Yamagata, Yamagata / 宝珠山立石寺（山寺）

Yamadera (Risshakuji Temple)

Mountain temple. The approach is a stairway that starts about 10 min on foot from JR Yamadera Station.

Stone steps climbing through tall cedar trees on the path up Yamadera — The stone steps through the cedar forest, YamaderaPhoto: Yamagata Prefecture (yamagatakanko.com) · Terms of use · Source

Last official check

24 Sept 2026

Traveler reports

Reports open in Phase 2

Next scheduled check

23 Dec 2026

Decide before you go

A short summary made from the official facts below. Check the rows for details.

Getting there: Train / Car
Admission: Paid (see the price below)

Before you go

Only facts we confirmed on official sources are shown. Anything else is listed under “Not yet confirmed”.

Opening hours

Visiting hours: Apr-Sep 8:00-16:00; Dec-Mar 8:30-15:00 (gate closes 16:00). In winter (about Dec-Mar) the gate may close earlier because of the weather. October and November hours are not listed.

Checked 24 Sept 2026 on the official site

Admission

Entry (入山料): adults (junior high and above) 500 yen; children (age 4 and above) 200 yen.

Checked 24 Sept 2026 on the official site

Getting there

Nearest station: JR Senzan Line "Yamadera". About 10 min on foot to the foot of the stairway. By car: Yamagata-kita IC (Yamagata Expressway).

Checked 24 Sept 2026 on the official site

Payment

Cash only (entry fee).

Checked 24 Sept 2026 on the official site

Not yet confirmed

Closed, Parking, Accessibility

we have not confirmed this on an official source yet. Check with the spot before you go.

Found wrong or outdated information? Let us know

Address: 4456-1 Yamadera, Yamagata, Yamagata

Official site: https://rissyakuji.jp/

Location

Approximate location: this pin was placed from the address (it may be a block's representative point, not the entrance).

Smaller pins are other spots nearby.

Open in Google Maps Get directions

Nearby spots

Distances are straight-line distances, not travel distances. Some locations are approximate, so treat these distances as a rough guide.

Crowds

Not yet confirmed: Crowd level, Best time to visit, Peak time, Busiest days, Busiest season
no official source yet, and not enough traveler reports.
Latest traveler report: None yet

Traveler crowd data by time of day appears after 5 traveler reports (0 so far).

You can check typical busy hours in Google Maps ("Popular times" on the place's page). Open this spot in Google Maps

Visiting respectfully

RulesThe temple grounds, mountain trails and surrounding area are a no-fly zone for drones.Checked 24 Sept 2026 on the official site

Verification log

24 Sept 2026First check · Official website · https://rissyakuji.jp/Drone no-fly notice read from the official top page (Japanese and English).
24 Sept 2026First check · Official website · https://rissyakuji.jp/2025-03-07/Official notice of the entry fee revision from April 1, 2025. Amounts match the "参拝" page.
24 Sept 2026First check · Official website · https://rissyakuji.jp/sanpai/Admission (入山料) and payment read from the official "参拝" page. Visiting hours are on the official top page (found in the full check on 2026-09-25; the earlier note that they were not listed was wrong).
24 Sept 2026First check · Official website · https://rissyakuji.jp/access/Access read from the official "アクセス" page.