1D trip Yamadera & Ginzan Onsen?

Our group consists of 16 people, and we're planning to stay in Sendai. I'm considering a trip to Yamadera and Ginzan Onsen in a single day. Would it be possible?

I saw on their website that there's an extra bus from Ginzan Onsen to Oishida at 18:10 between December and March. (https://www.hanagasa-bus-taisei.co.jp/base.html) Is this information still valid? It doesn't mention the arrival time at Oishida station.

This should be possible, although I don't think Ginzan onsen is worth a day trip from Sendai (or Yamadera) due to the time it takes to get there. There is only that one road with the canal and a short section of a former silver mine that takes maybe 10 minutes to see. 1 hour there would already be enough, or 2 hours if you take a bath.

If you are a group of 16, I would not look at using local buses as your main transport if they can't be booked in advance.

Publix transport is good in Japan, but a group of 16 is large and I think is fraught with things that can go wrong, such as the bus being full or 1 person is running late and then you have to wait a few hours to the next bus.

Catching a train to Yamadera would be my best suggestion, but it was only 1 carriage when I used it a while ago. It may have changed since then

I went from Sendai to Yamadera and it was less than half day trip, but totally worth it. I can't help you with Ginzan onsen since I haven't been there yet

I realize my comment maybe wasn't clear. Yamadera is easy to visit, but Ginzan onsen isn't, even if you are starting from Yamadera.

Also, I don't know if I was especially unlucky, but the two trains I took on the Senzan line had a 10-15 minutes delay, which could make you miss the connection to Ōishida.

With 16 people have you looked into renting a bus with driver? For tge train Ifd be less concerned, if the train is full you can still board and stand, but the bus to Ginzan onsen youfll nearly take up half of the seats.

I went by car to ginzan a few years ago. The village road is nice but just one road. If you take a bath in one of the public onsen, you can probably spend up to 2 h meaningfully in the village. But if some of you donft want to take a bath it would be quiet boring for them.

I found a solution for traveling from Oishida Station to Ginzan Onsen. It's a local taxi service—itfs a bit more expensive, but it helps us avoid overcrowded buses.

So I plan to visit Yamadera in the morning, then head to Ginzan Onsen in the afternoon, and return to Sendai around 9 PM.

https://obanazawataxi.net/en

https://obanazawataxi.net/en/tourism

Jumbo taxi (~9 people) 19,000 yen Is indeed a good choice!