Kaminoyama Onsen

Overview

Kaminoyama Onsen is a historic hot-spring town in the city of Kaminoyama, Yamagata Prefecture, in Japan's Tohoku region. Set at the western foot of the Zao mountains, it grew up as a place that combines three characters at once: a castle town, a post town, and a spa town. Visitors can easily pair a stroll through its streets with a soak in its waters.

Highlights

• ●A historic spa town at the western foot of the Zao mountains
• ●A townscape that blends castle town, post town, and hot-spring town
• ●Traces of highway culture from its days as an Ushu Kaido post station
• ●A location that makes it easy to combine walking with hot-spring hopping

History

Kaminoyama prospered as a post station on the Ushu Kaido highway and as the castle town below Kaminoyama Castle. Historically part of Dewa Province and, after the Meiji era, of Uzen, it long welcomed travelers moving along the highway as well as guests seeking its curative waters. The overlap of castle, highway, and hot springs shapes the town's layered atmosphere today.

Map

38.1670, 140.2732 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Arrive in central Kaminoyama and stroll the castle-town lanes
2. 2Enjoy views of the Zao mountains from around Kaminoyama Castle
3. 3Stop at a hot spring and relax in the waters of this mountain town
4. 4Close the day with an evening walk through the post-town streets

Did you know?

💡 Kaminoyama is known as a rare town where you can enjoy the character of a castle town, a post town, and a spa town all at once. After a bath, a walk through the old castle-town lanes lets the flavor of the highway era blend naturally with the mood of a modern hot-spring town.

Nearby spots