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Summaries + full diarized transcripts
2020-01-09 · Ep 609 · 55m

Ginzan Onsen Yamagata Street View Experience 銀山温泉

Yamagataonsenryokanstreet foodwinter travel
Summary

Ginzan Onsen Yamagata Street View Experience 銀山温泉

Overview

Join John Daub and his wife Kanae Daub for a winter walking tour of Ginzan Onsen, one of Japan's most picturesque hot spring towns located in Yamagata Prefecture. Visiting to celebrate Kanae's birthday, the couple explores the Taisho-era architecture, traditional ryokan (inns), and the warm river that flows through the village. The video captures the unique atmosphere of the town during winter, where melting snow creates a slippery but magical environment.

John provides practical travel advice on how to reach this remote location via the Yamagata Shinkansen and local buses. He highlights the importance of booking accommodations well in advance, specifically mentioning their stay at the historic Notoya ryokan. The tour includes stops at local shops selling omiyage (souvenirs), street food tastings like karē pan (curry bread) and daifuku (mochi cakes), and a visit to a public ashiyu (foot bath).

The video also delves into the history of the area, originally a silver mining town (Ginzan means "Silver Mountain"), and discusses the cultural nuances of staying at a traditional inn, including the trust-based reservation system. Despite the melting snow reducing the typical winter accumulation, the charm of the gas-lit streets and the warm onsen water creates a memorable experience for viewers planning a trip to Tohoku.

Highlights

  • 00:03:00 John introduces Ginzan Onsen and explains the purpose of the trip: celebrating Kanae's birthday at a traditional hot spring.
  • 01:35:00 Kanae confirms this is her first time visiting Yamagata, though she has been to neighboring Akita.
  • 03:02:00 John explains the cost and value of staying at a ryokan, typically around 14,000 yen per night including meals.
  • 05:35:00 The meaning of "Ginzan Onsen" is revealed: Silver Mountain Hot Spring, referencing the abandoned silver mines.
  • 07:10:00 Introduction to the ashiyu (foot bath) available for day-trippers in the middle of the village.
  • 08:44:00 A look inside a local confectionery shop selling watermelon pickles and edamame manju.
  • 12:40:00 John tests the temperature of the foot bath water, noting the sulfuric smell characteristic of onsen.
  • 15:31:00 Identification of the iconic Furuyama Kaku ryokan, often compared to the bathhouse in Spirited Away.
  • 27:18:00 Visit to a kokeshi (wooden doll) shop, a famous craft of the Tohoku region.
  • 29:42:00 Street food tasting session begins with goma karinto and karē pan.
  • 36:15:00 Arrival at the waterfall in Hakugin-koen park at the end of the street.
  • 39:02:00 John discusses the old-school reservation system at Notoya, based on trust rather than credit cards.
  • 47:25:00 Tasting edamame daifuku, highlighting Yamagata's famous soybeans.
  • 51:49:00 Final thoughts on the beauty of Ginzan Onsen at night when the gas lights illuminate the snow.

Timeline / Chapters

  • 00:00:00 Introduction and Birthday Celebration Context
  • 01:30:00 Walking into the Village & Snow Conditions
  • 03:00:00 Ryokan Costs and Booking Advice
  • 05:30:00 History of Ginzan (Silver Mine)
  • 07:00:00 Foot Bath (Ashiyu) and Tofu Shop
  • 08:30:00 Confectionery Shop Tour
  • 12:30:00 Testing the Foot Bath Water
  • 14:00:00 Taisho Era Architecture & Furuyama Kaku
  • 27:00:00 Kokeshi Doll Shop & Street Food Hunt
  • 32:00:00 Picnic in Hakugin-koen Park
  • 36:00:00 The Waterfall at the End of the Street
  • 39:00:00 Notoya Ryokan Reservation Story
  • 47:00:00 Edamame Daifuku Tasting
  • 51:00:00 Final Recommendations & Night View Description

Japan Travel Tips

  • Getting There: Take the Yamagata Shinkansen to Oishida Station (approx. 3 hours from Tokyo), then a 40-minute bus ride to Ginzan Onsen.
  • Booking: Reserve ryokan accommodations at least 3 months in advance, especially for popular places like Notoya.
  • Cost: Expect to pay around 14,000 yen ($130 USD) per person per night, typically including breakfast and dinner.
  • Clothing: Wear shoes with good grip; the streets can be icy and slippery due to melting snow. Dress in subdued colors to blend with the traditional atmosphere.
  • Timing: Visit at night when day-trippers leave to experience the peaceful, gas-lit ambiance.
  • Etiquette: Ryokan check-in is usually around 2 p.m. and check-out at 11 a.m. Some traditional inns operate on a trust system without credit card pre-authorization.
  • Foot Baths: Public ashiyu are available for day visitors; bring a towel and be careful as the water is extremely hot.

Japanese Language & Culture Notes

  • Ginzan Onsen (銀山温泉): Literally "Silver Mountain Hot Spring." Named after the abandoned silver mines that once operated in the area.
  • Ryokan (旅館): Traditional Japanese inn. Staying at one is considered a cultural experience involving kaiseki meals and onsen baths.
  • Ashiyu (足湯): Foot baths. Publicly available hot spring water pools where visitors can soak their feet without undressing.
  • Omiyage (お土産): Souvenirs. John mentions looking for omiyage for Patreon supporters (transcript occasionally mishears this as "daimyo").
  • Konnyaku (こんにゃく): A jelly-like food made from the konjac yam. Tama konnyaku are ball-shaped skewers often served in oden or hot pots.
  • Taisho Era (大正時代): Historical period (1912–1926). Many buildings in Ginzan Onsen date from this era, giving the town its retro charm.
  • Kokeshi (こけし): Traditional wooden dolls without arms or legs, crafted as toys for children. Famous in the Tohoku region.
  • Itadakimasu (いただきます): Phrase said before eating, meaning "I humbly receive."

Food & Drink Guide

  • Kaiseki Ryori (懐石料理): Multi-course traditional dinner served at the ryokan. Features locally sourced ingredients. 00:03:00
  • Yonezawa Gyu (米沢牛): Premium Wagyu beef from the region. Often featured in ryokan meals. 18:20:00
  • Tofu: Freshly made tofu available at a standing shop near the foot bath. 11:40:00
  • Karē Pan (カレーパン): Curry bread (fried dough filled with curry). Tried at a local shop near the park. 29:42:00
  • Daifuku (大福): Mochi cake with filling. John tries suika daifuku (watermelon) and edamame daifuku. 29:42:00
  • Goma Karinto (ごまかりんと): Sesame fried dough snack. Purchased as a souvenir. 08:44:00
  • Suika Zuke (西瓜漬け): Pickled watermelon. A Yamagata specialty made from unripe baby watermelons. 08:44:00
  • Edamame Manju (枝豆まんじゅう): Steamed buns filled with edamame paste. 08:44:00

People

  • John Daub: Host and creator of Only in Japan Go. American expat living in Japan for 30+ years. Guides the tour and provides cultural context.
  • Kanae Daub: John's wife. Joining John for her birthday celebration. This is her first time visiting Yamagata Prefecture.
  • Live Stream Viewers: Various viewers interact via chat (Brian Collins, Benevale, Rajiv Bhat, etc.), sending birthday wishes and questions.

Key Takeaways

  • Ginzan Onsen is highly popular and requires booking accommodations months in advance.
  • The town is compact and manageable for a day trip, but staying overnight offers a peaceful night experience.
  • Traditional ryokan in this area often operate on trust, sometimes without credit card pre-authorization.
  • The river water remains warm due to onsen runoff, preventing it from freezing even in winter.
  • Yamagata is famous for high-quality edamame and watermelon pickles.

Notable Quotes

  • 00:03:00 "Hot springs in Japan are the best places to go in the winter. It's a chance to experience traditional Japanese culture."
  • 03:02:00 "You have to try a ryokan, I would say for two nights because it stinks to get kicked out at 11 a.m. for checkout."
  • 05:35:00 "Ginzan Onsen means silver mine because there's an abandoned silver mine that we might be able to take you to."
  • 12:40:00 "I can smell it also—sulfuric smell, kind of like an egg. That's the mark of an onsen."
  • 39:02:00 "In Japan, people don't cancel. Once you make a reservation, you don't cancel... It's trust."
  • 51:49:00 "This place glows like a fantasy land. It's like heaven... Very beautiful. You feel like you're really in Japan here."

Related Topics

  • Tohoku Region Travel
  • Japanese Ryokan Etiquette
  • Onsen Culture in Japan
  • Winter Festivals in Yamagata
  • Traditional Japanese Crafts (Kokeshi)

Search Tags

#only-in-japan-go #tokyo #travel #ginzan-onsen #yamagata #onsen #ryokan #winter-travel #tohoku #street-food #japanese-culture #hot-spring #noto-ya #obanazawa #silver-mine #kaiseki #kokeshi #daifuku #japan-vlog


Full Transcript

00:03:00 John Daub: Welcome to Ginzan Onsen. Welcome to Yamagata everybody. We're here at Ginzan Onsen, going to take you on a walking adventure. Yesterday was Kanae Daub's birthday. That's why we're here to celebrate at a traditional Japanese hot spring. Hot springs in Japan are the best places to go in the winter. It's a chance to experience traditional Japanese culture. Staying at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) allows you to eat kaiseki ryori (multi-course Japanese meal), which is a very traditional cuisine with many dishes all over the table. We did that yesterday. You can see that on Instagram—Only in Japan TV is my handle. Let's explore Ginzan Onsen. Here we go. Kanae, you can start walking. Action.

00:49:00 John Daub: Yeah, actually see the snow here? That's not a lot of snow. This has melted a lot over just the last 24 hours. Yesterday it was raining, not snowing. We don't want to lose the snow because it loses its charm. You're going to see in about two or three minutes we're going to enter the village and it's pretty unique. Here they are making sure the ice is off the streets, but more importantly the staff is making sure snow does not fall onto people's heads. Do you see that up there on the roof? Those living in Singapore might not know, but if it starts to melt, it's going to be a big problem. If it melts underneath, it will all come crashing down and could land on somebody's head.

01:35:00 John Daub: Kanae, is it your first time in Ginzan Onsen?

01:49:00 Kanae Daub: Yes. It's my first time in Yamagata.

01:52:00 John Daub: Wow. First time in Tohoku?

01:56:00 Kanae Daub: No, I came to Akita a few times.

02:00:00 John Daub: Akita-ken (Akita Prefecture). Yeah, that's just north of here. Yamagata is a little bit off the beaten track. There is a Yamagata Shinkansen, which is how we got here, but it's not a true Shinkansen. It doesn't go in excess of 300 kilometers per hour. That one is about 120 kilometers per hour and they just make the train go faster on the local gauge. But that's still better than the local train. This is where a lot of the buses and taxis drop you off. From about this point it's very hard to go into the town. Those who have been to Ginzan are probably shaking their heads, yeah, I remember this. It's very nostalgic. Oh, so we're staying at this place called Notoya. It's a really nice traditional place. It is the center of all the pictures you see from this area. And says exclusive for hotel guests, this parking lot. We didn't drive here, but maybe we should have.

03:02:00 John Daub: Hey, Brian Collins, thanks. Keep up the great videos. Love all the content. Much appreciated. We can try some street food, but we're going to have to get to 300 likes real fast. Thank you. This is where you also find some of the buses from the other ryokan. Ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, R-Y-O-K-A-N. And if you do come to Japan, you're going to want to stay at a ryokan. Absolutely. The prices are going to be high because you're getting two meals typically. I think you can opt out, but I wouldn't. Oh, now the onsen's starting to come into view. You can opt out of the meals, but I wouldn't because they're very traditional Japanese meals prepared by a very good chef. Their reputation is staked on that. So it's usually about 14,000 yen or about $130 a night. And that seems a little high to some people, but it's so worth it. You have to try a ryokan, I would say for two nights because it stinks to get kicked out at 11 a.m. for checkout.

04:09:00 John Daub: You can see some of the snow on here. It's been raining. Do you see the drops coming off there? It's not rain, it's melting snow. And last night, that's all we could hear—tippity-tip, tippity-tip as it fell onto the ground outside our window. I'd almost rather have some rain because it's enough to drive you crazy like a clock ticking in the background. They're doing some construction work over there. There's a vending machine blending into the area. And down here, you start to see the river. This river is more like a stream, but it's always warm. It doesn't freeze because of the onsen water getting put into here. The temperatures of the river are pretty warm mixing in with the cold water. The water seems so clear. Yeah, the water is very clear here. There's a confection store. Maybe we'll take a quick look inside there. But I want to tell you a little bit about Ginzan Onsen from this point, with the glorious drills in the background. It's all part of the experience. This is the Ginzan Onsen experience. Only in Japan Go—this is what you subscribe for. Amazing live streams from the middle of the countryside.

05:35:00 John Daub: Yeah, it is pretty icy. You gotta watch yourself here. Slipity-slide. So Ginzan Onsen is in the center of Yamagata, which is actually not that far from Sendai, the capital of Tohoku. It's the biggest city north of Tokyo. Ginzan Onsen means silver mine because there's an abandoned silver mine that we might be able to take you to. Gin meaning silver, zan meaning mountain. After the silver boom, tourism took over. It was featured in a Japanese TV series, which made it popular. So a lot of Japanese started to come here. And we can blame CNN for bringing in the foreign tourists. Now I'd say it's like 50% Chinese tourists. Not that there's anything wrong with it—it's good for the economy. But they come in tour buses and walk with a lady with a flag, taking over the area with clicking photos. Everybody dresses in hot pink and orange. Kind of dress for the part in Japan.

07:10:00 John Daub: But this is the view, and it's going to get even more impressive. In front of you in the middle after you get into the village is a foot bath, ashiyu (foot bath). Anybody can use this, even on a day trip, you can soak your feet. But I got to warn you, it's extremely hot. On the left here is a little hut that belongs to the tofu shop behind it. That's a standing tofu shop. Maybe we'll get some tofu.

07:41:00 John Daub: Benevale's here. Thank you. Gem Defensor. Good morning, John and Kanae. I'm still going to stroll with you today. I want to go to Ginzan as well. Definitely got to come here. All right, let's take a look inside here. We're only going to go inside for a very short period. We're going to wait and eat some street food a little bit further down. I want you to stay tuned until the end because we have a waterfall at the end of the street that's extraordinary. So you're going to see a waterfall—you're going to want to watch this until the end.

08:27:00 Kanae Daub: Inside?

08:44:00 John Daub: Oh, there's the watermelon pickles. Oh, that's somen (thin noodles). Yesterday we had watermelon pickles. Watermelon noodles—that's pretty cool. And then these are the edamame manju (steamed buns). Look, this one is taman konnyaku (konnyaku balls). We ate this for breakfast. Yeah, konnyaku (devil's tongue yam) is the glutinous potato balls. It's very famous here in Yamagata. We had that for breakfast. This is the big omiyage (souvenir), and I'm not sure if I'm going to put this in the omiyage box. This is called goma karinto (sesame fried dough). But it does come in a nice box. We're thinking about that for the omiyage. You're always on the prowl for good omiyage gifts. All right, let's get out of here and go towards the river. It's nice and warm in here.

09:54:00 John Daub: Hey, Rajiv Bhat, you are amazing. Thank you for the animated emoji. How cool is that? Maggie W. Hi, John and Kanae. Enjoy your beautiful getaway. Thank you for your awesome videos. You're very welcome. Alexis Kachel. Hey, John. It's Saki. How far is Ginzan from Sendai? I've always wanted to go to the onsen there. I'm not sure—we came from Tokyo, but we'll try to figure that out for you.

10:21:00 John Daub: We're back here. There's a couple of things I want to show you. We're going to go towards the foot bath. It's not that big. The thing is, Ginzan Onsen is not that big. It's manageable in a day trip, I think. But we're staying here because at night, when everyone goes home, the day trippers go home, it's really peaceful. It's a different experience. Here's your sign: Welcome to Ginzan hot spring. In Japanese, we say onsen. This one is the map. It's a local map—better than Google Maps. So we just crossed the bridge. We're here, and we stay in this ryokan. We saw the waterfalls, and this is the waterfall at the end. That's what you guys are waiting for. We're going to take you there. So let's go and do it. We're going to follow this road, follow the river. If you ever watch Instagram or social media, every time they show Japan in the winter, they show this place. They overshow it.

11:24:00 John Daub: I remember we were talking last night with the hotel owner.

11:39:00 Kanae Daub: Tofu?

11:40:00 John Daub: Yeah, this is the tofu standing bar. I'm not sure I want tofu—we just had tofu for breakfast. They serve beer, though. Look at that. They have ebi (shrimp) on the bottom. You can get freshly made tofu for about $2. Oh, so they have ashiyu here. So I think in summer you can eat standing tofu on ashiyu. Foot bath is called ashiyu. Here's the rushing water. It never freezes because it's warm. There's some of the runoff coming from the mountain. Do you see that? That's also hot water. Now, there's a lot of abandoned silver mines here. That's why it has its name, Ginzan, Silver Mountain. The miners would always soak in the baths. They had special secret powers—they were able to mine a little bit longer because this place has always had hot water.

12:40:00 John Daub: Here's the foot baths. You can sit here. You can see it steaming. Can you see that through the 720p? Yeah, I can smell it also—sulfuric smell, kind of like an egg. That's the mark of an onsen. Not all onsens have that smell, by the way. This one, the steam is piping out from underneath the bench. Oh yeah, big whiff of sulfuric smoke. Hey, Chalino Sanchez watching from Carson City, Nevada. That's really cool. Thumbs up for Kanae. Hey, now. It's onsen. All right, this is bubbling up onsen water. It's hot. It's very hot. I don't think you can put your hand in there for more than five seconds.

13:48:00 John Daub: How long can you hold your hand there, Kanae?

13:49:00 Kanae Daub: Maybe one second.

13:53:00 John Daub: Okay, I can beat that. One, two, three, four, five. It's going to get red.

14:01:00 Kanae Daub: It's going to get red.

14:11:00 John Daub: Let's make our way now to some of the older buildings. A lot of these old ryokan go back to the Taisho era, early 20th century. Not too many are original. This one is a really nice one. If we go across these little bridges, you can get a better idea. It is a really charming place, as CNN puts it. Unfortunately, they put it too often. Leave this village alone—the people here don't want too many tourists. There are so many tourists, it's very hard to book. We had to book over three months in advance. When we were dropped off, we had to walk all the way to the ryokan this way. Here's that building I was showing you. This village is very close along the riverside. You can stay here—this is a ryokan.

15:22:00 Kanae Daub: Furuyama Kaku?

15:31:00 John Daub: Furuyama Kaku. The way I read it might be wrong. I guess could be a little bit Spirited Away. I bet there's some elements from here as well as Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama, Shikoku. Oh, there's some ice making its way. Iceberg! Had to be done. This is a very famous site. We're going to get a little closer, but you can already see that building. You see the one with the little teeny hut on top? That's where we're staying—Notoya. That building goes back to Taisho 10, like 1921 or something. It's beautiful, really. Very nice.

16:27:00 John Daub: It's just a warm front coming through. I was hoping the rain yesterday was going to be snow, but it wasn't. Between the buildings you can see there's still some snow, but it's melting fast. Again, it's falling into the river, so you see bits and pieces. That's not normal—usually the snow is accumulating. We're going to make our way really slowly, and right in front of us you can see a brand new ryokan. They had renovations going on, but this one is done. It's very modern looking but made to look a little old. We kind of walked halfway inside and it was really plush. I like the old style, but a little bit of new amenities is not bad either. This one has an onsen bath up on the top. They throw open the windows so you get the cold air with the hot water. That air just sinks into your soul, refreshing you. We have an open air bath as well at Notoya. I'll tell you about it later, but we have a secret bath. Stick to the end—you'll hear some information about Notoya, which is really cool. We might do a live stream inside the room tonight to introduce what the ryokan room looks like.

18:18:00 Kanae Daub: I can't read it.

18:20:00 John Daub: Are you serious? This is your country. Yeah, I definitely can't read it. It's kind of hard. I just wanted you to soak this in a little bit—the sound of the rushing water. People come here to relax, to really reset. It's not the city. There's not a lot to do here besides relax, which is good. Sound of the rushing water. I guess they turned this off. I don't think there's any fish in the water, but there are fish in the streams around. And at the ryokan you're staying at, you're going to get food that's all locally sourced, or a vast percentage from here in Yamagata—the vegetables, the fish. Yonezawa gyu (Yonezawa beef), a very famous brand of wagyu, is also represented in a lot of the meals. It's very expensive, but Yonezawa has a very natural habitat, so the wagyu is extremely tasty. Amazing marbling. Again, if you go onto Instagram, you'll see a picture—Kanae and I had dinner last night inside the room.

20:31:00 John Daub: That's our ryokan, where we're staying right now. It's an older building, so it's actually not as expensive as I thought because it's iconic. This is the one you'll see in every picture with that top floor. Again, it's about $130 a night per person because it's mostly about the food. But it's hard to get reservations. This is a popular spot. There's the alleys between—the parts they never show you unless you're on a live stream. Between the buildings, you see here there's some pipes. This takes all of the melting water from the roof and puts it into the river. It's now dripping into the river. The reason is so that it prevents big chunks of snow from falling on people. We saw some chunks fall yesterday, and yeah, it can be dangerous. They can fall at any time. It's raining here off of the buildings. We're getting wet from the water—it's melting snow. Oh, that was a steady stream.

22:01:00 John Daub: A lot of people taking pictures in front of our ryokan. I'm proud we're staying here because it wasn't easy. We really had to fight to get the reservation. I'll tell you a little bit about that at the end. This is a beautiful building from Taisho 10, early 20th century. A nice drawing on the side here. That's why you want to get a room off the river—because as you sleep, the sound of the rushing water is so nice. Alright, watch your step.

23:12:00 John Daub: Oh, they took down the board, Kanae. They had my name up here on the board. They said John Daub from Tokyo. It's gone. There's been some privacy issues where people don't want traditional ryokans to announce who's staying there. But when I got there, I was pretty happy. I don't mind. Oh, what is this, Kanae? It looks like a water gun. I guess in case there's a fire. Yeah, it's for fire. These buildings are all made of wood, so they have a way to spray. I think it's very old style. Oh, look at the smoky stairways. You see the steam rising up? It's amazing that we have a signal out here. I hope you're getting 720p because it's just beautiful. Let's see if we can get to 500 likes, guys. We got some street food coming up. This is a playback, so if you're watching this and not live, make sure the live chat is going so you can see what everyone's writing. If you want, write in where you're watching from. We have a very international audience sharing this experience with us deep in Japan.

25:33:00 John Daub: Let's make our way. There's a lot of nice gift shops. Many of these buildings have been renovated. This looks very new—it's a good thing. This is the booze shop. We got to buy something. I should have gotten one for my dad. We're here for another night. I love these cats going come on in. Ah, hamster. Little buddy. We're almost there. We're getting to our goal, the waterfall, but depending on your likes, we might stop for some street food. We're still short—150 likes. Oh, there's the foot bath, and now we're going towards the waterfall. We walked down, crossed the bridge over. Now we're right here at the end, but there's a place to get some street food, so we're going to do that. Kaneda writes in, happy birthday, Kanae. Thank you so much. She's getting birthday wishes all through the night. People were sending her emails. I'm so happy.

27:18:00 John Daub: This is the kokeshi (wooden dolls) shop. Kokeshi are very famous in this region, Yamagata, Miyagi, Tohoku—they're dolls made out of wood. You can see there's the artist right there. He sure made a lot. They come in various sizes, and if you ask an artist, they can make a depiction for you. But I'm guessing—Oshin Kokeshi. Oshin is a Japanese old drama—very popular. They shot here, so that's the kokeshi. If some Japanese people watching know Oshin—yeah, definitely. The snow melting. And there's a soba festival? How cool is that? It's in November. So this shop is famous for karē pan (curry bread). Karē pan is like a curry donut. We tried to go in here last night, but it was closed early. Maybe we'll get something here, but we're 30 likes short. How strict should I be? Okay, alright. Can you get two? It's on JAL—they serve them on JAL flights, first class. Whoa, first class only? Well, we're not first class, but we're going to take one. Let's get one. You have to get them inside the shop. Here's the karē pan I was talking about. They have a coffee and curry set. Do you want to try karē pan? Let's try one karē pan and one daifuku (mochi cake).

29:42:00 John Daub: We did hit the 500 like threshold. Now got to go to a thousand. We've only done 1000 likes in a live stream once, and that one went viral. Once again, this is the goma karinto. Oh, this is a chocolate sable. These are onsen manju. So we're always looking for something interesting for the omiyage for our Patreon supporters. We send packages. There's one still left. They make watermelon pickles here. You want to try karinto? Oh, this is karinto? It's got sesame on it—sweet, made of rice. Interesting. Hey, Alice. This isn't the type of weather we were expecting—it's too warm. Goma (sesame). The good thing about the store is you can get coffee or green tea from it. They even have a booth—I guess in summer people line up. Oh, wow, check it out—there's suika daifuku (watermelon daifuku). They really like daifuku here. Oh, we got this one. And they have ice cream. I'm not eating ice cream in the snow. Look at how discolored the road's been from this steady stream of onsen water with minerals. The minerals discolor just about anything.

32:01:00 John Daub: Alice writes in, why stop at 500? Let's go to 1,000 likes for Kanae. Trudging on YouTube—Kanae, 1,000 likes. Thank you for her birthday party. There's another one of these fire hydrants. I guess they're hand-cranked—how cool is that? A lot of these buildings are made of wood at its core. That looks like it's left over from the old silver mining days. This is a park, getting close to the end of the path. That doesn't mean the end of the stream. That's a nice looking restroom. Alright, I guess can try it here—this is a nice clearing. Eat it in the park, a little picnic. How do you say this park? Hakugin-koen (White Silver Park)? Are you going to try? Seriously, you want a picnic on the ice? Oh my word. Alright, as you like. So we're going to try karē pan first. Look at the karē pan. How is it? A little bit warm. Itadakimasu (let's eat). Show us the guts. Oh, a curry—nice. You're not going to want lunch. Is this our lunch? I guess this is lunch. It's good, but it'd be better if it was yakitate (freshly baked). It's better if it comes right out of the fryer. It's okay.

34:49:00 John Daub: They're taking pictures of me. Hey, guys, welcome to Japan. How is the curry? More salty than spicy. Not up to my spiciness—the Indian in me is going, crank up the spice. Kanai did take a big bite. I think she had more than half. Although the ryokan gave her birthday wine, and she couldn't drink it, so I got to drink that.

36:15:00 John Daub: This is the waterfall in the park, and it's gushing. I hope there's a signal here. Let's see if we can get to 1,000 likes for Kanae. Happy birthday. It is gushing, and the thing is, that's warm water.

36:42:00 Kanae Daub: I don't think so.

36:46:00 John Daub: No, don't ruin it. I was psyching myself up to go in there in my underwear, but now you've ruined it. Wow, that is a gusher. If that was an onsen waterfall, there would be people in there, right? So obviously it's cold. Hey, it's nice to see Bela. Happy birthday, Kanae. My mom and I are watching from Chicago. Awesome. Kanae prefers the small waterfall—less violent, peaceful. You got to think big. She's more into the beauty, I'm more into the big. In spring you can do hiking around here. It's kind of a shame that because of the snow, our hotel told us not to go hiking up into the mountains. With all the melting snow, it's actually more dangerous. There's the water rushing past the barrier we walked by, all going through the village. We're going to take you back there because we have to—that's our ryokan, and we're going to take you into it a little bit.

39:02:00 John Daub: So we're staying at Notoya, a very famous place here—old building. Just listen. We made the reservation by telephone, old school. No credit card information, no reservation confirmation email. We gave them our name and told them when we're arriving—that was it. They didn't require anything. In Japan, people don't cancel. Once you make a reservation, you don't cancel.

39:31:00 Kanae Daub: Normally.

39:37:00 John Daub: We had no confirmation email—like they could have just canceled it. We were a little worried because it was unusual—old style to do business. We still have not paid for anything. They don't have credit card info—we could run away and never pay. They didn't check my ID. This is old school—I like it. It's trust. And of course we're going to pay them. It's interesting that old traditions still live on in places like this. The ryokan has an old style—even the building is from Taisho 10. The walls are thin. We can hear people jumping on the floor above us. Staying in an old ryokan has a lot of character. But more important, the service is like a throwback from an era where people trusted each other. If they don't, they probably have katana—if you don't pay, samurai laws.

41:04:00 Kanae Daub: Actually you worried about the reservation a lot.

41:08:00 John Daub: I was. Then I said, are you sure? Can you call them? So we called just to make sure they still had our reservation, and they confirmed. It's a little nervous because if you're traveling four hours from Tokyo to an onsen, you want to make sure it's not canceled. They probably don't even digitalize it—it's all written in a book. That's onsen runoff. So there you go—that's the waterfall. Behind here is the silver mine, not that far away. Up on the hill is another ryokan with a wonderful view. I'm curious about this way, Kanae—we haven't been this way. Look at the wave. There's always water flowing. The color of the pathway is bright orange from minerals. Oh, what is that? No drone zone. I haven't used the drone yet. Bee is here a lot. Oh, there are a lot of bumblebees? I'll use the drone up by the taxi place. Oh, it's raining. This is a pathway to get to the silver mine.

43:23:00 Kanae Daub: Can I go in there?

43:24:00 John Daub: I'll give you five dollars if you go in there. That was too easy. Keep going. Make sure there's no bears or bees. Oh, did you find something? I can't go in there because we're going to lose the signal, but you can see the condensation on the roof. We're not sure. It's not a sewer. Cafe Logis writes it's like a sewer—maybe. But we cannot go deeper. Daughter's like go, go. We got some people encouraging us to do bad things. Look, we know better. She's wiser now—not going to do it. Last year she would have, but now she's wiser.

45:07:00 John Daub: Wait, we have the other confection—the daifuku. What you're seeing is something I cannot send to you. Alright, do it. Wait, so that's mochi? Daifuku. Why is this mochi brown? It's koda-mai (type of rice). Okay, so that's mochi. That's not red bean—Chris, this is edamame. It has a sweet and slightly salty taste, like salty caramel but natural. This is so good. That's not wasabi—it's edamame. Who wrote wasabi? It's not matcha either. No, it's edamame. This is so good. I like it. I should have bought more. Oh, we got to take some back. Arigato. It's edamame. This area, Tohoku, is very famous for good edamame. The edamame season here is a little bit later because the ground is colder than in Tokyo.

47:25:00 John Daub: So those tuning in right now, we're at Ginzan Onsen in Yamagata Prefecture—one of the more famous onsens. CNN dubs it the most charming winter village. Thanks a lot, CNN—you've ruined the place. Now everyone's coming—a lot of day trippers. You can come here by Shinkansen to Oishida Station. It's about three hours from Tokyo to Oishida, then a 40-minute bus ride to Ginzan Onsen—usually by the ryokan you're staying at. JR also runs some buses. Check-in is usually around 2 p.m., check-out at 11. Traditional Japanese inns typically cost about $130-$140, 14,000 yen, and you get two meals—breakfast and dinner—and they're fabulous. That's the reason you pay for that. So if you come to Japan, get away from the apa hotels and cheap places. Splurge for two nights on a traditional Japanese inn—it is so worth it.

49:03:00 John Daub: We're going to end by taking you to the end of the street. Kanae's going to say goodbye because she's cold. You can go into the hotel.

49:10:00 Kanae Daub: Okay. We're going to take onsen again.

49:17:00 John Daub: Yeah, I'm going after this live stream—back in the onsen. We're going to heat up, then go eat some lunch, read a book, and do some filming for the main channel. Our ryokan is not media friendly—they didn't really want us to film too much because they don't want too many tourists. It's slippery—careful. Are you going to go inside? Okay, I'm just going to shut your mic off. We've been using these mics for live streaming. Alright, I'll see you in five minutes. We'll say goodbye from the door. I'm shimmying across the ice. Look how small she is compared to this massive hotel. See you later. I'll be back soon. The rain's starting to come down. Oh, there's the mail truck. Japanese mail is so fast. Only these small little cars can drive on the paths here. That old guy had such amazing speed.

51:49:00 John Daub: Last look at the onsen here—I highly recommend this place, but be warned: you have to make a reservation, especially at Notoya and some famous places, at least three months if not more. If you can manage it, start planning for summer now, or for fall around February—which is beautiful here because all those trees have different colored leaves. But it's one of these places at night when all these people go home or into their hotels—they turn on these gas-powered lights that glisten with the crystal in them. This place glows like a fantasy land. It's like heaven—kind of cold up there. With all the hot water you think it's more like hell, but it's really heaven. Very beautiful. You feel like you're really in Japan here. And you're gonna see this image more because social media will tag you and track you. But it's such an ideal spot to relax. I'm glad we're here for two nights, and I hope you come here too. If the title of your video is helpful, you'll now know what it's really like and if it's worth it—a slice of nature. Be aware that in winter there's not as much to do—no hiking, but a lot of eating. And that's great because Japanese food is amazing, especially when sourced right here. The suika zuke (watermelon pickles) are crazy good—they take baby watermelons that aren't ripe yet and pickle them. Wow, it's a Yamagata thing. Maybe I'll buy some and show you tonight if we do a room tour. We have a really nice tatami room—not a very good view because we got one of the last rooms available, but it's lovely with a bath and everything. They'll have the hotel to ourselves because most people only stay a night—that's why you want to stay two.

54:51:00 John Daub: Alright guys, this is all from Ginzan Onsen. Thanks so much for joining us for the hour. If you have any questions, leave a comment below. If you're watching the playback, definitely subscribe because you want to catch these live—it's more fun watching the comments. And I still have some KitKats, so if you go to Instagram, Only in Japan TV, leave a comment on my KitKat picture—you still have a chance to win a bag. I have four bags I'm sending out as soon as we get back. Have a good day, have a good night everybody from Ginzan Onsen. See you a little bit later. We're going to soak in a hot tub, take a hot bath right now. Bye guys.

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