Oishida Station (大石田駅)

Station Type: Train station

Oishida Station, one of the stations on the Yamagata Shinkansen Line, is located in Oishida-cho, Nishi-Oshii-gun, Yamagata Prefecture. Around the station, there are nature and historical buildings, which are popular among foreign tourists.

The area around the station is a vast expanse of nature. The Ou Mountains, a national natural treasure, are nearby, and the mountains create beautiful scenery. Also, about a 30-minute drive from the station is the Akayu Pass, which connects the towns of Oishida and Zao, and is a great driving and cycling course.

Within walking distance from the station, there are historical buildings that have been passed down in Oshida Town. One is the “Oishida Ekimae History and Folklore Museum,” which has exhibits on the history of the railroad, the history of the town, and lifestyle and culture. Another is “Houwasou,” a restored wooden merchant house from the Taisho era, where visitors can see Japanese-style architecture.

Furthermore, “Oishida Yakisoba,” a specialty of Oishida Town, can be tasted at restaurants around the station. Ingredients include pork, cabbage, and green onions, and the center is fluffy and the outside is crispy. Oishida Town is also home to Zao Onsenkyo, which is only a 30-minute drive from the station. Visitors can relax while enjoying the natural hot springs.

Around Oishida Station, there are sightseeing spots where you can enjoy nature, history, and food, which are also recommended for foreign tourists.

Table of contents

Oishida Station (大石田駅)

Restaurants, Foods
Tourist area
Hotels
Convenience Stores, Grocery Stores
1. Yamazaki
Tourist Information Center
1. Oishidaeki Information Centre (大石田駅観光案内所)

Restaurants, Foods

Some restaurants and food shops around the station.

居酒屋ふじ (居酒屋ふじ)

Restaurant Type: Izakaya restaurant

ラーメン長作 (ラーメン長作)

Restaurant Type: Ramen restaurant

おさえ屋もくれん (おさえ屋もくれん)

Restaurant Type: Restaurant

Tourist area

Some tourist area – the best views, museums and parks – around the station.

Ruins of Takano Ichiei’s house (高野一栄宅跡)

Tourist Area Type: Historical landmark

The site of the boathouse where Basho and Sora stayed in Genroku 2. Matsuo Basho visited this area on May 28 of the second year of the Genroku era (1689) to take a boat from Oishida, and stayed three nights at the house of Takano Ippei while waiting for the day to come. Takano Ichiei was a ship’s agent near the riverbank and a central figure in the Oishida haiku world, and he had become acquainted with Basho during his stay in Obanazawa.

The Chikkou Shouya (former residence of Mokichi Saito) (聴禽書屋(斎藤茂吉旧居))

Tourist Area Type: Historical landmark

The Chikkou Shouya (former residence of Mokichi Saito) is located in Oaza Oishida, Oishida-cho, Kitamurayama-gun, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. The house was built by Mokichi Saito from February 1, 1946 to November 22, 1947, when he evacuated to Ooishida after the end of the Pacific War. The Hearing Bird Bookstore was established in Oshida-cho, Tokyo, from February 1, 1946 to November 3, 1947. The house was owned by the Nitobe Hyouemon family for one year and nine months from February 1, 1946 to November 3, 1947. It is said that the name of the house, “Hear the Birds” was given by Mokichi himself, and was named after the many small birds (fowl) that gathered in the garden and played “Saezuri” (a song of birds). The building is a two-story wooden structure with a gable and iron shingle roof, clapboards on the exterior walls, a vertical oshi-edge shingle roof, and a white plaster finish under the eaves and on the gable wall.

Oishida Historical Museum (大石田町歴史民俗資料館)

Tourist Area Type: Local history museum

Oishida Historical Museum is located in Oishida-cho, Kitamurayama-gun, Yamagata Prefecture.

The museum exhibits materials on the Mogami River boat transportation and the Oishida riverbank, which flourished as a relay station in the Edo period, as well as works by Matsuo Basho, Mokichi Saito, Heizo Kanayama, Hitoshi Komatsu, and others who left their works in Oishida. The museum also houses the building where Mokichi Saito lived for two years from January 1946, during the evacuation of Oishida.

Daimon Gate of Mogami River Boat Office Site (最上川舟役所跡大門)

Tourist Area Type: Historical landmark

The Oishida riverbank, which is said to have started in the Muromachi period (1333-1573), became the center of the Mogamigawa river boat traffic and was the site of the Shogunate’s Boat Office in Kansei 4 (1615-1644). In recent years, the large gate and walled warehouse have been reconstructed as a reminder of the glamorous days of the boating industry.

Hotels

There are various hotels around the station.

Oishida Station (大石田駅) – Introductions of Restaurants, Tourist area, Hotels and so on