So here we are at the top of Yamadera Risshaku-ji Temple completed in 860.
There is no more beautiful spot than this one in autumn
an amazing view overlooking Yamagata Prefecture.
And at the top of 1015 steps lies a public Japan
Post box and a man who has to climb these
steps almost every day to pick it up.
[Music]
Irasshaimase (welcome)
Only In Japan (voice of Peter von Gomm)
I jumped on an E3 series bullet train
the Yamagata Shinkansen from Tokyo
for the 2 hour 45 minute ride north
the morning mist exciting me
for the adventure at hand today.
Yamadera north-east of Yamagata City in the
mountains is a gem for off-the-beaten-path
travelers, especially beautiful in autumn.
Close to the JR station is an over
1000 step stairway hike to the ancient
Risshaku-ji Temple or Yamadera which
is directly translated at mountain temple.
And at the top besides the temple
serving the residents and tourists
alike is a red Japan Post box
With pick-up time 11am six days a week.
I always wondered who climbs up here to
pick it up, that's over 12,000 steps each week.
A real workout.
(music)
And I found the man who has a most scenic
and one of the most challenging postal
routes perhaps in all of Japan.
This is Sasahara San who has been on
this route for several years.
He parks at the Yamadera Post Office
and then hikes up the same as tourists.
Autumn here is warm in the afternoon sun,
chilly in the evening perfect hiking temperature.
When you're carrying mail and packages and
have to climb up a mountain it's a long way.
Well, it's not that far away.
Just 20 or 30 minutes to climb up.
The temple was founded in 860 nearly 1200 years ago.
An ancient hike that now has well-maintained
stone and cement steps to the top.
We'll end the episode at the stunning
Godaidal observation deck and an autumn
view of the mountain town below.
It does look much more difficult
from street level though.
(music)
11:59am
We start the climb from under the torii gate.
The real climbing in the forest starts here at
the temple gate. Admission for non postal
workers is 300 yen, open 9 to 5 daily.
Oh really?
Take it step by step, but you have to
stop and look around. There's no reason to
rush it even when you have a postal route.
Yamadera is one of the big attractions of
Tohoku. It's really nice to get out of the city.
The steps up here have a lot of character
built around the ancient rocks that give
you a chance to look around
say hi to the other travelers.
There aren't that many people in the early
mornings and near closing time
the best time to visit and climb.
We passed the Midahora Rock,
worn from centuries of weather resembling
a figure of Amida Buddha.
We took a break at the halfway mark
and I asked Sasahara San what
Yamadera's attraction is to him.
[Laughter]
Aaahhh.
The climb up is easy today - no packages.
But sometimes he does have to bring them up.
12:09pm
This is Niomon Gate, a scenic spot
to cross from the forest to the
opening top of the mountain.
The Yamagata fall colors seem to start
a month before Tokyo.
(flute music)
From we start to enter the mountain-top
village where only a handful of people
actually live. Even without any roads
to drive up, mail needs to be picked up
and dropped off like every small town
around the country.
"Here we go."
The view is also easier to admire.
We're about 300m above sea level.
The mail must be delivered no matter what.
So it is true almost nothing stops the Post Office.
We've reached the public mail box.
Sasahara San makes another delivery.
We've got more work to do before picking
up the mail from the public post box.
(dog barking)
One resident was happy for the visit
OK!
As we move to the digital world,
it's good to remember that these daily
interactions also become more important too.
The delivery of mail - that human connection -
important in remote areas.
We quickly visited the main hall,
Daibutsuden, and made our way back
down to the post box.
12:32pm
There doesn't seem to be a lot of
mail to pick up today.
You could see that a lot of people
stop to watch us pick up the mail.
(laughter)
Seeing someone whose job it is to walk
up the path so often that some tourists
struggle with is also an attraction,
especially for Japanese visiting Yamadera for
the first time.
I suppose in a way, Sasahara San is
a connection between the world on the outside
and the spiritual world atop the mountain.
It would make quite an interesting anime.
We walked down past Neomon Gate,
a slice of everyday life in Japan perhaps
the most intertesting way to see the stunning
attractions in the heart of Yamagata.
The trip down is much faster than the trip up.
You notice the different view, the sun setting,
changing the direction of the light through the trees.
(spirited orchestral music)
The whole trip from post office from top
to bottom took about an hour.
12:57pm Post Office reached.
A lot of Japanese hikers say hi,
take selfies with Sasahara San -
a lot of respect for the guy who has to do
his duty up and down the trail every day.
And there are a lot of things he'll miss.
(laughter)
Good.
1:12pm Sasahara San is off.
There are more stops on his route
in the surrounding mountains delivering mail
until his retirement in a couple of years.
I went up for a quick climb again to visit
the most scenic spot, the Godaido
Observation Deck at sunset.
It said that those who ascend the steps
1015 to Okunoin Temple at the top,
forget the outside world as they ascend.
They transcend into something greater.
And when you walk around, make sure you look around
'cause it's just stunning.
Between three and 4pm there were fewer people
on the steps. It had a much different feel.
The Godaido Deck, Pavilion of the Five Masters,
when the lighting is right, is one of the most
incredible views of Japan.
It feels surreal when you have it all to yourself
just the sound of the wind, trees and maybe the
local train passing by at the bottom in town.
25 years ago when I first came to Japan,
I remember coming up to Yamadera around that time.
And more than the view around me, I was
impressed with this.
Who has to climb those stairs and pick and deliver
the mail almost every day? Sasahara San.
And it was really special to get a chance
to see him at his job.
These are the kind of stories I like to bring you
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another adventure as I take you to
every corner of this amazing country.
Mata ne.
(temple music)