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Yamagata

From Yamadera's trails to Zao Onsen's hot springs

About Yamagata
Mount Zao summit (Photo: Tom Roseveare / JT)

Top Attractions in Yamagata

Mount Zao
Yamagata
Activities

Mount Zao

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Around Yamagata

Zao Onsen

Zao Onsen

Zao Onsen (Zao hotspring) is one of the oldest hot springs in the northeastern part of the Tohoku region, in Yamagata Prefect...

Yamagata
Yamagata City

Yamagata City

Yamagata City and Yamagata Prefecture share the same name: "mountain shape". Yamagata City is surrounded by mountains indeed ...

Yamagata
Iide

Iide

Iide Town is a small town in the southern part of Yamagata Prefecture. The town is surrounded by four mountain ranges: Zao Re...

Yamagata
Mamurogawa

Mamurogawa

Mamurogawa (真室川) is known as Ume no Sato (梅の里 lit. 'plum town'). A Plum Festival is held here every year during Golden ...

Yamagata
Tendo City

Tendo City

If you are a permanent resident of a big city then you start appreciating little getaways in the countryside. Considering tha...

Yamagata
Dewa Sanzan

Dewa Sanzan

The Dewa Sanzan are the three sacred peaks of Yamagata, representing birth, death and rebirth. For centuries, pilgrims have w...

Yamagata
Ginzan Onsen

Ginzan Onsen

Ginzan Onsen in Yamagata Prefecture provides the setting to transport you back a hundred years to Japan's Taisho era. Stroll ...

Yamagata
Tsuruoka

Tsuruoka

Designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, Tsuruoka lays claim to a diverse food culture thanks to the blessings of abu...

Yamagata

Top Articles

Upcoming Yamagata Events

Yutagawa Onsen Plum Festival

Yutagawa Onsen Plum Festival

Kim

The Yamagata hot springs town of Yutagawa Onsen has many good reasons to visit, and if you're a flower lover the Yutagawa Ons...

Yamagata
Japan Sea Cold Cod Festival

Japan Sea Cold Cod Festival

Kim

Cold cod soup or dongara jiru is a popular winter dish in the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture, and the Japan Sea Cold Co...

Yamagata
Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival

Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival

Kim

Held on the second weekend of February each year, the Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival sees Matsugasaki Park and its surrounds de...

Yamagata

Where to eat in Yamagata

Yamagata: Food Guide

Yamagata: Food Guide

Farah Bassyouni

Yamagata is called the “Food Kingdom” of Japan, and for good reason. If you’re looking for warm, wholesome dishes that feel l...

Yamagata

Places to stay in Yamagata

Kuhe Ryokan

Kuhe Ryokan

Alena Eckelmann

Kuhe Ryokan in Yutagawa Onsen, a small hot spring village near Tsuruoka City in Yamagata Prefecture, is well-suited for a sta...

Yamagata

Latest Yamagata Reports

Yamagata: Food Guide

Yamagata: Food Guide

Farah Bassyouni

Yamagata is called the “Food Kingdom” of Japan, and for good reason. If you’re looking for warm, wholesome dishes that feel l...

Yamagata
Tsuruoka's Zenpoji

Tsuruoka's Zenpoji

Arlene Bastion

Zenpoji's plain wood structures beautifully highlight its complex carvings of flora and fauna. Its tradition of a dualistic f...

Yamagata
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About Yamagata

Yamagata
Okinawa Nagasaki Fukuoka Saga Kumamoto Kagoshima Miyazaki Oita Ehime Kochi Tokushima Kagawa Yamaguchi Hiroshima Okayama Tottori Shimane Hyogo Kyoto Osaka Wakayama Nara Shiga Mie Fukui Ishikawa Toyama Gifu Aichi Nagano Shizuoka Niigata Yamanashi Kanagawa Tokyo Saitama Gunma Tochigi Chiba Ibaraki Fukushima Miyagi Yamagata Iwate Akita Aomori Hokkaido
Region Tohoku
Island Honshu
Capital Yamagata
Population 1,168,924
Area 9323.15 sq. km

Located in the Tohoku region and bordering the Sea of Japan, Yamagata Prefecture (山形県, Yamagata-ken) is filled with beautiful natural landscapes.

Risshaku-ji, or Yama-dera, is a temple famous for its magnificent view after a 1,000-step climb to get to the top, while the five-storey pagoda at Mount Haguro (part of the Dewa Sanzan Mountains) is also a must-see destination for tourists.

After visiting those holy sites, reinvigorate yourself at one of Yamagata’s many hot springs, with the ones at Ginzan, Kaminoyama, and Zao (also a popular ski resort) being the most renowned. If you visit in early autumn, don’t miss out on imoni, the prefecture’s special potato soup.

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