When you come to Tohoku, it's all about the hot springs! So, I went to an open-air bath in the snow at Zao Onsen 2020/1/2【67】

The New Year's morning in Yamagata was, as expected, quiet.

The shopping street in front of the station was sparsely populated.

I went to Gokoku Shrine for the first shrine visit of the year.

About a 10-minute bus ride from Yamagata Station, the shrine was already bustling with visitors.

For breakfast, I ate "Dondon-yaki" from a food stall. The hot and fluffy Dondon-yaki was delicious to eat in the cold.

After drawing a fortune, I walked back to Yamagata Station.

As I approached the station, the crowd increased, and it was lively with New Year's festivities.

For lunch, I had a set of New Year's soup and sweet mochi at a mochi shop called Ikedaya.

It's a Japanese thing to crave New Year's soup during the New Year. The mochi eaten in a rice-producing region was the best.

The shop was bustling with customers around lunchtime, and actress Manami Hashimoto was also there.

The New Year's soup, in particular, was exquisite. It had a subtle yuzu fragrance, and despite being mochi, it was light and easy to eat.

After the meal, I took a coffee break at a cafe called Tsuki Coffee near the station.

After finishing my coffee, I returned to the hotel to prepare and then headed to Zao Onsen by bus.

I walked through the snow-covered hot spring town to reach Shinzaemon no Yu.

The hot open-air bath in the falling snow was amazing.

After leaving the hot spring, I returned to Yamagata Station and went to Hanazen, a local cuisine tavern.

It seemed to be a popular place as it was fully booked, but I was able to get a seat with the promise to give it up in an hour. I enjoyed dishes like dashi tofu, tempura, Yamagata beef steak, salad, and more on my last night in Yamagata.