Some (Hotel?) Shots from Winter in Rural Japan For You
And Daily Yamabushi posts from January 16 to 22, 2026
Jan 26, 2026
I realised after I gathered these photos of winter that hotels feature prominently in them. Perhaps that just shows how ubiquitous they are in Japan? Any building standing out like a sore thumb here in the wop wops you can almost guarantee is a hotel, although there is the occasional apartment complex to be weary of.
Anywho, I hope you enjoy these photos.
The ‘Tsuki no Hotel’ Moon hotel is the building to the right. In the same building, the glass facade right in the centre of this image, is ‘Miraini’, which is Sakata City’s library. I believe that part of the building is 3 floors, though it maybe be more. Then the thin sliver of black to the left is Sakata Station.
This isn’t a hotel. Although there is a container hotel near here. This is Shiraito no Taki, the ‘white thread falls’ of the Mogami River.
This is a very common sight right about now. Without these dudes we wouldn’t be able to reach the hotels!
And Sakata City’s famous Sankyo Rice Warehouses (with the Hotel Rich&Garden (no joke) to the left.
This is a row of ‘snack’ bars in front of Sakata Station. The one in the centre has the Kanji 夢想郷 ‘dream-conception-hometown’, and is called Utopia, apparently. Customary Alpha-1 Hotel to boot.
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About this time 4 years ago now I climbed the donut-shaped Yonetaihei-san in Sakegawa Mura. Spoiler alert, this is one of the mountains I didn’t reach the summit of!
That’s true!, in rural areas, tall buildings are often hotels.
In many countryside towns, hotels end up serving multiple roles: they host conference rooms, concert halls, and community events, effectively functioning as essential local infrastructure. My mother’s hometown, Shizukuishi in Iwate Prefecture, was exactly like that.
I love Japan in the snow.
That’s true!, in rural areas, tall buildings are often hotels.
In many countryside towns, hotels end up serving multiple roles: they host conference rooms, concert halls, and community events, effectively functioning as essential local infrastructure. My mother’s hometown, Shizukuishi in Iwate Prefecture, was exactly like that.