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Voykit pocket guide · 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.
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.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 由利本荘市
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul (rainy season), Jan–Feb (heavy inland snow, closed mountain roads)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥6,000–10,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥10,000–16,000 excl. bed · High ¥16,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ¥400–700 |
| Noodle soup (ramen or soba) | ¥800–1,300 |
| Onsen entry (local bath house) | ¥300–500 |
| Rental car, one day | ¥7,000–12,000 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | ¥2,000–2,600 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥2,000–4,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- 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
Typical fares
- Yuri Kogen Railway, Ugohonjo → Yashima
- about ¥600–900, about 40 min (check)
- Night bus Tokyo → Honjo
- about ¥8,000–12,000 one way (check)
- Taxi Ugohonjo Station → central Honjo
- ¥800–1,200
Get 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 and do
Known for
- Mt. Chokai (2,236 m)
- Hottai Falls
- Onsen circuit (Tsurumai, Pine Spa, Kizakura Yurari)
- Yuri Kogen Railway to Yashima
- Akata Giant Buddha
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Akita | JR lines north from Ugohonjo, or Route 7 by car via Iwaki | About 1–1.5 h |
| Nikaho | Route 7 south by car via Nishime, or JR south from Ugohonjo | About 30–45 min |
| Yuzawa, Akita | Route 108 by car via Yuri, Yashima and Chokai | About 1–1.5 h |
| Daisen, Akita | Route 105 by car via Ouchi | About 1 h |
| Yokote | Route 107 by car via Higashi-Yuri | About 1.5 h |
| Oga | Car north along the coast via Akita | About 2 h |
Sleep
- 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.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| This one, please | これをくださいkore o kudasai |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？kādo de haraemasu ka |
| Where is the toilet? | トイレはどこですか？toire wa doko desu ka |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- 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.
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.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Yurihonjo yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Mt. Chokai (2,236 m)
- Hottai Falls
- Onsen circuit (Tsurumai, Pine Spa, Kizakura Yurari)
- Yuri Kogen Railway to Yashima
- Akata Giant Buddha
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Yurihonjo City official site: www.city.yurihonjo.lg.jp/
- Yurihonjo Tourism Association: yurihonjo-kanko.jp/
- Yuri Kogen Railway: www.obako5.com/
- Wikivoyage: Yurihonjo, revision 5237602 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5237602
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/yurihonjo). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.