Obanazawa

Haiku poet Matsuo Basho spent ten days here on his journey along the Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Tourist Information Site:

The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site. It says Obanazawa is the city of snow, watermelon and hanagasa.

By air:

The nearest airport is Yamagata, which receives flights from Tokyo Haneda, Osaka Itami, Sapporo Chitose and Nagoya Komaki. There are three buses a day to Ōishida Station and Obanazawa City Hall (of which two continue to Ginzan Onsen), taking 50 minutes and ¥1000 (1 hr 20 min and ¥1500 to Ginzan Onsen).

The nearest international airport is Sendai.

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. Tsubasa trains run eight times a day from Tokyo, with additional trains terminating at Yamagata.

Times and prices are typically as follows:

Shinjō (by Shinkansen): 14 minutes and ¥1880

Shinjō (by local train): 20 minutes and ¥410

Yamagata (by Shinkansen): 35 minutes and ¥2140

Yamagata (by local train): 50 minutes and ¥670

Tokyo (by Shinkansen): 3 hours 10 minutes and ¥12,670

From Sendai, take the Senzan Line to either Uzen-Chitose (for a local train) or Yamagata (for the Shinkansen); check the timetable to see which is faster. This should take roughly 2 hours and cost ¥1660 (¥3130 if taking the Shinkansen). Taking the Shinkansen via Fukushima may be slightly faster, but will be much more expensive.

On weekends, public holidays and certain holiday periods, the Chiisana-tabi Holiday Pass allows free travel on local and rapid trains in an area stretching to places such as Shinjō, Sendai, Hiraizumi, Kesennuma, Shirakawa, and Aizu-Wakamatsu for ¥2670. If you buy a limited express ticket, you can also use the Yamagata Shinkansen between Shinjō and Fukushima.

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 ¥7400 and ¥6600.

Yamakō Bus above also runs 10 Tokkyū Yonpachi Liner buses a day from Sendai, taking 1 hour 45 minutes and costing ¥1750. These buses can also be used from Shinjō (35 minutes, ¥990).