famous buckwheat noodle restaurant called
“Izu no Hana” Closed today. Reputation for good store interior. No one is in the footbath today. It’s very hot again today. Just looking at this view,
it may be the best footbath in the world. It’s “Nogawa” tofu shop. Tofu we had for breakfast was made in this store. The store is closed. What is this ? Oh my,
it’s a vending machine “Doutor” coffee shop ! “Doutor” is a major coffee chain
with more than 1,000 stores throughout Japan. Prices are not high, and now
you can drink a cup of coffee for 280JPY/1.9USD. I’ve never seen a vending machine store before. Tourist information center.
It’s located right in front of the Shirogane Bridge. Next to it, there is a shuttle bus stop
for the Taisho-Roman-House. But the buses don’t seem to be leaving from here
right now. There are no cabs, but they can be called. The Taisho-Roman-House
will be mentioned in detail later. The shuttle bus to there leaves
from behind that building. This is a curry bread store.
We’ll have this for lunch later. Removing snow. It looks like hard work. We are easygoing tourists. Back in Tokyo, there is nothing white on the streets. Here’s a beautiful snow village. We finally found a store that is open. You can’t stay outside for hours when it’s this cold. Hot lemon, 600JPY/4.0USD.
Cappuccino, 650JPY/4.3USD. Weather is getting better again. Back to the inn to pick up our suitcase. 12:30 p.m. Heading to the shuttle bus stop
for the Taisho-Roman-House. Farewell, Ginzan Onsen in winter. We’d like to come back in the summer. This bus stop to Oishida Station,
where the Shinkansen bullet train stops. Being buried in snow. This bus stop to the Taisho-Roman-House. Lots of people are lining up. We’re able to take a shuttle bus.
It’s about 1.5 km to the Taisho-Roman-House. There is a bus going to Yamagata City from there.
Actually, we plan to go to Yamagata City now. Arriving at Taisho-Roman-House. It takes 5 minutes. This is theTaisho-Roman-House
you’ve heard so much about. We planned to have lunch here,
but to our surprise, it was closed. Oh my god ! No choice. Let’s look at some souvenirs. Rice offered at inn was this “Tsuyahime.” 1:30 p.m. We’re getting hungry. No other restaurant.
Here, We buy curry bread to eat. 270JPY/1.8USD
It’s very ordinary curry bread. This is a huge parking lot
in front of the Taisho-roman-House. Despite the small number of hotels,
Ginzan Onsen is a very popular hot spring resort. So, it’s very difficult to book a hotel. So, there are a lot of tourists who visit for a day trip. However, if you’re visiting for a day trip,
your own car is restricted. You have to park your car at this parking
and use the shuttle bus that we just took. In addition to that,
group tour buses also use this parking lot. Therefore, the shuttle bus
from here to Ginzan Onsen is very crowded. This line is all tourists waiting for the shuttle bus. Not everyone can ride on one bus. Many will wait for the next or the next or later bus. A Shuttle bus arrives. Ginzan Onsen Bus
Taisho-Roman-House – Ginzan Onsen People in the back,
How many buses will they have to wait for ? As I said before, what we are waiting for
in the warm building is a totally different bus. We’re taking a minibus to Yamagata Station,
departing at 14:30 p.m. Our bus is here ! Taisho-Roman-House – Yamagata Station
3,500JPY/23.3USD per person. Departing at 14:30 p.m. as scheduled. takes about one hour to Yamagata Station. Thank you for watching to the end. Our winter trip in Japan continues,
but this is where we say goodbye for now. We would be very happy
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Ginzan Onsen is one of the most popular hot springs located in Yamagata Prefecture in northeastern Japan. Especially in winter, the snowy landscape attracts travelers. It’s also said to be the model village for the movie “Spirited Away.” It’s also the location where the hit 80’s TV drama “Oshin” was filmed.

In this video, we go on a 2-day/1-night trip to Ginzan Onsen covered with heavy snow and also stay at a Japanese-style Onsen Ryokan (hot-spring hotel) facing the Ginzan River, which is said to be difficult to book.
Enjoy the beautiful night and day snowy scenery.

Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo, delicious bento (Japanese box lunch), traditional Japanese cuisine, access to Ginzan Onsen, and more.

Trip cost per person.
Shinkansen bullet train (from Tokyo to Oishida), 12,500JPY/83USD.
Ryokan (Japanese inn) fee including two meals, 28,750JPY/192USD.
Bus fee (to Yamagata City), 3,500JPY/23USD.
Conversion rates are as of February 2025.

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0:00 Introduction
0:30 Ride the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station
2:33 Lunch in the train
4:56 From Shinkansen to arrival at Ginzan Onsen
8:08 Hotel introduction and room tour
11:45 Ginzan Onsen in the Evening
14:56 Japanese cuisine dinner
19:44 Ginzan Onsen at night
22:13 Onsen/hot spring
25:01 Breakfast
28:27 Ginzan Onsen in the daytime
39:23 From Ginzan Onsen to Yamagata City

#travel #Japan #Ginzanonsen #Yamagata #hotspring #Shinkansen #SpiritedAway #worldtravelfan #winter