This is a ropeway operating at Zao Onsen, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture, running from Zao Sanroku Station in Zao Onsen town to Juhyo-Kogen Station, and from Juhyo-Kogen Station to Jizo Sanchou Station in Zao Jizoson. Winter season demand is high from skiers who want transport and visitors to the Juyo Light Up Event, and in summer it is used by many mountain climbers. By using a gondola named “Funitel” one can have a pleasant ride without any harsh humps or bumps. In all four seasons, from autumn leaves to frost-covered trees to new spring ones, a visitor can enjoy all of the splendid nature Zao has to offer.

This shrine is located at the peak of Mt. Haguro in Haguro-machi, Tsuruoka City. The three Dewa Sanzan Shrines, Gassan-jinja Shrine, Ideha-jinja Shrine, Yudonosan-jinja Shrine, each have a different god enshrined. However, because passage to Gassan and Yudonosan is not possible in the winter, the Ideha-jinja Shrine has erected the Sanjin-gosai Hall to represent all three in one space. The existing shrine was erected in 1818 and is designated as an Important Cultural Property.

The largest comprehensive leisure land in the Tohoku region is approximately one kilometer from Yamagata-Kaminoyama Interchange. It has a total of 30 attractions on an extensive site such as the Ferris wheel painted in a Hello Kitty design popular with small children and thrilling roller coasters, some of the many cute rides made in collaboration with Sanrio. There is a variety of food available at the restaurant & cafe, such as curry and hamburgers. The park is closed during the winter from late November to early March.

This hot spring district is located in the middle of a city, a rarity among the hot springs of Yamagata Prefecture; its history stretches back more than 920 years. The district is dotted with 14 hot spring hotels and four public bathhouses, and one of its most notable characteristics is the number of convenience stores and restaurants located close by. Today, this hot spring district in the heart of Nanyo City is on the small side, but the area once flourished as a red-light district, and it is filled with numerous restaurants which bustle with patrons dressed in yukata robes and geta sandals, the traditional costume of a hot spring hotel guest. Nearby Eboshiyama Park, selected as one of Japan's top 100 destinations for cherry blossom viewing, is famous for its 1,000 cherry trees, and visitors are particularly recommended to come here when the flowers are in full bloom in spring. Akayu also grows large quantities of grapes and is home to four wineries, and visitors can enjoy visiting each to sample and compare their wares. In addition, Akayu is known for its nationally popular ramen chains as well as its many more individual and unique ramen restaurants.

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.

This ramen shop is along the Prefectural Route 246 in Niirone, Nanyo City. The signature Akayu Karamiso Ramen, can be made to order by requesting your preferred amount of hot red chili pepper paste to be added to the broth. Also on the menu are the Akayu Ramen with a chicken based soy sauce broth, and the Karamiso chilled ramen noodles with a special sauce.

Standing near the Nagasaki Ohashi Bridge, Sankyo Warehouse, built in 1893, is still used as an agricultural storehouse today. A portion of the warehouse was remodeled and opened as Sakata Yume-no-Kura, a tourism facility and collection of shops selling local products. The Hana-no-Yakata museum presents the history of Sakata City and its culture through exhibits and informational panels. The facility has an open terrace and restaurants serving light meals, and visitors can enjoy Tsuya-hime soft serve ice cream and Tama-konnyaku, local specialties. There is also a corner selling seafood products, Shonai rice, and other top Yamagata souvenirs.

A famous big open-air bath at the highest point in Zao Onsen town. An open-air bath for men and women made alongside the mountain stream, with capacity for 200 people. An open construction surrounded by Zao’s nature, it is a popular spot for enjoying the hot spring or peaceful walk through the woods. The hot spring water is of the highly acidic sulfur variety, also called the “beauty maker.” It is closed from December to the following March. Take the Yamako Bus to its last stop in the “Zao Onsen” direction.

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.

This approximately 35 km long mountain parkway, runs from Fukura, Yuzamachi Town to Kisakatamachi, Nikaho City in Akita enroute Hokodate point about halfway up Mt. Chokai. The route propels you from sea level to 1100 meters in one swoop, making this an exhilarating drive. Not only can one enjoy Mt. Chokai, but a panoramic view of the Shonai plain, the Sea of Japan, at a distance, Tobishima and Sado Islands, and Oga Peninsula. The parkway displays its seasonal fresh verdure in the summer and the ardent reds in the autumn. About midway along the route is an observatory, and there are virgin beech forests and other spots to visit including the Shinroku Park. The parkway is closed during wintertime, from the late October to late April.

The famous waters of this hot spring district are said to have been discovered by the poet Ono no Komachi and were beloved by the samurai Date Masamune, the lord of Yonezawa Domain. The district is located in an area with spectacular seasonal natural beauty. The waters of the district's radium- and sulfur-containing sodium calcium chloride springs are gentle on the skin and contain an abundance of metasilicic acid, a substance also used in facial lotions. The waters of the springs can also be drunk for further health benefits on top of those gained in bathing in them. A money-saving, wooden top-shaped pass called the Yumeguri Tegata is sold at all inns in the area; the pass allows holders to visit the bathhouses of any three inns of their choice in Onogawa Onsen and Shirabu Onsen. Once the pass has been used up, holders can take part in a free class to paint it and created a memento of their trip, a very popular area activity. There are many other classes offered in the area for visitors to enjoy, including making a Buddhist nenju rosary bracelet, sutra copying, ceramic bell painting, and making custard-like soft boiled hot spring eggs.

This day use hot spring facility has a view of Mt. Gassan and the Asahi mountain range from its outdoor baths, the largest in the prefecture. The hypotonic high temperature springs are said to be effective at treating muscle soreness and nerve pain. There are two different source springs, high temperature and low, for the large baths, full body bath with jets, saunas, and cold water baths. There is a physically challenged bath available by reservation as well.

This store is located on National Route 7 in Nunome, Tsuruoka City. It houses mostly shops selling local specialties and souvenirs with shops selling seafood from the Sea of Japan and crab directly sourced from fishing ports. There is also a restaurant serving seafood and local cuisine using the fruits of the seas off Shonai.

Located just off the Yamagata Kaminoyama Interchange on the Tohoku Chuo Expressway, Yamagata Kanko Bussan Kaikan “Gutto Yamagata” is a tourist destination with many attractive features. Special attractions include The Street of 100-Year-Old Shops and the sections where Yamagata saké and other famous food ingredients and products from Yamagata Prefecture. Just inside the entrance is an event plaza, where local governments, businesses, and others in the prefecture hold events daily as efforts to promote Yamagata.

This dango dumpling shop is on Prefectural Route 30 in Otsu Oishida, Oishida Town. They sell dumplings made without additives like sugar and enzymes and their catchphrase Hard Dumplings Tomorrow speaks to the high quality. The name Senbon Dango comes from having sold 1,000 dango skewers in a single day. They also sell hidendaizu tofu made with Yamagata Prefecture grown hiden soybeans and natural nigari bittern.

This is a 2,236 meter tall active volcano in Chokai Quasi-International Park extending over Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture. The 5th station hosts the Hokodate Observatory, with a view of the Oga Peninsula and Tobishima Island in the Sea of Japan. The 7th stage has bunches of flowers like narcissus anemone and nikkokisuge that bloom around July. It's popular with climbers, being selected one of Japan's 100 Top Mountains, Japan's100 Best Sceneries, and National Historic Sites.

Created in 1990, Takahata Wine became the first domestic wine to win first place in the 2011 Japan Wine Challenge for its status as an excellent medium-body red wine. It also won in the 2013 Japan Wine Competition, a first for Yamagata Prefecture and bringing the winery’s accolade total to two. Winery tours are available throughout the year, and several events are held as well. After the tour, visitors should not miss the purchase of exclusive wines from the shop. It’s a 10-minute walk from JR Takahata Station.

This is a ski resort exclusively for summer skiing at Mt. Ubagatake (the second peak of Mt. Gassan) in Yamagata Prefecture approximately 25 minutes by car from Gassan Interchange on the Yamagata Expressway. As it is a ski resort in a heavy snow area it opens in April when other ski resorts close and skiing is possible until summer and the snow disappears. There are four slopes and the natural bumps utilizing the natural terrain are perfect for practicing mogul skiing. The biggest attraction is that it is warm and visitors can enjoy skiing in light clothing and even short sleeves. Skiing under the blue sky looking over the fresh green spreading below is refreshing.

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.

This is a memorial museum for Matsuo Basho, the renowned haiku poet, located along Prefectural Route 19 in Yamadera, Yamagata City. The museum host various events such as haiku contests along with the permanent exhibit displaying drafts written in Basho's own hand, letters, and other archival materials pertaining to his life, as well as a theater corner documenting his life. The museum has tatami mat training rooms and tea rooms available for seminars or tea ceremonies and other traditional cultural art events.

Established in 1972, this ramen purveyor is a one of the quintessential of Yonezawa ramen, for which many customers stand in line to enjoy. The shop has their own noodle making factory, and while seated at the bar one can watch noodles being made. The broth, which enhances the noodles, hand-kneaded prior to boiling, is made of chicken and dried fish simmered for hours to perfect the flavor. The not too heavy robust flavored soy based chuka-soba is served the traditional way with chashu-pork, naruto, and memma slices. The resilient, thin, crimped noodles are a perfect complement to the broth. The shop closes for the day when the broth runs out.

Yamagata Prefectural General Sports Park is located in Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture; it was opened in 1992 as a place for local people to participate in sporting and leisure activities, and as the venue for the 47th National Sports Festival of Japan (the “Benibana National Sports Festival”). This large Park includes an athletics stadium, a multi-purpose sports stadium, tennis courts, a baseball stadium, a soccer stadium, etc. There is also a children’s “Play Forest” with a long roller slide and lots of other play equipment, and the “Ikoi Plaza” where visitors can enjoy a relaxing stroll. The Park is used by people of all ages. The open-air swimming pool (which is only open in the summer months) has a “lazy river,” water slides, a special pool for young children, etc., and is very popular with children and families.