Ginzan Onsen in Yamagata Prefecture is a famous hot spring resort that came into the limelight when it was used as the stage for the NHK TV series “Oshin”. Both banks of the Ginzan River are lined with ryokan inns built from the Taisho period to the early Showa period.
Many of the ryokans are three-story, four-story wooden balconies, very modern for the time they were built, and the exterior is decorated with trowel paintings. There are many bridges over the river, and the sidewalks are lined with gas lamps, creating a romantic Taisho atmosphere.