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Major city · Japan

Yurihonjo由利本荘市

Go only with a car and one clear target: Mt. Chokai hikes, Hottai Falls or the onsen circuit. Without wheels, skip it.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
JPY
Best months
May–Jun, Sep–Oct
avoid Jul (rainy season), Jan–Feb (heavy inland snow, closed mountain roads)
Airports
AXT · NRT · SDJ
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 5
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • Japan ↗IC cards (ICOCA/Suica) are topped up with cash at station machines.
  • Japan ↗Smoking while walking is banned in most city centres; use designated areas.
  • Japan ↗Shinkansen bags 160–250 cm (L+W+H) need a seat reserved with the oversized-baggage area.

Yurihonjo is a merged, spread-out city in southern Akita: a coastal Honjo core plus mountain towns toward Chokai. Sights sit 20–50 km apart and buses run a few times a day, so a rental car decides whether the trip works. Most travellers come for one or two nights of hiking, waterfalls and hot springs, not for a city break.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Yurihonjo, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffee¥400–700 (≈ US$3–5)
  • Street or quick mealNoodle soup (ramen or soba)¥800–1,300 (≈ US$6–9)
  • Taxi, about 5 km5 km taxiOutlying runs cost far more.¥2,000–2,600 (≈ US$14–18)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week¥2,000–4,000 (≈ US$14–30)
  • Museum or sight ticketOnsen entry (local bath house)Towel rental extra at some.¥300–500 (≈ US$3–4)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per person¥3,500 (≈ US$25)
  • Mid-range bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per room¥13,000 (≈ US$90)
  • High-end bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per room¥25,000 (≈ US$170)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget ¥6,000 (≈ US$45) · Mid ¥11,000 (≈ US$75) · High ¥20,000 (≈ US$140)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Mt. Chokai (2,236 m)Hottai FallsOnsen circuit (Tsurumai, Pine Spa, Kizakura Yurari)Yuri Kogen Railway to YashimaAkata Giant Buddha
Airports
AXT Akita Airport (About 1 h 15 min by car to Honjo via Route 7; check bus connections) · NRT Tokyo Narita (Night bus 'Chokai Dream' runs Tokyo–Honjo; check the operator timetable) · SDJ Sendai (Longer rail/road approach via Yamagata; check connections)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Yurihonjo: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

4°C

−2°C

20 rd

Feb

5°C

−2°C

17 rd

Mar

8°C

0°C

17 rd

Apr

15°C

4°C

14 rd

May

20°C

10°C

13 rd

Jun

24°C

15°C

13 rd

Jul

27°C

20°C

16 rd

Aug

29°C

21°C

15 rd

Sep

25°C

16°C

15 rd

Oct

19°C

10°C

16 rd

Nov

13°C

4°C

19 rd

Dec

7°C

0°C

21 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

A car is the realistic way to move between Honjo, Iwaki, Yashima and Chokai; parking is rarely a problem. The Yuri Kogen Railway links Ugohonjo to Yashima via Yuri, roughly hourly. Local buses reach Higashi-Yuri and Chokai a few times a day; taxis get expensive fast for outlying towns.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Akita

go

Door to door: About 1–1.5 h

JR lines north from Ugohonjo, or Route 7 by car via Iwaki

Bigger city base with shinkansen access; useful as a rail link, not a day out.

Nikaho

go

Door to door: About 30–45 min

Route 7 south by car via Nishime, or JR south from Ugohonjo

Coastal and Mt. Chokai south-side access; easiest with a car.

Yuzawa, Akita

caution

Door to door: About 1–1.5 h

Route 108 by car via Yuri, Yashima and Chokai

Mountain road; check winter closures before setting out.

Daisen, Akita

go

Door to door: About 1 h

Route 105 by car via Ouchi

Straightforward drive; pairs with the Ouchi rest area and Akata Giant Buddha.

Yokote

caution

Door to door: About 1.5 h

Route 107 by car via Higashi-Yuri

Better as a rail trip from Akita; the mountain road is slow.

Oga

overnight

Door to door: About 2 h

Car north along the coast via Akita

Too far for a comfortable return day; sleep on the peninsula.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Honjo (Ugohonjo Station area)

The practical base: station, bus terminal, shops and central onsen within walking distance.

Nishime

Route 7 rest-area cluster with a 24-hour bath house; handy for a late arrival by car.

Chokai / Yashima

Mountain-side inns and onsen near trailheads; book ahead in hiking season, few English options.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
¥6,000–10,000 (≈ US$45–70) excl. bed
Mid
¥10,000–16,000 (≈ US$70–110) excl. bed
High
¥16,000 (≈ US$110)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Business-hotel double room1 × 2 nights × ¥13,000¥26,000
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × ¥11,000¥44,000
Rental car, one day (compact, with insurance)1 × ¥8,000¥8,000
Fuel, about 100 km1 × ¥1,500¥1,500
eSIM, about a week of data2 × ¥2,500¥5,000
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge¥8,450
Trip total≈ ¥23,240 per person per day, bed included¥92,950≈ US$650

2026 estimate in yen; flights and rail passes excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee¥400–700 (≈ US$3–5)
Noodle soup (ramen or soba)¥800–1,300 (≈ US$6–9)
Onsen entry (local bath house)Towel rental extra at some.¥300–500 (≈ US$3–4)
Rental car, one dayWinter tyres may cost more.¥7,000–12,000 (≈ US$50–85)
5 km taxiOutlying runs cost far more.¥2,000–2,600 (≈ US$14–18)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week¥2,000–4,000 (≈ US$14–30)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Low crime, high exposure: the real risks are mountain weather, unplowed winter roads and long gaps between buses. Tell someone your trailhead plan and carry cash for small onsen.
  • Mountain roads close seasonally or for repairs: ask locally and check before driving.
  • Winter brings snow and ice on roads; inland Chokai gets heavy snow.
  • Hottai Falls facilities close in winter and the last road section is not plowed.
  • Buses to outlying towns run only a few times a day: plan the return or you are stranded.
  • Little English is spoken outside the station and main hotels.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire and ambulance
119

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Yurihonjo由利本荘市

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

ここまでお願いしますTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire and ambulance119

Embassy

No embassies here; the US consulate-general is in Sapporo and embassies are in Tokyo. Check your own country's nearest office.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Yuri Kogen Railway, Ugohonjo → Yashima: about ¥600–900 (≈ US$5–7), about 40 min (check)
  • Night bus Tokyo → Honjo: about ¥8,000–12,000 (≈ US$55–85) one way (check)
  • Taxi Ugohonjo Station → central Honjo: ¥800–1,200 (≈ US$6–9)

Say or show

  • すみません — Excuse me / Sorry (sumimasen)
  • ありがとうございます — Thank you (arigatō gozaimasu)
  • これをください — This one, please (kore o kudasai)
  • いくらですか？ — How much is it? (ikura desu ka)
  • カードで払えますか？ — Can I pay by card? (kādo de haraemasu ka)
  • トイレはどこですか？ — Where is the toilet? (toire wa doko desu ka)

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Yurihonjo. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Jun, Sep–Oct · avoid Jul (rainy season), Jan–Feb (heavy inland snow, closed mountain roads) · month by month →
  2. 3 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 6 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for AXT: field-checked transfer times, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Four driving clusters with rescue anchors: Honjo, Nishime, Iwaki/Ouchi, Yashima/Chokai.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Hottai Falls, Iwaki Local History Museum, Chokai trailheads) and onsen pages with closing days.
  4. Winter and hostile-weather fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Japan

Sources