Tendo Onsen Gentle Waters: Hot Spring Guide & Access

Tendo Onsen, spreading near the center of Tendo City, known nationwide for making shogi pieces, is a relatively new hot spring said to have gushed forth in 1911 during well-digging. At its opening it was called Kamata Onsen, and it was renamed Tendo Onsen in 1924. Though on flat ground, its inns gather here, making it convenient as a base for sightseeing in Yamagata.

Highlights

It features a colorless, transparent sodium and calcium sulfate spring gentle to the skin, leaving the skin moist after bathing. It has been favored as a spring that eases sensitivity to cold, chronic skin troubles, and fatigue. In the town are monuments related to shogi, such as the Osho stone marker, and Mount Maizuru rising to the southwest is known as the stage for human shogi. The town is equipped with foot baths, hand baths, and drinking-spring spots, so you can casually touch the water while strolling. As a production center of shogi pieces, designs featuring the pieces can be seen here and there in the town, another pleasure.

Seasonal Highlights

In spring it grows lively with cherry blossoms coloring Mount Maizuru and the human shogi event in which people stand in for the pieces. In autumn you can enjoy grape and cherry picking at nearby orchards. The area around Tendo is a noted producer of cherries, and cherry picking at orchards draws crowds in early summer.

Access and Basic Information

It is about 1 kilometer east of JR Tendo Station, about 3 minutes by bus, and within walking distance for good access. The Yamagata Shinkansen stops here, and it is a convenient roughly 7 minutes by car from the Tendo Interchange on the Tohoku Chuo Expressway. The water is a sodium and calcium sulfate spring, with a high temperature of about 69 degrees Celsius, said to be good for sensitivity to cold. Though on flat ground it is blessed with abundant flow, and the water can be enjoyed at many inns.

Practical Travel Notes

Being near the station with good transport, it suits a base for stays combined with Zao and Yamadera. Human shogi is held on Mount Maizuru in spring each year, and when it overlaps with the cherry season it grows especially lively. Cherry picking is around early summer and grape picking around autumn, and both can be reached by car at nearby orchards. The hot spring town is gathered within walking distance of the station, and foot baths and a tour of the shogi monuments can be enjoyed in about half a day. Central Yamagata and Yamadera are also close, so an overnight stay as a base for area sightseeing lets you go around efficiently.

A Word of Advice

Being near the station with good transport, it suits a base for stays combined with Zao and Yamadera. Check the dates of events such as human shogi in advance, and book your inn early to be safe. Cherry picking has a limited season, so if you want to taste them, visit to match the early-summer peak.