Destination - Kaminoyama Onsen!

This time we traveled to Kaminoyama Onsen in Yamagata prefecture.  We left home around 9:00am and took a train to Tokyo where we boarded a north bound Shinkansen train directly to Kaminoyama train station. When we got off the Shinkansen the first thing I saw on the train station platform was a huge sign that said "Home of Wine"; I knew this was the place to be on vacation!

This is the front of Kaminoyama train station.

We rode a free shuttle bus to our hotel and got checked in. By then it was just after 15:00 pm and we decided to walk back to the train station (a short distance to walk) and go to the Kaminoyama Visitors Information Center to see what things we could do while we were in the area. 

This is the Visitors Center that is located next to the train station.

Emi went to the service counter while I looked around. The first thing I noticed was a wine bottle tree. Then I turned around...

Holy Cow! They have a wine bar in the Visitors Center! 

What a great idea. 😍

We ordered two glasses of wine.

Local wine.

Cheers!

What a great way to start a vacation.

A toast to the best Visitors Center I've ever visited.

Could things get any better? Oh yeah! Next to the visitors center is a convenience store. We stopped in there to buy some drinks and snacks for consumption in our hotel room.

We crossed over a nice little river on our way back to the hotel.

Next morning and it's time for a buffet breakfast in the dinning room.

They had Japanese, Chinese and Western foods at the buffet.

Here's my breakfast.

And, here's Emi's!

The guys sitting at the table next to us were having a class reunion. 

One of the things that the visitors center recommended for us was a trip to Zao Okama. Zao Okama website

The way for us to get there was by a free shuttle bus that would pick us up in front of our hotel at 09:15am. I can't believe that bus is free, it takes an hour to get to Zao Okama. Anyway, at 09:15am we got on the bus. 

Zao Okama is a crater located at an altitude of 1670 Meters. To get from the parking lot to the crater we have to take a lift. The ticket office for the lift is the building behind me. Yes, that's me wearing an aloha shirt in the freezing cold weather. When we left our hotel it was bright, sunny and warm. Here at the top of a mountain it is foggy and cold. I was not expecting that.

Well, there's no turning back now... onward and upward. Riding the lift to the top.

This is Emi about to get off the lift.

These trail markers are over 6 feet tall. Without them it would be easy to get lost in the fog.

We followed the markers to the edge of the crater. 

We walked along the fence hoping that the fog would clear and we could get a glimpse of the lake in the bottom of the crater. No luck with that. We couldn't see anything.

This is how normal people dress for the top of the crater. As I passed by them on my way back to the lift they stared at me (dressed in my aloha shirt) in disbelief. 

Here comes Emi, she was smart enough to bring a jacket with her.

On my way back down on the lift. Some of the people I passed by on their way up laughed at me.  

As we got further down the hill the fog cleared up a little and we could see the parking area.

I survived.

The view from the bus as we head down the mountain to a place called Zao Liza World where we would have 40 minutes to eat lunch.

Restaurant website

We had a brick oven baked pizza for lunch and then we goofed off until it was time to take the free shuttle bus back to Kaminoyama Onsen town.

This adventure isn't over yet, there will be a part 2!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mike

Bonus shots!