Spiritual Trekking Tour to Religious Mt Haguro ( 7 Hours )
Joined 2017
This tour can give you chances to enjoy spiritual aspetcts of the Shonai region. What's so special about this is we trek to the top of Mt. Haguro (414 m), and appreciate a Buddhist cuisine there. We also visit a 700-year-old Zen temple, with a beautiful flower garden in it, where we can relish matcha. Lastly, we learn all about how Japanese delicious sake is brewed at one of the oldest sake breweries in Yamagata.
You can get some as a souvenir. Be cafeful not to drink too much, though!
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
Skata Pier
- Sakata Cruise Ship Disembarkation site
Zuishin-mon Gate
This is the entrance to Mt. Haguro.
Enjoy the acient pilgrim route of 2,446 stone-paved (2-km) path.
The road is lined with about 600 gigantic cedar trees aged between 300 and 500.
The road is awarded 3 stars by Michelin Green Guide Japan in 2009.
Five-story Pagoda
Originally built about 1,000 years ago and rebuilt 650 yrs ago.
30 meters tall, the tallest in Tohoku.
Designated as a National Treasure in 1966.
All the thatched roof renewed in 2024, taking 1.5 years.
Saikan (Restaurant)
Originally the residence of high-ranking mountain priests.
Enjoy a typical Buddhist cuisine cooked with all the local ingredients.
Choose from either sitting on the tatami or on the chair.
Sanjin-Gosai-Den, Kagami-Ike
Sanjin-gosai-den enshrines 3 mountain gods: Mt. Haguro, Gassan and Yudo.
The thatched roof : 2.1 meters thick (one of the thickest in Japan)
Reconstructed in 1818 (about 200 yrs old)
Kagami-ike (Mirrror Pond)
Women were not allowed into the sacred area.
Reflect themseves onto the mirros, casting their wishes.
Over 600 ornate blonze mirrors (200-800 yrs old) excavated.
Gyokusen-ji Temple
700-year-old Zen temple known as "Flower Garden"
Designated as "National Cultural Heritage Site of Scenic Beauty"
Can walk around the garden and the pond with colorful carp
Admission fee : 400 yen, Matcha(powdered green tea) : 600 yen
Dewa-no-yuki Brewery
400-year-old brewery, Now 17th generation owner inherits.
Observe a huge Sugi-dama or a cedar ball, a symbol of brewery, hung under the eaves.
Tasting and getting sake at a shop is available.
Caution! Don't drink too much simply because it's too good indeed.
Admission fee: 200 JPN
Ending Point
Sakata Pier (3:30 pm)
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
Pick-up fee and the guide's transportation fee to the meeting point, Sakata Pier
Transportation fees (Taxi): Around 30,000 JPY totally
Admission fees for the facilities: 1,200 JPY (Per Person)
Lunch: About 3,000 JPY (Per Person)
Tour Important Information
1 We might want to use a local taxi partially
during our tour. It's the most time efficient.
2 This tour involves 1.5-hour (2-km) walking, so
please be sure to wear comfortable shoes.
3 On a tour day with heavy rain, the tour will
commence, and we walk as far as the 5-Story
Pagoda. Then we'll be back and visit Ideha
Museum (3-min walk), where we can learn
a lot about religious aspects of the 3 sacred
mountains, experiencing a Yamabushi (moun-
tain priest) training.
(Closed on Tuesdays, Admission fee: 400 yen)
4 Several places we will visit do not accept
credit cards, so please bring some cash.
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
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
Julieta V.
“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.
“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)
Daniele L.
“Fantastic Sakata tour”
Very punctual, he waited for us on the square where the ship docked. Mr. Kuniaki and his wife were very kind from the start, giving us a small souvenir that we really appreciated, then Mr. Kuniaki began the tour without his wife. We managed to do everything that was planned, the taxi drivers he booked for the transfers were part of the visit and were very funny. He also showed us non-tourist places that we really appreciated. Very competent in explaining the history of the places visited, excellent and local lunch he booked for us. In the little time we had he made sure that the visit to Sakata was special. If we would return to Sakata he told us he will be our guide again. Thanks Pure Water!!!
Kuniaki S.
Hi, Daniele and Elena. Thank you so much for the amazing review, which I didn't expect this much. I highly appreciate your wonderful feedback on our tour. I'm more than happy indeed to have been able to show you around all the destinations you both take a special interest in. What made this one-day tour so special was a visit to the Sixteen Buddha Statues along the Sea of Japan! In the little rain, which added another extraordinary value to all the surrounding landscape, we savored every single moment of our stay there. I will never forget your smiling faces that by all means made both the Sakata locals and tourists very cheerful and comfortable! From now on I could embrace all the good memories shared with you anytime anywhere looking at the photos you kindly emailed me right after our journey. You should come back to Yamagata once again to simply delve into another unbeaten track of Mysterious Dreamland, Japan. I do hope that our paths will surely cross again in the VERY near future! Kuniaki / Pure Water
$621/ per group
More tours by Kuniaki S.
Hands-on Exciting and Exploring Tour in Sakata (6.5 Hours)
This tour can give you chances to enjoy both Japanese traditional cultures and modern ones. We can visit a sembei rice cracker firm, rice storehouses, rice museum, Zen-sect Buddhist temple and a maiko teahouse. What makes this tour so special is that you can dive deep into ricce-related Sakata cultures, one of Japan's biggest rice production sites from long ago. You can't miss this amazing and unforgettable tour!
Exciting Experience Tour in Shinjo (EETS)
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.
