Yamagata

We came to Yamagata so we could walk up a thousand steps leading to the Rissyakuji temple complex.  Walking up the hillside through the mossy green forests studded with hydrangeas and little shrines and statues everywhere, I couldn’t get enough of the scenery.  The place was so quiet and not so crowded at all. 

We finally made it to the top.  We didn’t see any monkeys but had a nice view.

The town of Yamadera where the stairs begin is super cute.  After the little hike we ate a lovely bowl of cold soba with a lovely river view and did a little shopping at an antique shop where the owner lent us her umbrellas a for the afternoon when it started to rain.

Back in Yamagata we stayed at a genuine vintage ryokan that has not changed one bit since the 1960’s.  Our room had futons, buckwheat pillows, shoji screens, yukatas, and a vintage tea set.  Each night the tub was ready with clean water and heated perfectly.  Honestly felt like we were stepping back in time, esccilly since the owner was a sweet elderly woman who was very welcoming to us.

We had dinner in another place that seemed to take us back in time.  Behind the train station and down a side street was a quirky and dingy place where not much has changed in decades.  The place was charming  with four seats at the counter and two small tables. Father and son wore white coats and little white sushi chef hats.  While the dad gave us a grumpy glare from his tempura station, the son was super welcoming and willing to deal with us.  With google translate we were able to order some food that turned out pretty good.

The first half of the trip was a leisurely pace in Hokkaido. Now it’s go go go with a new city every other day, we on to Hiroshima next.