Spots in Yamagata Area

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Yamagata
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Category

Hoshuyama Risshakuji Temple

4.5

900 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Yamagata Pref. Yamagatashi Yamadera 4456-1

A temple of the Tendai sect, Hoshuyama Risshakuji is located across the Tachiya River from JR Yamadera Station on the Senzan Line. Normally called “Yamadera”, it was opened by Ennin in 860 by decree of Emperor Seiwa. Currently, it is designated a Zao Quasi-National Park, with 1,090,000 square meters green lot with about 30 towers—the most historic holy mountain in the Tohoku region. A famous haiku poet Matsuo Basho wrote “Shizukasa ya iwa ni shimiiru semi no koe (Such stillness / The cries of the cicadas / Sink into the rocks)” here. Its remnants remain as “semi-zuka,” and many poets like Mokichi Saito have poems inscribed here.

The autumn colors are amazing. I went on a Monday and it was not busy. For 200 yen it is an incredible value.
Zao Onsen Ski Resort

4.5

334 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Yamagata Pref. Yamagatashi Zaouonsen 708-1

This is a ski resort located in Zao Onsen Yamagata City Yamagata Prefecture boasting the largest land area in Tohoku. The courses have a wide variety of length and inclines and it is also enjoyed by school excursion parties as well as families and couples. The upper ice-field course offers a wide view of the signature frost-covered trees. Seeing the magical frost-covered trees illuminated at night is a must. The Zao Onsen town spreads out from the mountain’s foot.

Such a great ski resort and all is great. You can spend 4 days for skiing and enjoy the speed and scenery passing by you when skiing. After the daily ski, in the evening you can enjoy the hot spring...
Zao Ropeway

4.0

229 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Yamagata Pref. Yamagatashi Zaouonsen 229-3

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.

Our experience was fun and smooth. The ticket is a bit expensive for a round way trip but the view was wonderful and it’s a good way to get to the top and access the crater lake. The Ropeway is very...
Uesugi-jinja Shrine

4.0

258 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

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.

I visited this shrine on my way to our hotel to stay in Kaminoyama. Not being totally expected, I was pretty much surprised to see their beautiful garden, well-maintained shrine, exhibition center...
Zao Onsen Dai Rotenburo

4.5

190 Reviews

Accommodations / Hot Spring

Yamagata Pref. Yamagatashi Zaouonsen Arai-ku 853-3

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.

This is an open-air bath facility at the top of the onsen town with water flowing down along the stream and pouring into it. The facility is quite minimum with no washing space with showers but two...
Yamagata Castle Ruins (Kajo Park)

4.0

190 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

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.

戦国武将・最上義光の時代に造られ、江戸時代には山形藩の政庁であった山形城の敷地は、現在は山形市民の憩いの場となっています。公園の周囲のお堀、大手門、公園の中央に位置する本丸御殿広場とそれを囲う堀や史跡を除けば、各地にある公園と何ら変わらず、ジョギングやペットの散歩、子供たちの遊び場となっています。基本的に無料で全ての人に解放されていますが、夜間帯には門は閉じられており、中に入ることは出来ません...
Roadside Station Tendo Onsen

4.0

130 Reviews

Transportation

Yamagata Pref. Tendoushi Kuwanomachi 2-3-41

"Michi-no-Eki (roadside rest facility with many services) Tendo Onsen is a spot where visitors can enjoy ""Shogi piece"" called koma and a pear ""La France"", of which Tendo City boasts the largest production in Japan. ""Shogi piece"" production is demonstrated, and the works of koma artisans, etc. are displayed. As for ""La France"", they sell limited version of sweets such as pies and tarts with processed fruit pulp of ""La France"", as well as gelato using seasonal fruits. A multipurpose outdoor space with playground equipment and a footbath with free-flowing spring water are available, and a fountain rises in the summer, making it a great stopover for families."

You can get variety of souvenirs here. Many kind of vegetables and fruits are sold here. Its far from the station so you should come here by car or taxi. Especially soba was low price and tasty!
Cherryland Sagae

4.0

74 Reviews

Transportation

Yamagata Sagae-shi

This roadside station is located along National Route 112 in Kawara, Yakuwa, Sagae City. The largest roadside station in the Tohoku region, Cherryland Sagae is centered around a souvenir store that sells a wide range of Yamagata specialties, such as famous sweets, agricultural produce, local sake and handicrafts. There is also a restaurant and a food court that serve food made using Yamagata beef and Shonai pork. Also, on the other side of the road there is a large cherry orchard called “Hakka Orchard Onuma.” There are also products only available at Cherryland, such as “Jion-ji Temple Golden Sesame Walnut Yubeshi.”

Its a huge souvenir stores mall. I bought cherry cake and cookies. There was a line in front of the famous ice cream shop. You can choose 2 flavors. I ate white rice and lemon, it was nice.
Ken Domon Museum of Photography

4.5

96 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

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.

I discovered Domon Ken photography, in Rome, when just by chance I saw a huge exposition on his life work. So when we went to Japan, we went to Sakata just to see his museum. We spent a whole...
Yamagata City Folk Museum (Former Saiseikan Hospital Main Building)

4.0

91 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

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.

A beautiful building with a lovely garden in the middle. The exhibits cover medicine in Japan. I was most impressed by the eye chart that used animals.
Matsugasaki Park (Yonezawa Castle Ruins)

4.0

91 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

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.

Yonezawa matsuri is a special matsuri since it commemorates a famous historical battle between two samourai clans. The battle is on the last day of the matsuri and it is worth seeing it. In case of...
Denkoku-no-Mori Yonezawa City Uesugi Museum

3.5

89 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Yamagata Pref. Yonezawashi Marunouchi 1-2-1

A museum dedicated to the Uesugi clan. Take a bus from Yonezawa Station and get off at the “Uesugijinja-mae” stop. The museum building incorporates traditional Japanese elements and is designed to mesh well with the surrounding scenery. Its collection of several thousand items relating to the Uesugi clan includes National Treasure-designated folding screens depicting the streets of Kyoto at the time from overhead, and the Uesugi-ke Monjo, a large collection of ancient writings and documents. Highlights include an exhibit in the museum’s permanent display collection which uses CG to give visitors a glimpse into the culture and lifestyle of the world of the Uesugi foling screens, as well as the Yozan Theater exhibit, which dramatizes the reforms Uesugi Yozan implemented in the domain’s government.

特に上杉氏が好きな人には最高の場所！常設展示と企画展示の２つの展示が行われていた。常設・企画とも上杉絡み、初めての訪問なので、当然ここの場所から行って全て上杉氏絡みなのだなと思った。私たちにとっては上杉氏一色で最高であった。
Uesugi Clan Mausoleum

4.0

79 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Yamagata Pref. Yonezawashi Gobyou 1-5-30

Just a 5-minute walk from the Gobyo-mae bus stop on the Yamako bus line bound for Onogawa Onsen. This is a cemetery with 11 generations of the Uesugi clan, notably Prince Uesugi Kenshin down to Narisada, interred in beautiful wood structured mausoleums. It is known for being the resting place of Uesugi Kenshin, a famous warrior during Japan's civil war. This cemetery was the 5th to be designated in 1984 as a National Historic Landmark for former feudal lords. During the Uesugi Yukitoro stone lantern Festival illumination, the snow covered stone and paper lanterns are lit making for otherworldly serene atmosphere. The neighboring Houonji Temple was transported from Mt. Kasuga and rebuilt as the Uesugi family temple.

Tucked away in the western part of town are 2 hectares of peace, tranquility and a stand of 300-400 year old cedar trees. This is also where the first eleven lords of the Uesugi clan are buried, each...
Mogami River Basyo Line Descent

4.0

60 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Yamagata Pref. Mogamiguntozawamura Furukuchi 86-1

This boat trip descends the Mogami River. They're regular route covers about 12 kilometers from Furukuchi Pier in Furukuchi, Tozawa Village to Kusanagi Pier. It operates every day of the year. The hour-long journey lets visitors enjoy the seasonal views of the Mogami Gorge. The songs of the well-trained boatmen are one of the highlights, and on occasion they'll break into mimicry or sing in Korean. They also offer a variety of special plans, like a course that takes in Shiraito Falls from April to November and a cool of the evening cruise in July and August where you can watch the sun set from the Mogami River.

During our 3 week visit to Japan, I really wanted to visit Basho country. I chose a ryokan in Takaya, Yamagata Prefecture by the Mogami River to satisfy this desire. Our hosts mentioned the Mogami...
Former Main Residence of Homma Family and Villa “O-tana”

4.0

75 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Yamagata Pref. Sakatashi Nibanchou 12-13

This samurai-style villa built in 1768 by Mitsuoka Homma—the third landlord of Homma Family, wealthy merchant family of Dewa—served as lodgings for the Shogun’s inspection envoys. Featuring a combination of samurai-style and merchant-style construction, this building would be unusual anywhere in the country. The red pines are also wonderful, and are said to live over 400 years.

A very nicely preserved home of an upper class. Very spacious and interesting architecture of Japanese home using the verendas. I liked the simple decor that made look elegant and functional.
Koiwai Farm's solitary cherry tree

4.5

69 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Yamagata Sakata-shi Hiyoshicho 1-2-20

This is an entertainment complex in 1 Chome Hiyoshi-cho, Sakata City. Built in the remodeled Soma-ya, a famed Sakata restaurant, the 1st floor features Teahouse Kutsurogi Dokoro, and the second floor has a dining theater where you can watch Maiko dances while you dine, as well as the Takehisa Yumeji Art Museum. The main Soma-ya manor was destroyed in the Shonai earthquake of 1894, but was soon rebuilt and is now designated a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

Somaro Maiko Teahouse dates back to the Edo Period to when Sakata City served as a key port in the domestic trade network of an isolationist Japan. During this period the Shonai Region produced...
Yamagata Museum of Art

4.0

53 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Yamagata Pref. Yamagatashi Otemachi 1-63

This museum is located across the way to the east of Kajo Park in Ote-machi, Yamagata City. Exhibited here are not only the Japanese works of Matsuo Basho's Three Mountains of Dewa writings, Yosa Buson's The Narrow Road through the Provinces scroll, but also a collection of Modern French works including Monet and Renoir. The museum also hosts various planned exhibits related to the collections, the Yamagata General Art Exhibits, local art exhibits, photography exhibits, and calligraphy exhibits.

Living in Paris, I go quite often to Orsay or marmottan museums. The 40 paintings exposed (monet, pissaro, van dongen, Chagall,... ) are very fine. There are very well representating the period...
Homma Museum of Art

4.0

71 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Yamagata Pref. Sakatashi Onarichou 7-7

A garden and art museum a five minute walk from Sakata Station. Built as a garden and villa for the Homma family of wealthy merchants and landowners, the facility was opened to the public as a private art museum in 1947. The museum’s collection consists primarily of works of art passed down for generations in the Homma family, and the museum is filled with ancient writings, antiques, paintings, and other valuable artwork. Other highlights include the Seienkaku, a beautiful wood villa built in the Kyoto style; and the Kakubuen, a traditional garden built around a central pond celebrated as one of the best Japanese gardens in the country and renowned for the beauty of its fall foliage.

Honma Museum of Art was a quick ten minute walk from the train station. The museum itself was quite disappointing and hardly worth the trip for its small exhibition that didn’t allow photos. First...
Yamagata Marugoto-kan Beni-no-Kura

4.0

54 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Yamagata Pref. Yamagatashi Tokamachi 2-1-8

Located a 10 minute walk from JR Yamagata Station, this tourism and shopping facility focuses on seasonal Yamagata treats, delicacies, and products. The building was originally constructed as a warehouse and home for the Hasegawa safflower merchant family. In addition to restaurants, a souvenir shop, and direct farm shop selling local Yamagata agricultural products, the facility also hosts a tourist information center. At Beni-no-Kura, you can enjoy stone ground, handmade soba noodles; Italian cuisine made with traditional and seasonal vegetables; sweets, and more. At the souvenir shop and direct farm shop, you can purchase traditional Yamagata crafts, rare Japanese legacy vegetables, and other fresh agricultural products.

山形駅から東に行った方向にあります。諏訪神社に行く途中に寄りました。かつて紅花商人であった長谷川家の蔵屋敷を活用した建物で、農産物の直売や観光情報の提供などをしています。建物は悪くないけど、何かを買うにはロケーション的に散策の途中であまり便利じゃないかも。
Chidokan Shonai Domain School

4.0

70 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Yamagata Pref. Tsuruokashi Babachou 11-45

Sakai Tadaari, the ninth lord of Tsuruoka Domain, established this domain school in 1805 with the aim of reforming samurai customs and cultivating surpassing individuals. The school’s educational policy focused on further strengthening each student’s innate talents. Today, the school is a designated National Historic Site and is open to the general public; facilities such as front Mikado gate, Confucian temple, and lecture hall remain intact. This facility is the only domain school still in existence in the Tohoku region.

Amazing it is still there, the old school for young Samuraiunder King Sakai , as it used to be. Subject included localized Analects of Confucius ethics...

Okitama Area Murayama Area Mogami Area Shonai Area (North) Shonai Area (South)

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Yamagata Areas

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.