Simple hike at Yamadera in May

Woke up early and reach Yamadera around 7am. The weather was very hot and apparently that day recorded the highest temperature in Japan - 38 degree celcius in Spring. It took us roughly 1.5 hours to reach the top as there are 1,000 steps to climb. We are not a regular hiker thus we took a few stops during our way to the top. The view is very breath taking and it's really worth it to reach to the top. You will feel that all the tiredness is gone when you see the beautiful scenery. You will have to pay 500 yens upon entering the attraction. Bear in mind that there bare no restaurant at the top and shops are only selling souvenir and bottled water. Do write and send a postcard there as you get a limited edition stamp on your postcard. There are a lot of restaurant at the bottom of the mountain and its open starting at 10 or 11am. Take note on the train schedule as the JR doesn't stop that frequently. #yamadera #yamagata #may2023 #hiking #japan