Nan'yō: Walks, Blossoms and Views

Nan'yō offers a range of ways to plan a stay around your schedule and the time of year. Two walks differ in length and duration, while the cherry blossom and rose festivals take place at different times of year. There is also a viewpoint with nighttime views of two cities and a waterfall with a distinctive opening in the rock. You can tailor your trip around walks, blossoms or landscape views.

Walks for Different Time Frames

The approximately 4 km walk in Miyauchi starts at Miyauchi Station on the Flower-Nagai Line. It leads to Kumano Taisha, where you can look for the three rabbits, and continues through the Sōshō Rose Garden. The estimated time for the route and sightseeing combined is around 2 hours and 30 minutes. This time frame therefore includes stops at the places mentioned. The walking map description was published in 2019; the map's availability may change.

The Akayu town walk starts at JR Akayu Station and passes the cherry trees at Eboshiyama and historical sites. A post dated 2019 by the tourism association gives an approximate distance of 5 km and an estimated duration of about three to four hours for this route. Based on these stated time frames, Miyauchi is the shorter option and Akayu the longer one. The stated route lengths of approximately 4 and 5 kilometers are fairly close.

Akayu Onsen and Seasonal Blossoms

Akayu Onsen is a hot spring district in the town of Nan'yō, where you can go for walks. According to the tourism profile, its history as a hot spring resort dates back more than 930 years. The combination of a hot spring district, opportunities for walks and a long bathing history gives it a distinctive character alongside the two named town walks.

The time of year can also be important when planning your trip. The Akayu Onsen Cherry Blossom Festival usually takes place from early to late April; dates may vary from year to year. The festival includes nighttime illumination of the cherry blossoms. If the festival determines your travel dates, check the dates for the relevant year. The Nanyō Rose Festival takes place annually from early June to mid-July in the rose garden at Sōshō Park. The two flower festivals therefore fall in different time windows: one is in April, while the other runs from early summer to mid-July.

Nighttime Views and a Waterfall

From Nanyō Sky Park, you can see the lights of Nan'yō and Yonezawa at night. Kuguri Falls in the Kotaki district of Nan'yō offers a different landscape feature: it plunges 14 meters through an opening in the rock that is 5 meters high and 4.6 meters wide. At Sky Park, the focus is on city lights at night; at the waterfall, it is the drop and the shape of the opening in the rock. The two places therefore offer different points of interest for planning a trip.

Discover more destinations: Kaminoyama, Nishimurayama District, Mogami District, Takahata, Tendo, Sagae, Tsuruoka, Higashine

For the broader travel overview: Yamagata Prefecture.