【山形ビエンナーレ】えきねっとの格安JRツアーで「山形駅西口ワシントンホテル」に宿泊がオススメ

2018年開催のみちのおく芸術祭「山形ビエンナーレ」に行ってきました。
今回はお得で楽に現地を満喫できるよう、筆者が実際に購入したツアーのご紹介を中心にまとめて行きたいと思います。

えきねっと　JRツアー

関東地区から山形を目指す場合、新幹線の1択になると考えます。山形空港が中心部より離れている点に加え、JAL便が独占していることによる高料金ゆえ、なかなかお得なツアーが見当たりませんでした（時期によると思われるので都度調査下さい）。※山形空港から山形駅まではバスで35分・980円。

新幹線となるとJR東日本で発売しているツアーがオススメ。往復の新幹線指定席を時間指定で購入出来、ホテルの選択肢も複数あります。今回はツアー日の1週間前というタイミングで、祝前日の駅直結ホテルを予約することが出来ました。価格はシンア幹線往復料金とホテル宿泊費を含めてなんと「24,000円（税込）」！お安く行くことが出来ました。

山形駅西口ワシントンホテル

JR山形駅の改札を降りると、目の前に山形ビエンナーレの案内デスクが設置されていました。ここでパンフレットをもらいましょう。周回バスの時刻表やスタンプラリーのシートも兼ねた芸術祭の詳細案内が含まれています。

繁華街で賑わう東口とは反対の西口方面へ歩きますと、右手に見える高層ビルが確認出来ます。これが山形駅西口ワシントンホテルです。ホテルまでは雨に濡れない直結の通路で繋がっています。

エレベーターで24階まで上がると見晴らしの良い眺望が広がります。通路を進んで行くとホテルのフロントに到着します。チェックインの時間まで時間があったため、とりあえず荷物を預かって頂き、芸術祭の会場へと足を運びました。

チェックインは14時からでした。
客室へはフロント横にあるエレベーターを乗り継いで19階〜21階の部屋に降りていきます。

チェックアウトは午前10時。翌日も出発前に荷物を預かって頂き、再び芸術祭の会場へ向かいました。
新幹線出発の時間を見計らって荷物を取りに行き、無事帰路へ付くことが出来ました。

駅直結なので荷物を預かって頂きながら行動することが出来、また駅近なので余計な時間を掛けずに効率良く動けました。

I visited the Michinooku Art Festival “Yamagata Biennale” held in 2018.
This time I will focus on introducing the tour I actually purchased, so that you can enjoy the destination affordably and easily.

Eki-net JR Tour

For those heading to Yamagata from the Kanto region, the shinkansen is essentially the only choice. Yamagata Airport is far from the city center, and because JAL has a monopoly on the route with correspondingly high fares, few good-value tours were available (this may depend on the season, so please check case by case). *From Yamagata Airport to Yamagata Station takes 35 minutes by bus, at 980 yen.

For the shinkansen, I recommend the tour packages sold by JR East. You can purchase a round-trip reserved shinkansen seat with a specified time, and there are multiple hotel options to choose from. This time, at one week before the tour date, I was able to reserve a station-adjacent hotel for a night before a public holiday. The price — including the round-trip shinkansen fare and hotel accommodation — was just “24,000 yen (tax included)”! It was an affordable trip.

Yamagata Station West Exit Washington Hotel

When you exit the ticket gates at JR Yamagata Station, there is a Yamagata Biennale information desk right in front of you. Pick up a brochure here. It includes detailed festival information along with the loop bus timetable and stamp-rally sheet.

The loop bus stop is a bit far, so it's a good idea to check the bus stop location. — The loop bus stop is a bit far, so it’s a good idea to check the bus stop location.

Walking toward the west exit — the opposite side from the bustling east exit — you can see a high-rise building on your right. This is the Yamagata Station West Exit Washington Hotel. It’s connected to the hotel via a covered walkway that keeps you out of the rain.

The direct walkway leads straight to the 2nd floor. The hotel reception is on the 24th floor.

Taking the elevator up to the 24th floor, a beautiful view unfolds.Continuing down the corridor, you arrive at the hotel front desk. As there was time before check-in, I had them hold my luggage and headed straight to the festival venue.

The front desk is at the end of the corridor.

Check-in was from 2:00 p.m.
To reach the guest rooms, you take a connecting elevator next to the front desk and descend to rooms on floors 19 through 21.

Delightfully, the bed is a generously sized semi-double.

I stayed in a room with a sweeping view of Yamagata Station below.

Check-out was at 10:00 a.m. The next day too, they held my luggage before I left, and I headed to the festival venue again.
Timing my return to catch the shinkansen, I picked up my luggage and made my way home without any trouble.

Since the hotel is directly connected to the station, I could leave my luggage there while I moved around. And being so close to the station, I could act efficiently without wasting time.

我参加了2018年举办的Michinooku艺术祭”山形双年展”。
本次我想以自己实际购买的旅游套餐为主线，介绍如何以实惠又轻松的方式尽情享受当地。

Eki-net　JR套餐

从关东地区前往山形的话，新干线基本上是唯一的选择。加上山形机场远离市中心，又由于JAL独占航线导致票价高昂，因此很难找到划算的套餐（这也可能因时期而异，请随时查询）。※从山形机场到山形站乘巴士需35分钟，费用980日元。

新干线方面，推荐JR东日本销售的套餐。可以购买指定时间的往返新干线指定座位，酒店选择也多种多样。这次在出发前一周，成功预订了节假日前夜的车站直连酒店。价格包含往返新干线费用和酒店住宿费用，仅需”24,000日元（含税）”！可谓相当实惠。

山形站西口华盛顿酒店

走出JR山形站检票口，眼前便设置了山形双年展的服务台。请在这里领取宣传册。册子中包含巡回巴士时刻表以及兼作盖章打卡表的艺术祭详细指南。

朝着与繁华的东口相反方向的西口走去，右手边可以看到一座高层建筑。这就是山形站西口华盛顿酒店。酒店与车站通过不必淋雨的直连通道相连。

乘电梯上到24楼，视野开阔的景色映入眼帘。沿着通道往里走便到达酒店前台。由于距离入住时间还有一段时间，我先寄存了行李，直接前往艺术祭会场。

入住时间从下午2点开始。
前往客房需要从前台旁的电梯换乘，下到19至21楼的客房。

退房时间为上午10点。第二天出发前也再次寄存了行李，前往艺术祭会场。
估算新干线出发时间后回来取行李，顺利踏上归途。

由于与车站直连，可以寄存行李后自由行动；距离车站又近，无需浪费多余时间，行动效率极高。

2018년에 개최된 미치노오쿠 예술제 “야마가타 비엔날레”에 다녀왔다.
이번에는 저렴하고 편안하게 현지를 즐길 수 있도록, 필자가 실제로 구매한 투어를 중심으로 소개하고자 한다.

Eki-net JR 투어

간토 지역에서 야마가타로 향할 경우, 신칸센이 사실상 유일한 선택지라고 생각한다. 야마가타 공항은 중심부에서 멀리 떨어져 있는 데다, JAL이 노선을 독점하고 있어 요금도 높아 좋은 투어를 찾기 어려웠다(시기에 따라 다를 수 있으니 그때그때 확인하시길). ※야마가타 공항에서 야마가타역까지는 버스로 35분, 요금은 980엔이다.

신칸센이라면 JR 동일본에서 판매하는 투어를 추천한다. 왕복 신칸센 지정석을 시간 지정으로 구매할 수 있고, 호텔 선택지도 다양하다. 이번에는 투어 1주일 전에 공휴일 전날의 역 직결 호텔을 예약할 수 있었다. 가격은 왕복 신칸센 요금과 호텔 숙박비를 포함해 무려 “24,000엔(세금 포함)”! 저렴하게 다녀올 수 있었다.