Uesugi-jinja Shrine 上杉神社

Resting amid a beautiful garden, Uesugi-jinja Shrine is dedicated to the powerful warrior Uesugi Kenshin, featuring a treasure house filled with original artifacts and exhibits.

You can get to the shrine by bus and taxi.

The shrine is 10 minutes by taxi from JR Yonezawa Station, and 11 minutes by a bus. Get off at the Uesugi Shrine stop, and it's a 3-minute walk away.

Uesugi-jinja is dedicated to one of the bravest warriors that ever lived, Uesugi Kenshin. Sent to a Buddhist monastery as a child because his father did not favor him, Uesugi was called home by his brother and took over the reigns of the family at age of 19.

He went on to become one of the most powerful and feared warriors and warlords that Japan has ever seen.

In February, the Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival takes place, when some 300 lanterns carved from snow, and around 1,000 small lanterns light the way. Along with souvenir shops, many smaller, local food stalls are set up.

The gateway to the shrine is the paved sando pathway, which will lead you over the moats and ruins of Yonezawa Castle. You can stop to feed the colorful koi fish swimming around in the well-maintained moats.

Along the sando pathway are numerous statues and monuments honouring Japanese popular political icons. But nothing compares to the small, serene, and exquisite garden in the surrounding area.

Within the grounds lies the Uesugi Museum, the treasure house exhibiting the belongings of Uesugi Kenshin and his family's descendants.

Within the house there are 131 Important Cultural Properties and another 300 items, from weapons and paintings to ceramics, which you can examine up close.