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’d be less concerned, if the train is full you can still board and stand, but the bus to Ginzan onsen you’ll 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’t 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’s 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!