Getting from Yamagata Airport to the city

The airport bus

• Yamako Bus, the Yamagata Kotsu operator, runs the Yamagata Airport line between the terminal and the front of Yamagata station.
• About 16 scheduled calls, 07:58 to 18:50. That is a small number of trips timed to flights.
• The airport stop is Yamagata Airport, about 460 metres from the runway reference point.

The railway alternative

• Jinmachi station is about 850 metres from the airport, with a bus stop at the station front.
• It is on the Ou main line, the route the Yamagata Shinkansen uses between Fukushima and Shinjo.
• If the airport bus does not fit your flight, walking to Jinmachi and taking the train is a real option.

The community buses

• Higashine City runs local community bus lines through the Jinmachi district.
• They connect to Sakuranbo Higashine station and the public hospital, with a handful of trips each.
• Sakuranbo Higashine is the Yamagata Shinkansen station for Higashine, named for the cherries the area grows.

Context

• The airport is in Higashine city, about 20 km north of Yamagata.
• Yamagata is known for cherries, hot springs and the Zao ski area.
• Sendai Airport is about 80 km east across the mountains, and a direct bus runs between it and Yamagata, which is why the domestic network here is thin.