Rustic Japan -A Guide to Rural Japan & Off-the-Beaten-Path Countryside- 日本語

Tohoku

Dewa Sanzan Shrine

Yamagata Prefecture

Dewa Sanzan Shrine's main hall under scaffolding for thatched-roof repairs, behind a pond covered in green duckweed
Where
Yamagata Prefecture
When
September 2026, 3 days, 2 nights
Route
Tokyo Station → (JR local trains, 4 transfers, 11 hrs 30 min) → Tsuruoka Station → 20 min by rental car ※ Faster route: Tokyo Station → (JR Shinkansen, 2 hrs) → Niigata Station → (JR Limited Express Inaho, 2 hrs) → Tsuruoka Station → 20 min by rental car
Cost
¥50,000

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Mt. Haguro, in Yamagata Prefecture, is a mountain of nature worship, and apparently a place of ascetic training. Knowing it’s not just scenic but a place of faith, even the trees seem to stand a little straighter.

Stone steps on Mt. Haguro climbing through tall cedars and green undergrowth, with two people resting near the top

From the gate to the summit, I’m told, there are about 2,000 steps. I’m out of breath.

Long stone stairway on Mt. Haguro through tall cedars and green trees, with a wooden hall beside the steps

Long. Far too long. At this length I’d normally be looking for an escalator. An elevator would do, too. Civilization is a wonderful thing.

Visitors climbing the long stone stairway on Mt. Haguro, lined with towering cedar trees and green undergrowth

There’s a teahouse partway up. The view is lovely. It looks like you can have mochi (rice cakes) and matcha here. I had a feeling that if I stopped now, the summit would only get farther away, so I kept going.

View from near a teahouse on Mt. Haguro over forest to the Shonai plain and distant sea under a blue summer sky

I can feel the blood racing through my whole body. Just as my legs start to ache, I reach the top.

Stone steps through tall cedar trees leading up to a red torii gate, with a few visitors at the top on Mt. Haguro

The main hall of Dewa Sanzan Shrine (the shrine of Dewa Sanzan, the Three Mountains of Dewa). Under renovation, of all things. I suppose it’ll be reborn with a new roof once the work is done. Come back looking beautiful.

Sanjin Gosaiden, the main hall of Dewa Sanzan Shrine, its thick thatched roof partly covered in scaffolding for re-thatching

I came to Mt. Haguro purely on a whim this time. I just sort of felt like it. But it turns out Mt. Haguro has declared this year a Year of the Horse “year of sacred connection,” when a single visit is said to bring twelve years’ worth of blessings. Lucky me. I thought about making twelve wishes, but that felt so greedy I suspected none of them would come true, so I didn’t. As usual, I made just one.

Giant ema plaque with a painted white horse marking the Year of the Horse, in front of a hall at Dewa Sanzan Shrine

Just as I finished praying, the sun began to peek out. I’ve heard that if the sky clears right after you pray at a shrine, it means the shrine is welcoming you. I’m the type to believe anything good (and convenient), so I’ve decided Mt. Haguro welcomed me.

Thatched-roof main hall of Dewa Sanzan Shrine under repair scaffolding, with visitors and a duckweed-covered pond in front

To mark the welcome, I went on a buying spree of omamori (protective charms). The bells have a lovely sound.

A gold bell charm from Dewa Sanzan held in the palm, with a white tag reading "Dewa Sanzan"

I was getting hungry anyway, so I headed back down the mountain to eat.

To be continued