Dewa Sanzan, Tohoku
This reminds me of a scene in Spirited Away when Chihiro and her parents found the deserted theme park. But Dewa Sanzan are the three sacred mountains in Yamagata Perfecture and is very real. The three mountains are named Haguro-san, Gas-San, Yudono-San and is a center for worship for a Shugendo, a folk religion that goes through extreme physical endurance and religious devotions.
It’s remoteness is a big reason for it’s preservation.
How to get there?
Regular buses from Tsuruoka (鶴岡; ~40 min; ¥800) connect to Haguro-machi (羽黒町), get off at the “Haguro Center” (羽黒センター) stop for the trailhead. Some buses also continue all the way to the top, taking an extra 10 minutes.
The bus stop is right in front of the Tsuruoka train station. There are 4 different stops served by multiple bus lines, so be careful about which bus you board. You may wish to ask the driver: “Haguro-san ni ikimasu-ka?” (Do you go to Haguro-san?)
Here is the bus schedule:
Tsuruoka – Haguro Center – Haguro-San (peak)
6:02 AM – 6:35 AM – 6:50 AM
7:02 AM – 7:35 AM – 7:50 AM
7:52 AM – 8:30 AM – 8:45 AM
9:22 AM – 10:00 AM – 10:15 AM
10:37 AM – 11:15 AM – 11:30 AM
11:42 AM – 12:20 PM – 12:30 PM
12:52 PM – 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM
2:27 PM – 3:05 PM – 3:20 PM
3:52 PM – 4:30 PM – 4:45 PM
5:27 PM – 6:05 PM
Haguro-San (peak) – Haguro Center – Tsuruoka
9:00 AM – 9:15 AM – 9:50 AM
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM – 11:20 AM
11:50 AM – 12:05 PM – 12:40 PM
1:00 PM – 1:15 PM – 1:50 PM
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM – 3:05 PM
3:50 PM – 4:05 PM – 4:40 PM
5:00 PM – 5:15 PM – 5:50 PM
5:15 PM – 5:30 PM – 6:05 PM
Less frequent buses also connect Yudono-san to Yamagata.
NOTE: Once you get to Tsuruoka, do not expect to find much English. Your journey will be a lot easier if you speak Japanese or have someone with you who does.
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