John Daub: So here we are at Ginzan Onsen
in Yamagata Prefecture. This is one of the most beautiful Japanese hot spring towns especially in winter when it's snowing like it is today. In this episode I'm going to be taking you inside of the traditional Japanese inns, the ryokan, to take a look at that experience: the dinner, the breakfast, the baths. As well as the shopping and the entire experience that is Ginzan Onsen. [Intro music] Irrashaimase! (Welcome!) Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!
(Pleased to meet you!) Peter von Gomm: ONLY in JAPAN John: In winter there aren't many hot spring towns more scenic than Ginzan Onsen. It's surrounded by mountains and forests. The town is down there. The narrow Ginzan River here has many traditional Japanese inns on both sides. All piping in hot spring water to guests. Several foot bridges cross all the way down to Shirogane Falls. The hot spring dates back to the Edo period. When the snow is falling like this, it may be the most charming winter village in Japan. At the end of row of inns is the iconic Notaya Ryokan built a century ago. We'll show you inside shortly. Tonight we're staying at Kozankaku Ryokan. My wife, Kanae, and son, Leo, are already there. A room overlooking the river. Here's our room: wood and tatami. This is one of the oldest buildings
at Ginzan Onsen. It has the charms of staying in Japan. No trip to this country is complete without a ryokan stay. The view is also magical. But it's at night that Ginzan Onsen
really sparkles. The warm hazy golden glow from the old Taisho-era gas lights, now electric. Hot spring guests feel like they're lost in time. The village is undergoing some changes. But the experience, look, and feel of the early 20th century will never change here. Put on your inn's yukata and head to the baths for a soak. First we'll head to a public hot spring that anyone can visit. This is Shirogane-Yu. It was renovated by architect Kengo Kuma in 2001. Entrance for a soak is 500 yen. Bring your own towel. Change out of your yukata and if you come early, you'll have the whole place to yourself. The cold open air entering through the sides. But at 8:30 AM, you might find the new water to be... hot! It is so hot! Some places like to have the water like 50 degrees celsius. This is like closer to 50 than it is to 40. It's gonna take a little bit of time. Sometimes you have to paddle the water around and circulate it.... For purposes of filming you can fake it. Absorb the heat with a smile. Get the shot and get out. Look at that lobster red. My whole body on fire. My legs like sticks of oden coming out of the hot soup. It did feel good after. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. It's not usually this hot. Let's visit the ryokan's private bath. It's on the third floor and wraps around to an open air bath. The minerals in the water give it a slight sulfur smell. Breathing in the cold air, invigorating. For many centuries Japanese have been coming to onsen like this to relax, rejuvenate, reset, and eat. The first night's meal here came to the room. So this is a meal at a ryokan. It is beautiful. It comes in many courses. Sometimes you'll have it down in the
dining room. Today we're having it in the room. Itadakimasu. For me the hardest part
is sitting like this. Some sake helps... a lot. So where exactly is Ginzan Onsen? It's a three and a half hour trip from Tokyo via Yamagata Shinkansen to the Tohoku region. Yamagata Prefecture is on the Sea of Japan's side and nestled in the forests and mountains is the town of Obanazawa. And if you see at the end of the road deep in there is where you'll find the hidden Ginzan Onsen. Hidden for generations until recently. Sanjo: Silver was mined here and about 1631 silver mining peaked. Gradually silver became hard to find here. In 1689, the silver mines closed and then hot springs became popular at Ginzan. John: The hot spring here was discovered in the 15th century by Nobezawa silver mine workers but when the mining declined in the Edo era the hot spring tourism took over. All the Japanese inns here pipe in that hot spring water and wind along the Ginzan river. During the Meiji era, Ginzan Onsen was quite cut off from the world. A one-day walk to get here from Obanazawa through a narrow road. A flood in 1913 destroyed the resort and locals rebuilt it in the scene we know today. Notoya Ryokan, built in 1925, remains as it looked back in the day. This hot spring was quite secret for a very long time until it was in an NHK drama called Oshin in 1983. More recently it's become internationally famous thanks to CNN coining it "Japan's most charming winter village." And social media today has put
it in another level entirely. Here it is in 2020. It hasn't changed much but the renovations are ongoing. At the end is the impressive 22 meter high Shirogane Falls. Sanjo: Right now there is some construction many Ryokan are doing renovations a lot of activities to make the village feel new. However, we're keeping the old style while renovating the old traditional inns. John: You'll see the bridge in front of Kozankaku crowded with photographers and tourists getting this shot. A tourist attraction now, it also remains fully a hot spring resort and you can still stay at Notoya Ryokan if you can get a reservation at least three to six months in advance. We got a reservation back in January 2020 and this was our experience. Notoya Ryokan is the jewel of the village. A national treasure. We checked in for a two-night stay. The reservation was three months in advance. Thankfully someone had cancelled. There are all sorts of rooms in this traditional Japanese inn. This big one is great for a family. Remember that a ryokan charges by the person, not the room. It includes two meals and access to the baths. I found a couple of single rooms too. They're popular with solo travelers from overseas. The view from the old windows really is a view to a century ago. Many of the buildings date back to the 1920s and 30s. When the sun sets, the ryokan lights up and the top tower is hard to miss. You can see it's an old Taisho era room seemingly unchanged since the day it finished construction in 1925. The baths at Notoya are of course interesting and historic. There's an outdoor bath that you may find closed in winter due to snow. We had a couple of options. After you've changed into nothing, it's time to hit the bath. The one in here is really nice. Let's go outside. There's one out here. Oh! I don't think you ever really get used to the feeling of being naked outside. I'm standing here without clothes. Check out the view! Thankfully we're above the roof so no one can get a peek. But if you're uncomfortable stay inside. Although nothing beats the open air in winter. Oh it feels so good! The water was a perfect 43 degrees Celsius. I usually soak for about 15 minutes after rinsing the body. Don't put your towel in the bath and make sure no soap gets in there either. Let the special hot spring waters do its thing. I'll often do a second lap at the inside bath as well before a shower. Best feeling ever in the entire world: onsen. Bathing helps build up an appetite. You can have dinner in the room or downstairs in the restaurant at most ryokan. We had a wonderful selection of local dishes. The local Yamagata wagyu is often on the menu. Kanpai! (Cheers!) There's so many courses. Make sure you let the ryokan know in advance if you'd like a special menu. Have any allergies. Oh wow. Juicy. It kept coming, including this nabe. Finished off with the dessert. Some of Yamagata's famous cherries. We had one more trip before bed. This is a doukutsu (cave) onsen. It's private. Just us, let's go. Oh wow. Okay. We gotta go into the basement, so let's go down to the bottom here. This private bath cave is available to anyone if no one else is using it. The sound of dripping water echoes off the walls. An old bath giving you that silver mine feel. The origins of the village. After another soak we headed back to the room where the staff has prepared it for a good night's rest. Each guest gets their own futon. Super warm in winter. Comfortable sleeping on the soft tatami. Breakfast is in the dining hall. Here's a sample of what you get. Onsen tamago, hot spring boiled eggs, that are soft in the middle are always a treat. The other foods may be super new to non-Japanese, but it's nutritious and filling. Delicious. Including this handmade boiled tofu. Onsen ryokan are made for chilling. So bring a book and leave your smartphone in your bag. The outside world is on the other side of the mountains. Forget about it. Notoya is one of many excellent ryokan here. The village evolving to suit newer tastes. Fujiya Ryokan is modern. Designed by Kengo Kuma and worth the stay if your budget allows and you can get in. I'll save that for next time. We wandered the town to do some shopping and find some treats. Another way to appreciate the charm of Ginzan Onsen is the kote-e. Plaster designed relief art that protrudes from the walls and signs of many ryokan here. Kozankaku Ryokan's exterior has many kotei-e, but look for it while you're walking around Ginzan Onsen from place to place. A recommended gift to any onsen town, especially in Tohoku, is kokeshi. They're called Izu kokeshi, named after the family, and they've been selling these for three generations. Kokeshi dolls come in different sizes and each area and maker has their own distinctive style. Izu kokeshi have been in high demand since being featured in the NHK drama back in the 1980s. The master has a big workshop a five minute drive from the village. He takes special orders. Izu: This is a traditional Kokeshi. I am the 3rd generation but the 1st generation created this style of Kokeshi The face and pattern. My father was the 2nd generation. This year is actually the 100 year anniversary. So we've been making them for a century. Over his 49 year career, Izu-san estimates he's made about 30 thousand kokeshi. They're all handmade. An excellent gift from Ginzan Onsen. Pick a size that fits your house and collection. The artist usually signs it at the bottom. And traveling around Japan, you'll build up that collection really fast. At the entrance of Ginzan Onsen, you'll find a popular shop selling old styled homemade tofu. We went for the namaage tofu,
deep fried. This is the namaage tofu. It's really popular. It's right here at the entrance
of Ginzan Onsen. Wow look at this thing. Deep fried. Goodness. That's really hot! Give your wife the first bite
after it cools a bit. Kanae: Mmm. John: The little guy might want a bite too. Another attraction open to all is the foot bath. It has all those onsen minerals in the hot water to make your feet feel new again. This is an ashiyu. It's a foot bath. It is... You'll find these all over the place at hot spring towns wherever geothermally heated water is pumping out. Leo: Yeah! John: What's great about this is that anybody can enjoy it. You don't have to stay at a ryokan to enjoy a foot bath. Kanae, what did you like about this onsen, Ginzan Onsen? Kanae: I really like this atmosphere a lot. When you visit here, it's another world. It's.... I feel like it's time sweep. John: Right, we've gone back into time to the Taisho era. Part of the attraction of Ginzan Onsen maybe, the main attraction for a lot of you, very Instagramable place. If you like it, it's in the Yamagata area. Definitely come for a stay. But make sure you think about it six months in advance because it's very hard to get a reservation here. If you like this episode consider subscribing because I will take you to another corner of this amazing country. Mata ne! (See you again!)
