Hiking Yamadera in winter!

A short train journey away from Yamagata city is Yamadera, a Buddhist temple complex that extends up the mountainside. It’s a great half-day trip that will give you a bit of a workout too!

I visited Yamadera in Winter when everything was under deep snow, making the climb quite an interesting one. (In a way I feel like I didn’t really ‘see’ Yamadera – it looks totally different the rest of the year!) Although lots of things were closed or inaccessible, the serene atmosphere and the sense of camaraderie amongst all the climbers made Yamadera an absolute highlight of my trip.

With that in mind, this blog post is very much tailored to those who are visiting Yamadera in Winter! 

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Getting to Yamadera from Yamagata

Getting to Yamadera from Yamagata station is easy – you just take the Senzan line to Yamadera station. It takes under 20 minutes and costs 240 Yen (£1.30/ $2). You can also do it as a day trip from Sendai too. It takes about an hour to get from Sendai to Yamadera station and costs 860 Yen, also via the Senzan line.

Do a bit of shopping first

Yamadera itself is quite small but there are some shops selling cherry-related items (Yamagata is famous for cherries), as well as food gifts and typical tourist souvenirs too. There were also a few restaurants open but not many given the time of year.

In Yamadera there is also a small museum about the poet Basho, who visited Yamadera. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to visit. The museum is on the same side of the river as the station.

Entering Yamadera

Yamadera’s ‘proper’ name is Risshakuji. It was founded in 860 and is part of the Tendai sect of Buddhism. There are a number of temples that form Risshakuji temple as a whole, from the town area right the way up the mountain.

I followed the signs from the station, which took me alongside the river and then left down a path, bringing me to one of the one of the temple buildings that make up Risshakuji (Konponchudou) and Yamadera Hie Shrine. I got a cute pink omamori at Hie Shrine, before making my way to the temple gate, passing by the Risshakuji treasure hall, which wasn’t open when I visited. A few steps away is the entrance to Yamadera.

Staying safe when visiting Yamadera

At the entrance there is a clear warning sign letting you know that you climb Yamadera at your own risk, and if you get into trouble there’s not really going to be much of a rescue option if you get into difficulty. It was quite a sobering read!

They do stop people from climbing past a certain time (I believe this was around 3pm; the temple shuts at 4pm during the winter). I can imagine once the sun sets and it gets even colder (or the ground freezes), climbing up or down gets even more dangerous. 

You absolutely need solid shoes and even some of those spikes that you can put on over your shoes to help grip in the snow and ice. There were some people going up and down in trainers and they were really struggling and slipping everywhere.

Entering Yamadera costs 500 Yen (around £2.50/ $3.50). 

Start the ascent

The hike takes about an hour each way, however it didn’t feel like it at all! It was such a great atmosphere – even though there were different languages being spoken there was lots of fun and laughter and everyone helped each other out along the way. 

The first bit up to the Niomon gate was probably the most scary, as there were steps, narrow gaps and very icy bits. There were times when you had to shuffle out of the way for other people descending, and other times you had to grip tightly to the handrail to get past a particularly slippery bit. I found out afterwards there are over 1000 stone steps up to the Niomon gate (1015 to be precise). I was not surprised in the slightest!

Thinking about it, it was a pretty dangerous climb (going down was surprisingly easier).

Along the way up to the top are temple buildings, most of which were shut or were blocked up with snow. It was hard to tell which temple was which in some cases. One or two were open for people to pray at, and I received a goshuin at one of them. Half way up I also spotted a post box that you can use to send postcards!

Right at the very top, the main temple building (Daibutsuden) was closed and was covered in about a metre’s worth of snow! It was hard to believe there was a temple, temple office, and incense burner under all of it.

Enjoy the view from Yamadera itself!

Even though I couldn’t really see much of the temple buildings themselves, the view of the snowy mountains and town below was stunning. At each stage of the journey the view changed and you got to see more of the valley floor or a mountain. 

Making your way down

On the way back down the snow was melting and water was dripping down from the snow-laden boughs above (even though it was still actually snowing, so that was a weird experience). I was behind a group of Japanese ladies in their 40s-50s who were hilarious. We chatted a little bit (in Japanese), cheered people on on their way up, and helped people if they were struggling. 

I arrived back down a bit out of breath, with rosy cheeks, and most importantly, in one piece!

If you’re visiting Sendai/ Yamagata and are looking for more fun things you do you can read about my trip to Matsushima Bay here.