Ginzan Onsen
銀山温泉
Three- and four-storey wooden inns from the Taisho era line both banks of the Ginzan River. When gas lamps light up at nightfall, the snowy night scene looks like a painting.
Ginzan Onsen grew up around the Nobezawa Silver Mine of the early Edo period. After the silver mine declined, the area became a hot-spring village. Most of the surviving inns are three- or four-storey wooden buildings constructed between the late Taisho and early Showa periods. Their exterior walls have stucco-relief signboards, and at night gas lamps reflect on the river. At the end of the hot-spring street is Shirogane Falls, a waterfall with a drop of about 22 metres. Further in, you can visit the Nobezawa Silver Mine ruins free of charge.
The street is short, and you can see it all in 1–2 hours. Accommodation must be booked several months in advance. In winter, restrictions apply to day-trip visitors after dusk, so check the Obanazawa City announcements before you go. From JR Ōishida Station, take a bus for about 40 minutes.
Opening hours
Open all day (nighttime restrictions per official notice)
Nearby sights
- Higashizawa Rose Park
- Tendo Onsen & Shogi Town
- Yamadera (Risshaku-ji)
- Jion-ji Temple
- Bunshokan
- Nanokamachi Gotenzeki
- Kajo Park (Yamagata Castle Ruins)
- Zao Onsen