Oisawa, a village nestled
deep in the mountains

A journey of living,
not visiting

For generations,
pilgrims and newcomers
have carried culture here
where human connections pulse
like lifeblood
through Satoyama

Amid rich nature and
gentle smiles,
life in an unfamiliar land
gradually takes root
in body and mind

Here, I travel by living

UKETAMOU

To receive and embrace
a heart of acceptance and coexistence

In the stillness of stone,
in the whisper of trees,
the gods dwell.
A spirituality nurtured
through cycles of death and rebirth.

Harsh nature, hardship,
and even the self here,
all are accepted as they are.

The spirit of
uketamou dwells
within people

Long ago, when travel meant walking one’s own path upon the earth, Oisawa thrived as a lodging village for pilgrims bound for Mount Gassan and Mount Yudono.
A small village of faith. Hoped to come back again, travelers were welcomed, their fatigue eased, and the cultures they carried were received with openness and care. The village is also home to artisans who have long received the blessings of the mountains, shaping wood into vessels and kokeshi dolls through generations of craft.
At the foundation, uketamawaru is a spirituality that recognizes divinity within nature and receives with gratitude and reverence.
A sincere heart that responds, like the mountain ascetics, with uketamou, dwelling within the people.

Bridging nature
and humanity

Standing alone at
the threshold of
an unseen season,
I felt a quiet pulse, the stirring of life,
beginning to move. Water flows,
carving its way
through stone.
The quiet breathing of insects,
and mountain
grape vines
stretching supple
and strong.
Countless acts of life
that
connect nature and people.

Water flows,
carving its way
through stone.
The quiet breathing of insects,
and mountain
grape vines
stretching supple
and strong.
Countless acts of life
that
connect nature
and people. Standing alone at
the threshold of
an unseen season,
I felt a quiet pulse, the stirring of life,
beginning to move.

Handworks that
give form to the memory
of the mountains

The people of Oisawa once read the weather by looking to the skies, to the Asahi Mountain Range in Spring, and to Mount Gassan in Autumn.
Living in close dialogue with nature, sensitive to the shifts of season and climate, each carries within them moments of Oisawa’s quiet beauty.
There are kokeshi artisans who enter the mountains to fell trees themselves,
carry the wood, and turn the wood on the lathe; ceramic artists who knead the soil of Oisawa into form; craftspeople who weave mountain grape vines; and makers of Gassan washi paper.
Through these acts of handwork, slowly transforming layered memories of the land into objects woven into daily life, nature and people are bound together,
carrying Oisawa’s unique breath of life into the future.

The unity of
food culture and
nature

The beauty and blessings of
mountains and water.
Clear air and the rich colors of food,
shared with care in
unhurried moments.

A simple,
elemental happiness
that nurtures our lives,
slowly filling the heart.

This is an ideal land.
Rich in harvest
and care

At the Sagae River, Spring brings bamboo shoots and bracken, Summer brings leaping char, and fields of white buckwheat flowers. Oisawa, a land blessed with nature’s bounty. A unique food culture has flourished here, from freshly milled sobakiri that highlights the fragrance of buckwheat, to shiromochi, made by finely grinding rice and kneading it with water.
Autumn, the time of harvest, brings preparations for the long Winter. Daikon is dried, mushrooms are salted, and foods are made to sustain life through the cold months.
The accumulated wisdom of generations who lived with the seasons has been carried forward as food culture, still alive in Oisawa today.
Modest yet lacking nothing, it is a land people proudly regard as truly exceptional, a moment to feel gratitude and joy for food, and to draw new energy from the gifts of nature.

About the tour

On this tour, you will experience the rhythms of everyday life through interactions with the people who live in Oisawa.
By taking part in daily activities unique to the area, such as preparing mountain-vegetable dishes and creating traditional crafts like kokeshi, you will experience what it means to “live, not visit” in a place rich with nature.
In time, you may find yourself becoming a part of the landscape itself.

Lunch at a Local Restaurant
Dainichiji Temple Ruins -
Yudonosan Shrine
Participating in the Care of
a Sacred Place
Enjoy Dinner with Local Guide
Kikumaro Kokeshi Workshop
Kokeshi Culture &
Painting Experience
Cycling
While Embraced by
Japan’s Timeless Landscapes
(May–November)
Oisawa Utopia
Lunch in the Open Forest
Mushroom Foraging Experience
An Autumn Blessing of Oisawa
(October–November)
Breakfast at Your Favorite Spot
in Oisawa
Daikon Harvest Experience with
Local Farmers (November)
Marusobaya
Freshly Milled, Handcrafted
Soba Lunch

Overview

Home to just under 200 residents, Oisawa is a tranquil village where nostalgic rural landscapes stretch out in every direction.
Over the course of three days, you will stay in scenic locations overlooking traditional homes, cultivated fields, and the sacred peak of Mount Gassan. Through guided stories of Oisawa’s history and daily life, you are invited to slow your pace and connect with the land’s living memories.
Surrounded by abundant nature and the quiet presence of history and tradition, this time gently reawakens the senses often dulled by the busyness of everyday life. A special three-day journey where this place and your heart become one.

Tour Details

Plan Overview: A three-day, two-night journey in Oisawa, Nishikawa Town, a place where untouched, original landscapes remain. Centered on the themes of daily life, culture, and human connection, this tour takes you into the mountain village of Oisawa, which once flourished as a hub of Dewa Sanzan worship. Here, the spirit of hospitality, born from generations of welcoming mountain ascetics and pilgrims, continues to live on today. During the tour, you will step into the everyday lives of local residents by helping care for shrines, experiencing traditional crafts, gathering wild mountain vegetables and mushrooms, and harvesting seasonal produce. Through meaningful encounters and time spent alongside the rhythms of daily life, this journey offers a quiet opportunity to experience the enduring spirit of Japan, long rooted in Yamagata, a region often described as another Japan beyond the mountains.
Tour price: From ¥300,000 per person (3 days / 2 nights)
Included in the price: Taxi transportation, lunch, dinner, accommodation, activity fees, bicycle rental, costume rental, and guide services
Duration: 3 days / 2 nights
Minimum number of participants for the tour to run: Two people
Minimum number of participants per booking: Two people
Maximum number of participants per booking: Seven people
Application deadline: One month prior to the date of the tour
On-site languages: Japanese and English (translation devices may be used)