Getting Around Yamagata

Bicycle

A bicycle is the best way to get around Yamagata City and probably one of the best investments you can make during your stay in Japan. There are tons of bike shops around the city and even specialty stores near Nanokamachi that sell racing and road bikes. Your best bet for a good deal will be to buy a bike from Joy or Jusco. I got this red bike (pictured above) for about 10,000 yen  because I did a little shopping around and got really lucky. You might not find a bike for the same price, but you should be able to get a really nice bike for about 15,000 yen. Some JETs talk about mailing their bike from home, but unless you do serious biking, I'd say save yourself the hassle and get a bike once you arrive. Check out the buying a bike page for a shopping guide.

Taxi

The meter starts at 670 yen and can take you across town for about 1,000 to 2,000 yen depending on where you are going. Mostly a luxury when you need a ride to the station or when you want to get home quick, taxis are a slightly pricey but nonetheless nice convenience when getting around Yamagata City. The picture above shows what many of the taxis in Yamagata City look like.

Trains

The train lines are really nice in Yamagata City and easy to use, especially for day trips to Yamadera or Tendo. For more information about Yamagata station, click here and here. Pictured is a local train (left) and a shinkansen (bullet train; right) sitting on the tracks. Source

100 Yen Bus

This green and orange loop bus service will take you from Yamagata station to the busy Nanokamachi shopping district towards city hall and back past the museum area to the station once more. It’s useful for office days, shopping and days out.  There are other bus lines that run around Yamagata city for normal fares. You can also catch select buses to North Jusco Shopping Mall and to Yamagata airport. Ask a fellow JET or the city hall for more information on them.

Car

Cars can be expensive and difficult to keep up with taxes, gasoline, insurance and the like. So unless you need to travel long distances for some reason, you definitely won't need a car in Yamagata City. A good bike and an occasional bus, train or taxi will get you to the places you need to go and won't cost you an arm and a leg.

Getting to Tokyo (and Elsewhere)

Shinkansen tickets to Tokyo cost about 12,000 yen, one-way. For more information, check the JR East Yamagata Shinkansen Guide. There are also overnight buses to various places, like Tokyo. For more information check the Highway Bus Guide and the JR Tohoku Bus website.