Ginzan Onsen is a hot spring village known for its traditionally styled Japanese inns that is reflective of the Taisho era.
Ginzan Onsen (銀山温泉) is a hot spring village located
in the mountains of Obanazawa of Yamagata Prefecture.
The area is known as one of Japan’s prettiest onsen
towns with their ryokans adjacent and parallel to the river.
It is secluded in an area that developed around the silver
mine. The hot spring town was named after the
Nobezawa Silver Mine since gin (銀) translates to silver
and zan (山) for mountain. The silver mine was first
discovered in 1456 by accident. During the early Edo
period the mine went through a golden age where over
20,000 people worked in the caverns. It was around this
time that the Ginzan Onsen was founded and developed.
Ryokans (traditional Japanese inns) started to line up
along the Ginza River giving it a romantic atmosphere in
an isolated environment. When the silver mine collapsed
in 1689 the hot spring town continued to operate despite
the closure. It became a popular onsen town in 1741
where people from all over would go to experience the
curative waters.
In 1913, a huge flood destroyed many of the inns in the
area and damaged the flow of hot spring water. Larger
sources of hot spring waters were found after drilling
actions in 1926. The ryokans were later reconstructed,
but these new wooden buildings reached 3 to 4 stories
high. The present ryokans lined up on both sides of
Ginza River were built during this time. There is a law
that protects and preserves this part of town to maintain
its nostalgic atmosphere. Recently Kuma Kengo, a
famous modern architect, rebuilt one of the ryokan in the
center of the town. The Fujiya Ryokan, which Kengo
designed, fuses modern building elements while keeping
a traditional aspect. It still has exposed wood and white
plastered walls like the surrounding buildings. In order to
keep the town center from getting cluttered with cars, it
has been deemed a pedestrian only zone. The narrow
streets and lack of parking allows visitors to enjoy strolls
around Ginzan Onsen.
Shirogane Park is located at the end of the lined up
ryokans where you will be greeted by the 22-meter-high
Shirogane no Taki waterfall. Further upstream you will
see the Rion no Taki waterfall and the Senshin Valley that
has a monolithic riverbed. If you are feeling more
adventurous then take a 30-minute tour through the
illuminated silver mine tunnels of Nobezawa. However,
during the winter season access to the silver mine will be
unavailable due to the heavy snowfall. In the wintertime
when Ginzan Onsen is blanketed in snow, the gas lamp
illumination adds to the romantic and nostalgic
atmosphere of an era gone by. The nighttime illumination
happens every night, but the snow falling while glistening
with the light provided from the flames is breathtaking.