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Exciting Experience Tour in Shinjo (EETS)

The Best Float in Kabuki Section (Shinjo History Museum)

Shinjo Station Building

The Best Float by Shinjo Station Master (Shinjo Station, Teminal for Yamagata Shinkansen Bullet Train)

Wearing 'Happi' Coat (Shinjo History Museum)

The Musical Instruments (Shinjo History Museum)

Shinjo Manga Comics Museum (Yume-area at Shinjo Station)

The Statue of Matsuo Basho, Haiku Poem Master (Motoaikai)

Basho-maru Boat (Tozawa Village)

Mogami River Song

Shira-Ito-no-Taki, The White Thread Waterfall

Boat

Boatman and Me

Genso-no-Mori, Fantasy Forest

Cedar Forest

Funny-shaped Curved Cedar Trees

The Sign of Takaya Station

Takaya Station( the nearest station for the boatride)

The View from the Takaya Station

Exciting Experience Tour in Shinjo (EETS)

Art, Culture, & Historical

Joined 2017

Kuniaki S.

4.89 / 5

(9 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

Yamagata

English

6 hrs 30 mins

Private tour (only you and Kuniaki S.)

Up to 8 people

You can experience three exciting things in this tour. First, you can see Shinjo Festival float ( Intangible World Cultural Heritage), and play the "hayashi" music at the museum, wearing a "happy" coat. Second, you can enjoy a thrilling boatride down the Mogami River, like Matsuo Basho, a haiku poem master from about 400 years ago. Third, you can hike in "Genso-no-mori", Fantasy Forest.

Itinerary

This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!

09:00 AM

Meeting Point

At Shinjo Station

09:00 AM

Shinjo Station and History Museum (10-mnt walk from the station)

At Shinjo Station and Shinjo History Museum you can observe three Shinjo Matsuri Festival (UNESCO Intangible World Cultural Heritage) Floats. They are so gorgeous to look at that you'll be amaze d at their beauty.

Spend about an hour and walk back to the station (10 mnts)

Then take a train (now a substitute bus) or a taxi to the boat embarkation site.

12:00 PM

Mogami River Boatride Boarding House

We take a boat down the Mogami River, which is breathtaking because of its magnificent view all around you.

You can enjoy a bento (boxed lunch ) and sake while boarding. (Booking needed)

It's about an hour ride on a boat.

At the disembarkation site, you can buy some souvenirs if you like.

02:00 PM

Genso-no-mori (Fantasy Forest)

We can enjoy taking a walk through the Genso-no-mori (Fantasy Forest) for

about an hour.

You will feel like you are in a totally different world, a far cry from the reality.

You must have a special respect for nature's greatness, I'm sure.

We need to take a taxi ( about 20 mnts) from the boat embarkation site to the forest.

We take a taxi back to JR Furukuchi St. (30 mnts) to take a substitute bus bound for Shinjo St. (40 mnts)

Ending Point

At Shinjo Station

Want to personalize this tour?

This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.

Inclusions & Exclusions

What‘s included

Guide fee, Hotel pick-up in Shinjo City

What‘s not included

Transportation fee (you and guide) : Chartered Small Taxi (Max: 4 people ¥7,000(per hour), Chartered Jumbo Taxi (Max: 9 ￥10,000 (per hour), Approximately ¥3,000 ( per person in case of using public transport : JR trains and buses), Boat-ride ¥ 2800 (per person), Lunch ¥3,000, Museum Admission Fee ¥300 (per person)

Tour Important Information

Shinjo Festival is registered as a UNESCO Intangible World Cultural Heritage along with Japan’s 32 festivals featuring floats. If you are interested in float festivals, this is a must-see in Japan. You can not only observe the spectacular floats, but also experience the atmosphere of the festival, wearing a ”happy” coat and performing the ” hayashi” music. In fact the festival is held from August 24th to 26th every year. This tour takes you to the spots and facilities related to it.

Also you can enjoy an exciting boat ride down the swift Mogami River (the 8th longest in Japan, about 230 kms) , which runs through Yamagata-ken only. Matsuo Basho, haiku (17-syllabled poem) master took the same trip about 400 years ago and wrote a world-famous haiku, which read: Flowing so swiftly, Gathering early summer rains; the Mogami River. Why not try making your own haiku on a boat?

Lastly, definitely you 'd like to visit "Genso-no-mori", which literally means " Fantasy Forest". We can see and hike around a lot of one-thousand-year-old funny-shaped cedar trees. The strange curves are said to have been caused by an annual heavy snowfall, which is usually more than 3-to-4-meter deep.

The itinerary is very flexible. I can adjust the schedule to your liking. So, please let me know your reference in advance.

Important message from the supplier

I'm available from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Saturday.

Transportation fee and lunch of you and a guide will be paid by the customer.

If you book me before making inquiries, please note that you may be requested to pay extra guide fee for hotel pickup (about 5,000 yen) depending on the location. So, please ask me first.

Cancellation Policy

Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time

Joined 2017

Kuniaki S.

4.89 / 5

(9 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

About Tour Guide Kuniaki S.

I've been involved in English education at public junior high school and prefectural board of education for more than 40 years as a teacher, teachers' consultant and a principal.Now retired, I’m very interested in introducing many places of historical interest and scenic beauty in my hometown to international visitors to Japan.My motto in life is ”once-in-a-lifetime encounter”. I'm more than happy to help make your trip the most impressive one.

Why don't you get off the beaten track and visit Shinjo and Mogami regions? Shinjo City is now world-famous for its Shinjo Festival, registered by UNESCO as an Intangible World Cultural Heritage, December in 2016. I’m sure that you can definitely enjoy both the festival and the subtle harmony between man and nature in this area.

Reviews

Ann C.

5 / 5

Jan 27, 2026

Ann's Spiritual Visit to her Ancestral Homeland, Oishida

Jan 27, 2026

Yamagata

6 hours 30 mins

Customized

“Family Heritage Tour”

Our guide Kuniaki S was exemplary in connecting us with lost relatives, helping us track down historical documents, and locating our ancestral burial site and temple, all the while teaching us about local customs and stories. He created a tour that was transformative for our family. I still marvel at how he made this happen as it is not the usual kind of tour, and think it is because he has a deep ethic to make a visitor’s wishes come true. And to that end, he persists, overcoming hurdles and challenges and thinking creatively to ensure a memorable and tailored experience. He is also fun and energetic, delighting in storytelling and easy to talk with. Our family feels blessed to have found Kuniaki S, and indeed, we hope to be guided by him again. Ann Curry

Kuniaki S.

Thank you so much indeed for writing me such a fantastic review! What's so special about this tour is that it was a literally unique "family heritage tour" dedicated to you and your folks, which is far from an ordinary sightseeing one. To achieve this aim, we repeatedly discuss the schedule to create the best itinerary ever. Based on your information, I got in touch with , or even visited the relatives, temple, local facilities, and the municipal offices to smooth the path. Thanks to your great cooperation, it all bore fruit. Now I'm more than happy that you all are satisfied with this tour. I do hope to see you all again on your next trip to Oishida. Wishing this tour will hold a special place in your treasure box of memories. Kuniaki S (Guide Name: Pure Water)

Julieta V.

5 / 5

Apr 14, 2025

Hands-on Exciting and Exploring Tour in Sakata (6.5 Hours)

Apr 14, 2025

Yamagata

6 hours 30 mins

“Wonderful Tour of Sakata”

Our guide Pure Water gave us an excellent experience around Sakata, taking us to multiple interesting sites including the Oranda Senbei Factory, Sankyo Rice Storehouses, Kaikouji Temple, and Somaro. He gave lots of interesting historical and cultural context while inviting us to interact and participate, treated us to a delicious lunch featuring iconic foods of the Shonai region, and secured front row seats for us to watch an incredible maiko dance and performance.

Kuniaki S.

Thank you so much for writing a review for me while you are still enjoying a journey on the Diamond Princess. I'm genuinely glad that you all had the time of your life taking a full-day tour in Sakata area with me. Your family members are always amiable and considerate of each other throughout our trip, which did make a deep impression on me! I simly can't say thank you enough for choosing me as your private tour guide this time. When our paths cross again in the future, why don't we delve more deeply into the Shonai region and make another round of fantastic tour with me? I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing you all again. Have a lot of fun reading my translated folk tales. Safe travels back to the States! Kuniaki (AKA: Pure Water)

Robert O.

5 / 5

Apr 8, 2025

Hands-on Exciting and Exploring Tour in Sakata (6.5 Hours)

Apr 8, 2025

Yamagata

6 hours 30 mins

“Great tour with Kuniaki S.”

We had a wonderful Sakata day visit with Kuniaki. After meeting at the port, we reviewed the itinerary and started our tour. The timetable was very well managed. We had sufficient time at each itinerary stop. Kuniaki shared interesting information at each location. He selected a terrific restaurant for lunch and we enjoyed exchanging personal background and travel experiences.

Kuniaki S.

A huge thank you for writing a review for me. I'm genuinely happy that you both had the time of your life through our customized tour. From our conversation I learned that we are just about the same age and that we have a lot in common. I simply can't say thank you enough for choosing me as your private tour guide. While you have time, why don't you enjoy reading "Once Upon a Time in Shinjo", which my fellow English teachers including me translated. I'm sure you will have a fun time. Please treasure the rest of your fabulous tour. I do hope that our paths will cross again in the very near future. Safe travels! Kuniaki ( AKA: Pure Water)