Murayama Onsen

Murayama Onsen is located in Murayama City, Yamagata Prefecture, home to the Murayama Kasedori, a striking New Year's ritual in which performers dressed as giant shishi (lion) figures parade through the city in an elaborate procession designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. The city lies in the broad Murayama basin, one of Yamagata's most productive agricultural zones where rice, cherries, and vegetables flourish in rich alluvial soils fed by the Mogami River system. Soaking in the bicarbonate-rich thermal waters here connects visitors to a community proud of its deep folk traditions and the fertile river valley culture at the heart of inland Yamagata.