In Yamagata Prefecture, autumn foliage begins as early as late September near the summit of Mt. Zao, at its highest elevations, and reaches its peak from late October to early November around Yamadera and the Mogami Gorge. Takamiya Ryokan Co., Ltd., which operates the Meito Takamiya group of 11 hot spring inns across the prefecture, is offering an autumn journey called "Autumn Omotenashi," built around the foliage, hot springs, and local food culture of the region.
Autumn Omotenashi Theme #1: A Fall Captivated by Scenery and Art
A Scenic Highlight: The Zao Ropeway, One of Yamagata's Signature Autumn Foliage Spots
Every autumn, the mighty peaks of the Zao area turn shades of red and gold. The Zao Ropeway offers a sweeping view of the scenery — the aerial ride from Zao Sanroku Station to Jizo Sancho Station passes over foliage that changes character with the elevation, and the restaurants and terraces around the summit station offer their own panoramic views. With excellent access from the hot spring inns of Meito Takamiya, it's a prime location for an autumn trip that combines foliage viewing with a soak in a celebrated hot spring.
A Scenic Highlight: Yamadera (Hojuzan Risshaku-ji)
At Yamadera (Hojuzan Risshaku-ji), a temple with roughly 1,200 years of history, climbing its 1,015 stone steps rewards visitors with an autumn view where mountains and historic buildings meet.
An Art Highlight: Yamadera Galleria, Grand Opening in October 2026
Meito Takamiya has renovated a former art museum into Yamadera Galleria, an art facility that lets visitors experience the culture and spirituality of Yamadera through video, sound, and light. It opens in October 2026. For those who find the more than 1,000 stone steps difficult to climb, it offers a new indoor way to encounter the charm and spiritual world of Yamadera.
Address: 2982-3 Yamadera, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Access: About a 5-minute walk from Yamadera Station on the JR Senzan Line, or about a 20-minute drive from the Yamagata-kita IC on the Yamagata Expressway
Gallery image from the installation "Correspondence": [Continuum]
Gallery image from the installation "Correspondence": [Mirror]
Seven Hand-Picked Inns for a Fall of Scenery and Art
Miyamaso Takamiya
A long-established inn founded more than 300 years ago, in the heart of the Zao Onsen hot spring town, about a 15-minute walk from Onsen Station, the starting point of the Zao Chuo Ropeway. Its refined, purely Japanese-style building holds seven baths, each with its own character, filled with 100% source hot spring water drawn straight from the source — a soothing retreat paired with scenery that changes with the seasons.
Exterior
Miyamaso Takamiya
Address: 54 Zao Onsen, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Booking plans and inn details here
Meito Resort Lucent Takamiya
About a 1-minute walk from Onsen Station on the Zao Chuo Ropeway. The inn's hot spring water flows 100% from the source. Its stone-built indoor bath, with milky-white water and a rocky texture, has the feel of a hidden hot spring, and guests can enjoy a variety of baths on-site, including a hinoki cypress bath, a dry sauna, and a private hot spring bath (fee required).
Resort exterior
The open-air bath, Hagakure no Yu
Meito Resort Lucent Takamiya
Address: 942 Zao Onsen, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Booking plans and inn details here
Meitoya So
An inn where guests can immerse themselves in hot springs, from a large bath and open-air bath full of the warmth of wood to Okama no Yu, a bath carved from Zao stone. All rooms are non-smoking, and colorful yukata are available to rent — a welcome touch for female guests. It's about a 10-minute walk to Zao Onsen's well-known day-use hot spring, Dai-Rotenburo, which can hold 200 people.
Colorful yukata rentals are available, perfect for a stroll around the atmospheric hot spring town
The Okama no Yu bath offers foliage views in fall and snow views in winter
Meitoya So
Address: 48 Zao Onsen, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Booking plans and inn details here
JURIN
A "wood-fire retreat, living among the trees," wrapped in the aroma of its wood-fire lounge and grill. The hot spring baths, on an alternating schedule for men and women, include Jurin no Yu and Kamoshika no Yu, plus Asunaro no Yu, a bath of hinoki cypress and stone — all filled with milky-white water and an old-fashioned atmosphere that soothes body and mind.
The wood-fire lounge
A sample dish from the seasonal Autumn Dinner Buffet
JURIN
Address: 814 Zao Onsen, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Booking plans and inn details here
Takamiya Rurikura Resort
Right in front of Zao Sanroku Station on the Zao Ropeway, about a 3-minute walk away. Set on a hilltop overlooking the Zao mountains and the Asahi mountain range, the hotel takes pride in the views from its rooms. It's a designer resort with furniture coordinated by Ken Okuyama.
Exterior
The mountain-view restaurant, OH GOTTUO
Takamiya Rurikura Resort
Address: 1118-7 Sandogawa, Zao Onsen, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Booking plans and inn details here
Two open-air baths, one of stone and one of hinoki cypress, filled with milky-white, 100% source hot spring water surrounded by nature
ONSEN & STAY OAKHILL
A Bed & Breakfast-style mountain resort that reopened in September 2024 after a renewal. Its high-ceilinged, open lobby lounge features a fireplace that adds a touch of the extraordinary, blending Japanese and Western styles in comfortable harmony. It offers a stay that feels like visiting a mountain resort overseas.
ONSEN & STAY OAKHILL
Address: 756 Zao Onsen, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Booking plans and inn details here
BED'n ONSEN HAMMOND
About a 5-minute walk to the Zao Onsen hot spring town, making it convenient for exploring the surrounding area. Guests can soak in the historic hot spring water of Zao Onsen, drawn straight from the source amid the area's rich nature. The inn's log-built hot spring bath offers foliage views, wrapped in the warmth and scent of wood for a truly relaxing time.
The log-built hot spring bath
BED'n ONSEN HAMMOND
Address: 94-1 Kaminodai, Zao Onsen, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Booking plans and inn details here
Autumn Omotenashi Theme #2: A Fall to Clear the Senses
Mogami Gorge Basho Line Sightseeing Cruise
Fall foliage is at its best from late October to early November — enjoy the colors on a leisurely boat ride through Mogami Gorge, one of the finest scenic stretches along the Mogami River
Two Hand-Picked Inns for a Fall That Clears the Senses
Mogamigawa Bettei Beni
A hot spring inn set within the grand nature of the Mogami Gorge, close enough to the slow-flowing Mogami River to feel its presence. Every room has a river view, and guests can enjoy the river scenery changing with the seasons throughout the inn — in the guest rooms as well as the lounge, dining room, and open-air bath. It's a short distance from the terminal boat landing for the Mogami River cruise, so guests can check in with the mood of the boat trip still fresh. The inn also carries on Bokusuian, an annex associated with the poet Bokusui Wakayama, making for a dreamlike stay unique to the Mogami Gorge.
Every bath, from the large communal bath to the open-air bath, overlooks the Mogami River
The Mogami River and autumn foliage as seen from the annex, Bokusuian
Mogamigawa Bettei Beni
Address: 3058 Furukuchi, Tozawa Village, Mogami District, Yamagata Prefecture
Booking plans and inn details here
Takamiya Bettei Kuon
A modern Japanese-style hot spring inn standing at the entrance to Atsumi Onsen, a hot spring with 1,300 years of history. Guests can relax in the historic hot spring water, and the cuisine, drawing on the bounty of the mountains and sea around Shonai, is another highlight of the stay — fresh seafood from the nearby Sea of Japan and local Shonai pork let guests savor the area's flavors to the fullest. It's a luxurious time spent enjoying both the hot spring atmosphere and Shonai's fine food.
The lobby overlooks a beautiful Japanese garden
The Shonai Mokke Buffet, an all-you-can-eat snow crab plan
Takamiya Bettei Kuon
Address: 83-3 Aza Yunoshiri, Yuatsumi, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture
Booking plans and inn details here
Autumn Omotenashi Theme #3: A Fall of Harvest and Brewing
Fine Sake and Wine From Kaminoyama Wine and 49 Producers Across Yamagata
Yamagata's large swings between day and night temperatures make it well suited to grape growing. Its crisp local wines, which pair well with Japanese cuisine, can also be enjoyed at Meito Takamiya's inns
Two Hand-Picked Inns for a Fall of Harvest and Brewing
Mikiya Sansorai
A single-story hot spring inn set amid quiet rural scenery with a view of the Zao mountain range. Guests can soak in Hayama Onsen while taking in satoyama scenery that changes with the seasons, spending an unhurried stretch of time. Meals pair seasonal ingredients from Yamagata's Kaminoyama area with local wine. It's a refined countryside stay, soothed by rich nature, fine food, and hot springs.
The hinoki cypress open-air bath in the guest room Ren, which comes with its own open-air bath
The Minori Kaiseki course, served with Yonezawa beef steak
Mikiya Sansorai
Address: 283 Takamatsu, Kaminoyama City, Yamagata Prefecture
Booking plans and inn details here
Yumori Syomian Yamakawa
A hot spring inn in Onogawa Onsen, Yonezawa, tied to legends of the poet Ono no Komachi. Cuisine featuring the bounty of Yamagata's Okitama region, including Yonezawa beef, is another highlight of the trip. The inn also offers elaborate dishes such as its signature Gensen Shabu-Shabu, made using the hot spring's own source water in the cooking, and Onsen Tamago Sukiyaki, served with a creamy hot spring egg. Beyond soaking in the celebrated hot spring, guests can enjoy its benefits through food as well — a charm unique to this inn.
The spacious stone-built communal bath, Komachi no Yu
Savor melt-in-your-mouth, richly flavored Yonezawa beef
Yumori Syomian Yamakawa
Address: 2436 Onogawamachi, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture
Booking plans and inn details here
