[YAMAGATA] 1000 Steps to Yamadera

The decision to explore Tohoku with a rail pass meant exploring itineraries and prefectures, in this case the five northernmost ones on the island of Honshu. Neat. Day 4, Wednesday, was Yamagata prefecture day. Sometimes I get lazy with destination research and always just end up at the capital, in this case Yamagata the city which is farther inland. Searching for alternatives, I ended up with a suggestion from Google. YAMADERA. Yama means mountain and Dera means temple. Soon enough, it would be obvious as to why the place was named as such. Yamadera is also closer to Sendai by a few stations. Good deal. Ready to hike?

Since I established my home base in Morioka, I had to take the Shinkansen back to Sendai, which is a short 40-minute ride. Either the green Tohoku or the Red Akita bullet train will do. From Sendai, you transfer to the local JR Senzan Line which takes an hour and ten minutes to get to Yamadera. Both of these trains are fully covered by the JR Tohoku East Pass. I didn’t have to pay for anything in cash. Just reserve your bullet train seats in advance since this route is rather busy. As for Sendai - Yamadera, no reservations necessary! Along the way you will pass by verdant mountains, giving you a sneak peek of your destination.

Founded in the year 860 by the Tendai Buddhist sect, the temple’s official name is Risshakuji. But first, how do you get there? You get off at Yamadera station, which doesn’t have a ticket/pass reader so they just wave you off at the gate. Only people with IC cards seem to be able to tap in and out. After that, you need around five minutes of walking to cross the bridge and locate one of the entrances marked with a tori and with steps leading up. Getting lost is not an issue since I suppose you are here to climb the mountain, no? The mountain is right there towering in front of you. I don’t believe you’ll ever get lost here.

There were two entrances leading up to the first hill where the main hall called Konponchudo is located. The first entrance is closer to the main ticket office leading up the mountain, if you are not interested in seeing Konponchudo, which I’d say was also a sight to behold. It’s as simple as Buddhist temples get but it has this potent combo of mysticism and serenity. Maybe you can find some clarity here before you begin your ascent. There’s also a toilet to the right side should you need it before you begin your hike. Once done, head west until you see the bell tower. The entrance is right there on the other side.

Admission will cost you a mere JPY300 (~PHP120) and the last entrance is at 4 PM, I believe. Overall, I spent a total of four hours up there, just admiring the views, meditating, and filming some Tiktok reels. The ascent is your typical Japanese forest/mountain experience, with lots of gray care of the concrete steps, of which you have a thousand or so to get to the top. The many slabs of stone and Buddhist-inspired mini sculptures are also of this hue. Other than gray, the predominant color of the day is green. Perhaps the simplest way to describe this place is it being a marriage between nature and religion. And exercise!

The ascent takes around half an hour, I’d say. Once you pass by the Niomon Gate and reach the two or three houses/temples there selling overpriced mineral water, you have the option to continue climbing. If so, you will end up in the Okunoin/Daibatsu-den area. This is the farthest you can go uphill. The other option is to turn left towards Nokyo-do, that small red temple perched atop a huge rock. Head toward the steps to the right and you will reach Godai-do, a wooden viewing deck overlooking the town below and the mountain ranges surrounding it. People come and go there. The views are just awesome.

Together with Ryusendo Cave, this has been the highlight of this Tohoku trip for me. Yes, it tested my stamina for an entire afternoon but the path is not that hard to follow and there are a lot of resting spots and vending machines at strategic locations to make sure that you can rest if needed and far from dehydration. I don’t really know whether there is a low season or a high season but there were a lot of tourists, both local and international alike, when I was there. And so it felt like a communal experience, and I suppose they will be willing to help you out should something go wrong.

[YAMAGATA] 1000 Steps to Yamadera

[TOHOKU] Budget and Itinerary