Kanbayashi-Katsukane shrine stay (Yamagata)
2024
9/23
Kanbayashi Katsukane
TEL : 0235-62-2273Address : 3 Haguromachi Touge, Tsuruoka, YamagataAccess : “JR Tsuruoka station” > (38 minutes bus) > “Haguro center bus stop” > 3 minutes walkParking : There is a parking lotRoom : max 120 people
Shukubo (shrine stay)
This shukubo is located right next to the entrance of the approach to Mount Haguro, just across from the Ideha Cultural Memorial Hall and so enjoys the best location among the temple lodgings on Mount Haguro. The building is a stately private house with a thatched roof. In this building, there is a large hall with an altar, which is used for meals as well as for prayers and conducting rituals. It has the dignity unique to old private houses, which is really nice.
The rooms for guests were in a new annex building behind the house and so it was a comfortable accommodation to stay in. The people there are also very nice. I was welcomed warmly in the home-like atmosphere. This is shrine lodging and is not temple lodging. It was more like a private inn and free from the cold, which was very pleasing to me.
They served shojin (vegetarian) cuisine, which was like home cooking and tasty. It might have been because of the season, but I was happy that they served a lot of Dadacha beans, a specialty of Yamagata Prefecture. Unlike temple lodging, they do not perform morning services, and this may be one of the reasons that I felt it was more like a private inn. The accommodation fee was \8,000 a night with 2 meals, which was quite reasonable, and I was happy with this fee. (I hear they also have \4,450 a night without meals, but you have to prepare food beforehand because there are no convenience stores or restaurants nearby.)
