2026-07-11 A Slow Travel Guide to Kaminoyama Onsen: Historic Castles, Old Streets, and Day Trip Baths#

The train departed from Yonezawa, and the scenery outside the window gradually changed. After a comfortable ride, we finally arrived at Kaminoyama Onsen Station, officially stepping into this hot spring town rich in historical heritage.

Kaminoyama Onsen boasts a history of over five hundred years and was a bustling shukuba-machi (post town) during the Edo period. Our first stop after arriving was the local landmark—Kaminoyama Castle. Originally built in the Sengoku period, this castle was an important stronghold for defending Yamagata Castle, earning it the reputation of the “Famous Castle of Ushu”. Although the original structure was demolished during the Meiji era, the three-story castle keep we see today was rebuilt in 1982. Its interior has been converted into a local history museum, displaying historical artifacts from the area.

However, the steep slope leading to Kaminoyama Castle was too challenging for my wife, so she stayed down the hill to rest while I went up alone to explore. The view from the top was quite nice, but considering my wife was waiting, I didn’t spend time going inside the castle keep for a tour.

Our next stop was the quaint hot spring street. It lacks the overly commercialized hustle and bustle of big cities or major tourist spots, instead retaining a strong, nostalgic atmosphere.

Walking along the hot spring street, we reached the nearby “Buke Yashiki” (Samurai Residences). They are very well preserved, but since we had seen many similar buildings before, we simply admired the exteriors without going inside.

Another major feature of the Kaminoyama Onsen street is the free “ashiyu” (foot baths) scattered everywhere. When strolling along the nostalgic streets, if you feel tired, you can easily find a foot bath to sit down, take off your shoes and socks, and let the warm spring water wash away the fatigue of the journey.

However, we weren’t very interested in foot baths; we preferred to find a “higaeri onsen” (day-trip hot spring) for a full-body soak. We initially followed Google Maps to a public bathhouse, but found it was mainly a place for locals’ daily bathing, not the traditional hot spring ryokan facility we had in mind. So we turned back to the hot spring street and eventually chose to visit the “Tsukioka Hotel”.

The daytime hot spring experience here was quite good. I don’t mean to complain, but compared to the Tendou Onsen we visited earlier, Tendou’s quality was slightly superior. The basic admission fees were similar, but the miscellaneous charges at Tsukioka Hotel (such as towel rentals) were much higher. Regardless, it was a wonderful experience overall.

After soaking in the bath, we went to the relaxation room, which featured paid massage chairs and free foot massage machines. My wife and I both enjoyed it so much that we stayed a bit longer. Seeing the time slipping away, I reminded my wife that if we wanted to catch our scheduled train, we had to leave immediately; otherwise, we’d have to wait about an hour for the next one. My wife made a prompt decision, and we set off at once.

Unexpectedly, Google Maps overestimated the walking time. Looking at the navigation, we briefly thought we wouldn’t make it. We even considered having dinner locally before returning to Yamagata, but upon searching, we found there were few dining options nearby, and it seemed difficult to find suitable meals for us two vegetarians. Therefore, we decided to keep walking toward the train station, thinking there might be suitable restaurants nearby.

As we walked, I suddenly realized the station was actually in sight! I quickly encouraged my wife to speed up, and we ultimately caught that train.

After returning to Yamagata, we once again visited the vegetarian-friendly restaurant we had eaten at two days prior. By this time, it had started to rain. Looking back on the itinerary over the past few days, I was truly grateful that the weather had been so cooperative!