How Do You Get to Ginzan Onsen by Shuttle Bus, Train and Car?

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to reach Ginzan Onsen, the hot spring town in Obanazawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. The town sits in a narrow valley, and cars are not allowed inside it. Most visitors park at the edge and take a shuttle bus. This page explains how that works, and how to arrive by train, by car or by air.

We used the Obanazawa tourism association's FAQ and the notices on the hot spring town's own site. All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Rules here have changed several times in recent years, so check the sites listed at the bottom before you travel.

The main rule: cars stay outside the town

The tourism association says private cars, tour buses and motorbikes may not enter the hot spring street. Visitors are asked to use the parking lot in front of the Taisho Roman-kan building, at the entrance area of the town, and to change to a paid shuttle bus there.

The association gives these details for the parking lot:

• It holds 100 vehicles. Cars and motorbikes park free of charge.
• It is open from 08:30 to 17:30. You can stay after 17:30 if you tell the staff, but night use is at your own risk.
• The shuttle costs 500 yen for an all-day pass.
• The first shuttle leaves the parking lot at 09:00 and the last at 17:00. The last bus back from the hot spring street leaves at 18:00.
• There is no timetable. You call the bus by pressing the button at the bus stop.

The 2026 access notice

On 15 January 2026 the hot spring town's site posted a notice about access. It says the road is narrow, and that in snowy winters this causes trouble and slows emergency vehicles. For that reason the town limits the number of visitors who enter and runs a park-and-ride system.

The notice lists three ways to come that do not need a shuttle change. They are a day-trip bus tour run by the inns' association from Oishida Station, a day-trip bus from Tendo Onsen, and a taxi plan from Akakura Onsen. The first two guarantee entry. Taxis and other bus tours must stop at the Taisho Roman-kan and transfer to the shuttle, which needs a reservation.

The notice was written with winter in mind. We could not confirm from the page whether the same limits apply in autumn, so ask before you go.

By train and bus

The association names Oishida Station on the Yamagata Shinkansen as the rail gateway. From there you can use a route bus or a taxi. The inns' access page, parts of which date from 2023, describes the route by local bus with one change at Obanazawa. It gives about 15 minutes from Oishida to Obanazawa and about 40 minutes on from there.

From Sendai, the same page describes an express bus toward Shinjo of about 2 hours, then a change at Obanazawa and about 40 minutes more. Because that page is partly old, treat these times as a rough guide and look up the current bus timetable.

By car

The inns' access page gives these driving routes to Obanazawa Interchange and then about 30 minutes to the town:

• From Tokyo: the Tohoku and Yamagata Expressways, about 5 hours to Yamagata Junction, then the Tohoku Chuo Expressway, about 30 minutes to Obanazawa Interchange.
• From Sendai: National Route 48, about 1 hour to Higashine, then Route 13, about 30 minutes to the interchange.
• From Furukawa (northern Miyagi): National Route 347, about 1 hour 15 minutes. This road is closed in winter.

The page warns drivers never to use prefectural road 29 from Murayama City, which crosses the Seaburi Pass. It calls the road extremely narrow.

By air

The inns' page lists Yamagata Airport as the nearest airport, about 1 hour by car. We did not look at flight schedules.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Current route bus times and fares from Oishida Station.
• Whether the January 2026 visitor limits are in force this month.
• Prices and times of the inns' association bus tour and the other day-trip options.

Related guides

• What is Ginzan Onsen, and how do you walk the town?
• Can you visit Ginzan Onsen as a day trip? Baths, lamps and closures

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. Ginzan Onsen sightseeing information (Obanazawa City Tourism and Products Association, in Japanese) — (parking, shuttle, FAQ)
2. Notice on access to Ginzan Onsen, 2026 (Ginzan Onsen official site, in Japanese) — (visitor limits, tour options)
3. Access (Ginzan Onsen official site, in Japanese) — (routes by car, train and air)
4. Safety tips for travelers (Japan National Tourism Organization) — (emergency information)