Rainy Day in Yamanashi: Best Indoor Spots & Activities

Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art

The moment I stood before "The Sower," I was at a loss for words. I never imagined, until I visited, that I could have such an experience in Yamanashi.

What the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art prides itself on is one of the world's foremost Barbizon school collections. Beginning with Millet's masterpieces "The Sower" and "The Gleaners, Summer," works that capture on canvas the very breath of people living off the land are lined up in the quiet galleries. On a day when rain taps against the glass windows, you can taste a strange immersion, as if the cloudy sky in the paintings and the real sky outside melted into one.

Best Season and Recommended Hours On weekday mornings there are few visitors, creating the luxurious time of having the works leisurely to yourself. During special-exhibition periods (often spring and autumn), the themed displays are also rich, and we recommend spending a leisurely half-day combining them with the permanent collection.

Uniquely Local Ways to Enjoy At the in-museum shop, postcards and goods featuring "The Sower" motif are available, popular as souvenirs unique to Yamanashi. Also, touring it together with the adjacent Prefectural Museum of Literature lets you feel the depth of Yamanashi's culture more profoundly. The relatively reasonable admission fee for the permanent collection is one reason it has long been loved by locals.

Access About a 15-minute walk from JR Chuo Main Line "Sakaori Station." Or about 10 minutes by bus from the north exit of Kofu Station, right at the "Geijutsu-no-Mori Koen" bus stop. Using a taxi from Kofu Station takes about 10 minutes, so access is easy. A parking lot is also fully equipped, convenient for rental-car users too.

Tips for Travelers Since weekend special-exhibition periods can get crowded, check the opening status online in advance. We recommend leaving your luggage in a locker and viewing the works unencumbered. On rainy days the ground can be wet, so visiting in non-slip shoes is reassuring.

Yamanashi Prefectural Museum

This is a place to feel the weight of history with all five senses.

The Yamanashi Prefectural Museum is a facility brimming with intellectual excitement, systematically unraveling the history, nature, and culture of Koshu. One of its highlights is the array of materials connected to Takeda Shingen, praised as the strongest in the Sengoku period. When you gaze up close at armor and old documents, the era of warfare through which Shingen galloped comes vividly close. Furthermore, in the Jomon-period artifacts corner, you can quietly sense the proof that people lived in ancient Yamanashi.

Best Season and Recommended Hours Spring and autumn, when special exhibitions are held, are rich in content, but even the permanent collection alone is well worth seeing. The hours right after opening have few visitors, letting you enjoy the displays at leisure. On rainy days especially, travelers who want to "delve into history indoors" gather, so a weekday visit is better.

Uniquely Local Ways to Enjoy This museum is affectionately known to locals by the nickname "Kaijiamu." Inside, corners where you can learn about Yamanashi's climate and people's lives through video and hands-on exhibits are also rich, with ingenuity everywhere to keep both children and adults from getting bored. On days when a gallery talk by a curator is held, you can learn even the behind-the-scenes of the displays - a hidden way to enjoy.

Access It is adjacent to the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, so you can visit both museums together. About a 15-minute walk from JR "Sakaori Station," or get off right at the "Geijutsu-no-Mori Koen" bus stop from the north exit of Kofu Station. A discount ticket for the two-museum set is also sold, so check at the reception desk.

Tips for Travelers Since the interior is spacious, checking the floor map on the website in advance makes things go smoothly. Depending on the special exhibition there may be no-photography areas, so be careful. The museum shop has books about Koshu and distinctive goods, and you may come across an unexpected find.

Mt. Fuji World Heritage Center (Fujiyoshida)

Mt. Fuji veiled in rain has a mystical expression entirely different from clear days.

The Mt. Fuji World Heritage Center in Fujiyoshida City is a one-of-a-kind facility where you can experience the depth of Mt. Fuji's nature, culture, and faith through video and exhibits. The experience of touring Mt. Fuji's four seasons in powerful projection mapping is so immersive you almost feel as though you were actually standing at the summit. When you touch the spiritual depth of what people since ancient times have found in Mt. Fuji and how they have faced it, the rainy Fuji spreading outside the window appears all the more solemn.

Best Season and Recommended Hours Because the Mt. Fuji climbing season (July-August) concentrates tourists, weekdays in spring, autumn, and winter are recommended for a leisurely visit. On days wrapped in rain or mist, the facility's exhibits combine with the scenery outside to give off a uniquely fantastical atmosphere.

Uniquely Local Ways to Enjoy In the Fujiyoshida cityscape around the Center, "Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine," which conveys the history of Mt. Fuji faith to this day, is within walking distance. Walking the moss-covered approach in the rain, you will feel as if traveling through hundreds of years in an instant. The shop inside the Center is also rich in books and craft works related to Mt. Fuji, with a lineup irresistible to deep Mt. Fuji lovers.

Access About a 5-minute walk from Fujikyuko Line "Fujisan Station," with excellent access. Using the Fujikyuko Line limited express "Fuji Excursion" from Shinjuku, you arrive with no transfers in about 1 hour 45 minutes. It is a distance that can be comfortably worked into a day trip from the Tokyo direction.

Tips for Travelers On rainy days Mt. Fuji is often hidden in clouds, but that too has its charm. If you resign yourself to "today is a day to learn the inside of Mt. Fuji through exhibits," you can actually concentrate on the displays more deeply. Bring an umbrella, of course, and if you plan to stroll the surroundings, waterproof shoes will make it comfortable. On long-weekend holidays, when crowds are expected, visit early to match the opening time.

Herb Garden Tabi-Nikki Katsunuma Garden (Greenhouse)

Each time raindrops tap the herb leaves, a fragrant scent dissolves into the air.

The large greenhouse of "Herb Garden Tabi-Nikki," spreading over the hills of Katsunuma, is a spot that shows its true value precisely when visited on a rainy day. Inside the greenhouse, where over 100 kinds of herbs and tropical plants grow thick, it is quiet and warm as if the rain outside were a lie, and you feel as though you had wandered into a secret paradise of plants. Walking enveloped in colorful flowers and the rich scent of dense greenery, the noise of everyday life recedes gently into the distance.

Best Season and Recommended Hours The greenhouse can be enjoyed year-round, but May to July, when lavender and roses reach their peak, is especially rich in fragrance, with exceptional stimulation for the five senses. In the early morning hours there are fewer crowds, and you may be able to listen at leisure to the staff's explanations of the herbs.

Uniquely Local Ways to Enjoy At the garden cafe attached inside the greenhouse, you can savor original drinks and sweets made with herbs. A single cup of herb tea sipped while listening to the sound of the rain is sure to be etched deeply into your travel memories. Also, in the aroma-experience corner, workshops are held where you can make your very own original potpourri or aroma oil. It is delightful to be able to take home a tangible form of your travel memories. The fact that admission is free is actually one of the great appeals known to those in the know.

Access About a 5-minute taxi ride from JR Chuo Main Line "Katsunuma-Budokyo Station." By car, it is very easy to access, about 5 minutes from "Katsunuma IC" on the Chuo Expressway. A bus route from Kofu Station can also be used (confirmation in advance required).

Tips for Travelers Since humidity is high inside the greenhouse, bringing one thin jacket helps you stay comfortable. Workshops such as the aroma experience may require advance reservation, so check the official website before visiting. The spacious garden area can become slippery underfoot in rainy weather, so easy-to-walk-in shoes are essential.

Budo-no-Oka (Tenshukaku)

Welcome to the amber kingdom spreading underground.

"Budo-no-Oka," standing atop a small hill overlooking Katsunuma. The wine cave (wine cellar) dug deep beneath it is a truly special space where the essence of the wine culture Yamanashi is proud of is concentrated. The sight of Koshu wine bottles lined up neatly along the chilly stone-built passages is spectacular in a word. The luxurious time of comparing more than 200 kinds of wine at your own pace, tasting cup (tastevin) in hand, can be savored with extra ease precisely because it is a rainy day.

Best Season and Recommended Hours Autumn to winter (October-December), when new-vintage wines are all out, is especially rich in variety and recommended. Because the underground cave maintains a constant temperature year-round, you can spend time comfortably even on hot summer days or rainy days that chill you. On weekday mornings it is relatively empty, and you can often listen to the staff's explanations at length.

Uniquely Local Ways to Enjoy After tasting, by all means enjoy the view of the vineyards and the Kofu Basin from atop the hill. If it is clear, a stunning vista extends all the way to Mt. Fuji, and after rain you may encounter fantastical scenery with mist trailing. At the restaurant on the premises, you can enjoy pairings of dishes made with local ingredients and Koshu wine, making it a hidden gourmet spot popular even with local wine lovers.

Access About a 20-minute walk from JR Chuo Main Line "Katsunuma-Budokyo Station," or about 5 minutes by taxi. From "Katsunuma IC" on the Chuo Expressway it is about 5 minutes by car, ideal for a driving trip too. Access by bus from Kofu Station is also possible (confirmation required).

Tips for Travelers Tasting is done self-service after purchasing a tastevin. Be careful not to drink too much, and if you come by car, don't forget consideration for the driver. Because the cave is chilly, bringing a thin layer to throw on is reassuring even in summer. You can purchase and ship wines you like on the spot, so it is a nice point that you can send them home as souvenirs without having to carry the weight.

Access Information

To efficiently tour Yamanashi's rainy-day spots, it is convenient to make plans by area.

Kofu Area (Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art and Prefectural Museum) From Tokyo (Shinjuku), about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours to Kofu Station by JR limited express "Azusa" or "Kaiji." From stop no. 1 at the Kofu Station bus terminal (south exit), take a bus bound for the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art (routes 03/04, 30, 35 or 39) and ride about 15 minutes to the "Yamanashi Kenritsu Bijutsukan" stop. Because the two museums are adjacent, visiting both together is efficient.

Fuefuki Area (Yamanashi Prefectural Museum) About 10 minutes by bus from JR Isawa-onsen Station, or about 30 minutes by bus from the south exit of Kofu Station. By car, about 8 minutes from the Ichinomiya-Misaka IC on the Chuo Expressway. It is some distance from the Kofu area, so allow for travel time if you plan to visit both on the same day.

Fuji Five Lakes Area (Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre and others) The stations of the Fujikyuko Line and the local buses are the starting points. This area is far from Kofu, so it is easier to split the itinerary over separate days or change where you stay.

Roads tend to be congested on rainy days and buses can run late. Opening hours, closing days and admission fees are subject to change, so please check each facility's official information before you set out.