Tsuruoka

Tourist information site:

The local tourist association has a bilingual guide site.

By plane:

1 Shonai Airport (SYO IATA, 庄内空港, shonai kūkō) (shuttle buses run to Tsuruoka (30 minutes, ¥740)). The nearest airport. Only flights to Tokyo Haneda Airport with ANA. (updated Aug 2016)

By train:

2 Tsuruoka Station (鶴岡駅, tsuruoka-eki). Tsuruoka is on the JR Uetsu Line which runs along the Sea of Japan. The Nihonkai night train passes through Tsuruoka -- its southern terminus is Osaka, and its northern terminus is Aomori. (updated Aug 2016)

From Tokyo, Tsuruoka is reachable in as little as four hours by taking a Joetsu Shinkansen Toki or Max Toki service, changing in Niigata to one of several daily Inaho limited express trains (¥12,760). Taking local trains from Tokyo is silly, because the overnight bus is comparable in price and faster (though if you're doing the Seishun 18 ticket, this train option, though slower, will still be several times cheaper than the cheapest bus.)

By bus:

Shonai Kotsu Yuhi Express (庄内交通, 夕陽号). about 8 hours from Shibuya to Tsuruoka. Shonai Kotsu runs an overnight bus, the "Yuhi Express", from Shibuya and Ikebukuro in Tokyo to Tsuruoka. ¥7540 one way, ¥13,570 round trip. (updated Aug 2016)