YamagataLeisure

Nagai Station (長井駅)

Flow of the course

Previous stop: Get a Compact Overview of Nagai's and the Mogami River's History, Also a Good Break from the Heat in the Afternoon

About 45 min from the previous stop

About 120 min here

About 15 min to the next stop

Next stop: Spread a Picnic Sheet on the Riverbed and Wait for the Show, Enjoying the River Breeze and Sunset

About this spot

The area around Nagai Station (長井駅) on the Flower Nagai Line is the city center, where restaurants and shops gather. On the day of the fireworks display, the whole area is lively with the Water Festival, and restaurants serving Yamagata-style food are open, including set meals made with local ingredients, Yamagata's famous cold niku-soba (cold soba with meat), and dishes using Yonezawa beef. As a rule of thumb for avoiding crowds, it's best to finish dinner more than two hours before the fireworks start. After eating, head on foot toward the venue, Mogami River Riverside Green Park (最上川河川緑地公園), and take a look at the food stalls and vendors along the way.

Tips

On the day of the Water Festival, the whole city gets lively and popular restaurants get crowded. Move early enough to get a seat by around 17:00. Specific restaurant names may change depending on the day's business situation, so it's also worth checking information from the Nagai City Tourism Association. It's about a 15-20 minute walk from the station to the venue.