-
-
Uesugi-jinja Shrine
-
National Treasure-designated Five-Storied Pagoda of Mt. Haguro
-
Yamagata Castle Ruins (Kajo Park)
-
Yamagata Prefecture Local Museum Bunshokan
-
Roadside Station Tendo Onsen
-
Ken Domon Museum of Photography
-
Tsuruoka Park (Tsurugaoka Castle ruins)
-
Matsugasaki Park (Yonezawa Castle Ruins)
-
Yamagata City Folk Museum (Former Saiseikan Hospital Main Building)
-
Uesugi Clan Mausoleum
-
Ski Near Tokyo: How to Get Ski Resorts by Train
-
2020-2021 Snow Resort Guide in Japan: Asia’s Winter Wonderland
-
2020 Top 30 Hot Springs (Onsen) in Japan
Travel Plans
View more-
- A relaxing drive along Yamagata’s Mogami River following in the footsteps of the great poet Matsuo Basho
- 1days
- Only 40 minutes by car from Yamagata Station is the prefecture’s most popular scenic spot. From a famous “yamadera,” or mountain temple, you can look down onto Mogami River and Japan’s largest set of rapids. This relaxing drive plan takes you through some stunning nature while following in the footsteps of Japan’s greatest haiku poet, Matsuo Basho (1644–1694). And, of course, there’s lots of great food along the way.
-
- Take the Shiji Kairo pilgrimage course to witness the beauty of Tohoku’s sacred sites
- 1days
- Shiji Kairo is a pilgrimage course that weaves along four temples in the Tohoku region. It is such a famous and beautiful route that it’s been immortalised in a number of Japanese literary works, such as “Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North)” by Matsuo Basho. Here is a plan to visit Risshaku-ji Temple in Yamagata Prefecture, Zuigan-ji Temple in Matsushima and Chuson-ji Temple and Motsu-ji Temple in Hiraizumi. Experience the pilgrimage as the great haiku poet did.
-
- Yamagata Ginzan Onsen trip that makes you want to dress up
- 1days
- With a hint of Taisho era romance in the air, let's enjoy the Yamagata hot spring area, including Ginzan Onsen. This nostalgic onsen town setting will surely encourage you to adapt to the fashion sense of years past as you eat and walk around the area. Of course, the onsens are what attract the crowds, and if you only take one thing from this itinerary, we say you must take a dip before leaving. Don't forget to spend a comfortable time resting at any one of the peaceful accommodations available.
- Create your own Travel Plan
Travel Guide
View more-
- Ski Near Tokyo: How to Get Ski Resorts by Train
- 2021.01.05
-
- 2020-2021 Snow Resort Guide in Japan: Asia’s Winter Wonderland
- 2020.12.06
-
- 2020 Top 30 Hot Springs (Onsen) in Japan
- 2020.11.22
-
- Hidden Onsen in Japan: Discover Japan’s Best Secret Hot Springs
- 2020.01.07
-
- Ice-covered Trees Illumination Event at Zao Ropeway
- 2019.11.25
Best Events
Top Things to do
View more-
- Uesugi-jinja Shrine
-
-
4.0254 Reviews
- Yamagata Pref. Yonezawashi Marunouchi 1-4-13
- A Shinto shrine located in Marunouchi, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. The shrine is dedicated to Uesugi Kenshin, a famous commander during the Warring States period and ancestor of the future lord of Yonezawa Domain. The shrine was built on the site of Yonezawa Castle in 1876 and designated an Imperial Shrine of Special Status in 1902. The shrine was destroyed in the Great Yonezawa Fire in 1919; the current buildings were reconstructed in 1923, and visitors can view the beautiful Japanese architecture of the shrine’s main shrine and front shrine. Treasures passed down in the Uesugi clan are kept in the shrine’s Keishoden hall, and many tourists come to view them year round.
-
- National Treasure-designated Five-Storied Pagoda of Mt. Haguro
-
-
4.5215 Reviews
- Yamagata Tsuruoka-shi Haguromachi Hagurosan Chinai
- The five-storied pagoda at Mt. Haguro, one of the three sacred mountains of Dewa where Shugendo (a mountain asceticism incorporating Shintoist and Buddhist ideas) was practiced until the Meiji period, has been designated as a national treasure. The current tower is thought to have been reconstructed by Masauji Muto, a head administrator of Mt. Haguro and lord of Shonai in the time of Emperor Chokei of the Bunchu period. It has an elegant appearance nestling within the cedar trees.
-
- Yamagata Castle Ruins (Kajo Park)
-
-
4.0181 Reviews
- Yamagata Pref. Yamagatashi Kajoumachi 1-7 (management office)
- These castle ruins, in Kajo-machi Yamagata City, is designated as a National Historic Site. It is said that Kaneyori Shiba, the father of the Mogami, built the Yamagata Castle in 1356. Today the ninomaru moat, the earthen mound, and the stone walls remain. A replica of the ninomaru west gate has been reconstructed at the entrance to Kajo Park (Kajo being another name for the castle). Selected as one of Japan's top 100 castles, it is one of the recommended sites to visit in Japan.
-
- Yamagata Prefecture Local Museum Bunshokan
-
-
4.5184 Reviews
- Yamagata Pref. Yamagatashi Hatagomachi 3-4-51
- Yamagata Prefecture Local Museum Bunshokan is located along Prefectural Route 49 in Hatagomachi in the city of Yamagata. It is housed in the remodeled and repurposed former Prefectural Office and Prefectural Assembly Hall (built in 1916). This English Gothic Revival-style building has been designated an Important Cultural Property by the national government. The museum contains exhibits about the remodeling of the building and the history and culture of the prefecture. In addition, it is possible to rent the hall, the meeting rooms, the central courtyard and other areas for various events.
-
- Roadside Station Tendo Onsen
-
-
4.0130 Reviews
- Yamagata Pref. Tendoushi Kuwanomachi 2-3-41
- This roadside station is along the Yamagata Bypass in Kuwano-machi, Tendo City. Located near the Tendo hot springs quarter, this station has over one million visitors a year. This multi-purpose park not only has direct to market produce shops, a tourist information center, water fountains, a lawn area with playground equipment, an amphitheater, but also a free foot bathing nook, and a wedding ceremony hall, all on the same site.
-
- Ken Domon Museum of Photography
-
-
4.590 Reviews
- Yamagata Pref. Sakatashi Imoriyama 2-13 Inside Iimoriyama Park
- The Ken Domon Museum of Photography is a specialized museum located in Iimoriyama Park along Prefectural Route 355 in the Iimoriyama area of the city of Sakata. Photographer Ken Domon was a native of the area, and the museum contains his entire life's work, about 70,000 photos. The exhibits are changed on a three-month cycle, with each cycle having own theme, so that all the photos are displayed in turn. The museum also contains sculptures and gardens created by artists who were associates of Domon, especially the sculptor Isamu Noguchi.
-
- Tsuruoka Park (Tsurugaoka Castle ruins)
-
-
4.093 Reviews
- Yamagata Pref. Tsuruokashi Babachou 4
- Built around the ruins of Tsurugaoka Castle, Tsuruoka Park, sprawling in the center of Tsuruoka City, is a renowned destination for cherry blossom viewing in spring. 730 cherry trees grow on the park’s ground, particularly around the castle’s moat, and in spring the tree’s petals cover the waters of the moat. Also selected as one of the 100 best places in Japan for cherry blossom viewing, each year around April the park bustles with great numbers of visitors come to enjoy the flowers. Shonai-jinja Shrine stands on the site where the tower of Tsurugaoka Castle once stood, and the shrine’s treasure house displays various items connected with the lords who once ruled the domain from here. Some of the park’s many other highlights include an ancient Japanese cedar several hundred years old, and a museum dedicated to Tsuruoka-born author Shuhei Fujioka.
-
- Matsugasaki Park (Yonezawa Castle Ruins)
-
-
4.085 Reviews
- Yamagata Pref. Yonezawashi Marunouchi 1-4-13
- A 10-minute bus ride from Yonezawa Station. Records state that the castle which once stood here was built in 1238 and was used as a residence by the Nagai clan, Date clan, Gamo clan, Naoe clan, and Uesugi clan. The castle was demolished in 1873 and the site made open to the general public as a park for the next seven years. In 1857, the site was turned into a municipal park as part of an urban planning project. The park is surrounded by a 20 to 36 meter wide, 800 meter long moat. Also a renowned destination for cherry blossoms, 200 cherry trees surround the moat and are lit up at night during the blooming season, creating spectacular scenery with their pink blossoms and the red castle bridge reflecting off the surface of the water.
-
- Yamagata City Folk Museum (Former Saiseikan Hospital Main Building)
-
-
4.078 Reviews
- Yamagata Yamagata-shi Kajomachi 1-1
- This museum is located inside Kajo Park in Kajo-machi, Yamagata City. Built in 1878 as the prefectural hospital, the “Saiseikan” was relocated and restored, and is now used to exhibit items related to local history and medicine. The building is designated as a National Important Cultural Property.
Areas

What is Yamagata?
Although often overlooked, Yamagata prefecture by no means lacks appeal: the Yamadera temple trail through the mountains, deliciously tender Yonezawa wagyu, and over 100 steaming hot springs, most notably Zao Onsen, await visitors. When winter comes, the snowcapped peaks become dotted with skiers by day and onsen-goers by night, while summer brings the celebration of juicy Yamagata cherries.
Yamagata Overviews
Climate
What to Wear
- Jan
-
- Warm Cloth
- Feb
-
- Warm Cloth
- Mar
-
- Warm Cloth
- Apr
-
- Jacket
- May
-
- Long
- Jun
-
- Long
- Jul
-
- Short
- Aug
-
- Short
- Sep
-
- Long
- Oct
-
- Jacket
- Nov
-
- Warm Cloth
- Dec
-
- Warm Cloth
Getting Around
There's no better way to be introduced to the beautiful Yamagata countryside than by arriving by train. The Yamagata Shinkansen, which takes you from Tokyo up to Yamagata Station in two hours and 40 minutes, rewards passengers with endless picturesque views as you speed through the Yamagata mountains, all covered with a mystical blanket of snow in winter.
Access
-
How to get to Shonai Airport