STAY YAMAGATA

"Where do you want to go in Japan?"

Tohoku, yes, Tohoku in Japan! This will be my answer without hesitation no matter how many times I'm asked.

Every time I go back to Tohoku in Japan it gives me irreplaceable memories.

The time I spend in Yamagata in particular has significant meaning to me that I cannot put into words and has changed my life.

I heard an introduction to Yamagata tourism on the radio and then thought of Yamagata in the winter. 

I want to go to Tohoku and then Yamagata in the future taking my time. I'll then buy boots, put slip-stoppers on the soles, go to see the Snow Monsters of Zao again, and look at the scenery in the clear skies from a high altitude at a place far away.

＃Having the courage to take the first step is important

With the temperature at -14 degrees, I thought I must've done something really good in a previous life to have such fine weather. 

I watched snow fall all by myself at Ginzan Onsen and saw the snow monsters from a mountain at an altitude of 1,661 in Zao. 

If you ever get the chance to go to Yamagata, definitely go on a "courageous" trip to visit snow monsters of Zao that will make your dreams come true! (I recommend that those who are sensitive to cold visit in the fall and view the autumn leaves.)

 The Yamagata scenery, desserts, and hot springs will satisfy your stomach, your heart, and all of your five senses.

As the winter wind blows the water that drops off the conifer trees freeze and turn into frost and snow, gradually turning into glorious white snow monsters. 

December through February is the season in which snow monsters grow. February in particular is the period in which they are at their peak in size.

Important point to note before chasing your dreams: Getting to see the snow monsters of Zao

My Japanese is limited to basic greetings, "Can you please take a picture?", and ordering at a restaurant. Hence, I researched the following beforehand.

Firstly, I stayed at accommodations in front of Yamagata Station and checked the weather forecast online. 

To be honest, I was not sure whether I would go mountain hiking or not because temperatures of minus 10 or lower are hard to imagine for a person from Taiwan, who lives in a summer/spring climate all year. 

However, I'd come this far so I didn't want to give up. 

So I bought some food at a convenience store, put it in my bag, put on clothes and equipment, went to the station and bought a bus and ropeway ticket to get to see the snow monsters of Zao, and set off by myself. (If I remember correctly, I left at about 07:40.)

From the Zao Bus Terminal, Zao Sanroku Station (Zao Ropeway) is a walk of ten minutes. 

I took the ropeway to Juhyo Kogen Station and followed the instructions to change to another ropeway to Jizo Sancho Station. 

As I traveled upwards, my eyes widened, and I could see scenery from the window of the ropeway that stirred my emotions.

I still remember the scenery of powder snow blowing in the breeze and the feel of the white snow I stepped in at the top of Mt. Zao when I went there on January 13, 2018. 

Even though it was cold at a temperature of minus 14, my soul felt warm and I fulfilled my dream trip.

Even when I was looking at the scenery, I was calm without becoming emotional. 

I had never made such a consequential decision. I was relieved to finally be released from many years of indecision at the beginning of 2018. 

I would love to share some of this courage with you. 

Whether you go alone or with friends, going to see the snow monsters of Zao is not a difficult decision. The difficulty was deciding to go.

My relationship with Yamagata began in September, 2017. I then went again in November of that year, January and October 2018, and then March, September, and October of 2019, for a total of seven times in two years. 

Yamagata is a place that I am infatuated with. 

When I went to Yamagata for the fourth time, I visited Ginzan Onsen and snow monsters of Zao. 

This was the place that I wanted to visit the most in Yamagata and I had my wish fulfilled. In a Japan travel community on social media I saw a photo. This was a photo of Zao Okama Crater.

Zao Okama Crater is part of a group of volcanoes and appears at the start of the music video for a song called, "Imperfect Rainbow." 

30,000 years ago, a caldera formed and in 1182 a crater was made. Over the next several hundred years, water accumulated to become Zao Okama that we see today.

This place appears at the start of the music video for a song called, "Imperfect Rainbow" by the popular Taiwanese singer Cheer Chen.

Zao Okama Crater and getting to the indigo blue caldera lake

This trip to Yamagata to see the scenery was the first time I went with friends rather than going alone. We took the shuttle bus from Kaminoyama-Onsen Station to Zao Okama Crater to check out a 100-year-old magical view.
Trips in Japan are very easy and convenient. It is very easy to get to most scenic places in Japan. One can get from JR Kaminoyama-Onsen Station to Zao Okama Crater by a free shuttle bus or by riding an express bus for a fee from Yamagata Station. 

It is exceedingly simple to create a list of places that you want to go to.

We were fortunate to visit this place at the end of October just before Zao Okama Crater was closed. We took a chairlift for single person to the top and the road to the top was littered with pebbles as it is a volcano. 

After a short walk, a beautiful scene presented itself. Thanks to the god of the mountain for giving us superb weather, we were able to see the whole scenery of Zao Okama Crater where we had visited for the first time.  

We stood still at a high point and viewed the magical jewel at the back of the mountain, which etched the beautiful scenery in front of our eyes on the depth of our souls.

Then in the October a year later, we visited Zao Okama Crater again and experienced the change in nature, weather, and the mountain. Putting on a light coat and alighting from the car, we could see the scene of the mountains floating above Okama Crater. In a matter of just two seconds, Zao Okama Crater disappeared in the mist. The season also changed from the fall to winter and the temperature dropped to minus 2 degrees. Feeling the cold, we quickly got back inside the car and as we were wearing fall clothing we couldn't stop shaking even after we got back in the car. 

Just before we left, we felt that Zao Okama Crater that had disappeared when looked back was even more mysterious.

After our excursion to Zao Okama Crater, we chose to stay in a wonderful hot spring ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) and that made our trip even better. 

The ryokan, Hotel Morinone, is not so far from the Zao Okama Crater shuttle bus stop and combines the beauty of Yamagata and elements of greenery. I yearn for that wonderment even now.

With just 14 guest rooms, the hotel can offer the optimal service and environment to guests. This quiet Hotel Morinone enables one to relax naturally by just being there.

The room has a comfortable bed and you can sleep to your heart’s content or take in the sun in the lobby decorated in the theme of the changing seasons. At night, you can melt away your tiredness in the hot springs. 

By spacing out and relieving the weariness from your journey, you can treat yourself and recharge your batteries.

Seeing as we came all this way, we decided we might as well reserve a night’s accommodation with two meals. We were served a delicious dinner and breakfast at Morinone with wonderful local ingredients and seasonal vegetables. 

The soft and gluttonous rice with cute yellow and glossy chestnuts reminded one of the season and was paired perfectly with juicy and sumptuous Yamagata beef. All the food was great and the dessert added variety. Not surprisingly, every town in Yamagata has wonderful hot springs.

When planning a trip, I like incorporating excursions that alternate between nature and cuisine. By enjoying cuisine that touches one’s heart after admiring the scenery, the excursions are fulfilling and my soul is satisfied.

On my 6^th trip to Yamagata, a cute girl showed me around. After I had a fitful night’s sleep at Hotel Morinone, she suggested that we go eat pudding that has become quite the talking point in Yamagata as it is very popular. As expected, she is a young woman who is following the latest information on Instagram. 

The food that she recommended was not the regular local cuisine but rather the unique Yamagata Pudding.

The reason why they added Yamagata to the name is because the pudding contains ingredients from Yamagata.

Blessed with a good climate, Yamagata produces delicious food including fruits, meat, milk, sake, eggs, and rice. There are too many reasons to explain why I love Yamagata so much.

Yamanobe in Yamagata is blessed with mountains, and clean water and air, and produces delicious milk. Yamagata Pudding contains rich Yamabe Milk, Benibana Eggs (Safflower from Yamagata is used as food for chickens.), and ingredients and fruits that vary according to the season to offer ever-changing pudding flavors.

The rich egg pudding (plain) that enables one to enjoy the flavor of the eggs and milk the most is my favorite.

 I would love for you to also try the very fluffy and special hot spring egg pudding, grape pudding, Muscat pudding, the wine pudding for adults, La France pudding, and cherry pudding. Looking on their website, it looks like that they have created a caramel apple pudding as well.

La France pear, Muscat, and wine are all specialties of Yamagata.

Yamagata Raw Egg Pudding is a type of Yamagata Pudding with a limited number and has an expiry date of only 10 minutes (the name is derived from the fact that it is recommended that it should be eaten within 10 minutes of being served). Due to the limited number, customers wait before the store opens to eat this pudding.

A golden raw egg and caramel sauce is poured over a soft pudding. It has a mild taste and is soft and delicious. It’s a superb treat that can be served as it’s a fresh egg!

Yamagata Pudding is actually a new brand created by Koyo, a popular traditional ryokan in Kaminoyama Onsen established in 1951. Hotel Morinone is also part of this group. Each has a different perspective and style, providing the beauty of Yamagata to even more people.

Kaminoyama Onsen is a really wonderful place. It’s convenient for getting to Zao Okama Crater and Kaminoyama Castle and the castle town is nearby. You can see an old style of Japanese town while walking through the samurai residences in the old castle.

In the vicinity of the Kaminoyama Castle is a cute and serene castle town. There are many cafes and restaurants that are in old houses that have been restored. When I visited for the first time, I was only here for a short time and I couldn’t take my time. When I visited Kaminoyama Castle for the second time with such a regretting feeling, I was finally able to enjoy this meal. 

The small folk house with a slightly yellowish exterior is the cafe Umayado.

The building is a 90-year-old folk house that has been renovated and built to face residences in which samurais used to live. The front yard features a cute garden.

Umayado surprised me because even though it was day time on a weekday, the café was almost full. The cuisine offered in weekly basis is a delicate set lunch that includes Yamagata ingredients and seasonal elements incorporating healthy and natural trends.

Chrysanthemums that bloom in the fall were placed on my plate as pickles. The menu that day included sesame seed and salt brown rice, pickles, walnut sauce, onions, dills, delicious homemade vegetables, and croquettes made from mashed potatoes with soft edamame (green soy beans). Dessert was pears made in Yamagata. The man who was with me loved the meal as well, but it seems that the amount of food was a little insufficient for the man.

Looking back at my Yamagata memories fills my heart with warm emotions. 

I’ve been in summer, the fall, and winter, and seen new greenery, yellow gingko trees, fall leaves, and beautiful white snow that takes your breath away. 

I had planned to go to Tohoku and Yamagata in the spring to view the cherry blossoms, but I couldn’t go in either 2019 or 2020. The places I want to go to have increasingly become further and further away. One really should do what one wants to do as soon as possible. 

The next time I go to Japan, I definitely want to take a leisurely trip to Yamagata and Tohoku.

Author：BANBI（Taiwanese travel blogger）