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City in Tōhoku, Japan
Photo: 掬茶, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Obanazawa (尾花沢) is a city in Yamagata. Obanazawa's main claim to fame is that it has one of the highest snowfalls in the entire world, with over two meters falling in an average winter, and they've even developed a special sharply peaked "flower hat" (hanagasa) to stop snow accumulating on your head.
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延沢銀山遺跡
These are the former silver mines for which Ginzan Onsen's name is derived. The mines were active during the Edo Period prior to the existence of the onsen town. It is said that it was the miners who discovered the onsen waters that the town was then built around.
白銀の滝
Waterfalls just north of Ginzan Onsen. In the summer, they light up the waterfall at night.
しろがね湯
A public hot spring in Ginzan Onsen.
伊豆こけし工房
This is where you can buy Izu Kokeshi. It is also where they make them.
大正ろまん館
A souvenir shop that also has a few eating options.
By train
Obanazawa is served by Ōishida Station, in the adjacent town of that name, and is served by the Yamagata Line and Yamagata Shinkansen from Tokyo.
By bus
Yamakō Bus and Tōhoku Express run the overnight Tokyo Sunrise (suspended as of March 2024) from Hamamatsuchō, Tokyo Station Yaesu-dōri, Ueno, and Asakusa, taking 7 hours 30 mins and costing between…
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Higashine · Regional · GAJ
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