Spots in Yamagata Area

  • Hoshuyama Risshakuji Temple
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    4.5
    903 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 pictures you find on the internet from this place looks better than the actual place. Most of the climb is just stairs with a few small statues along the way. Most of the path is covered in...

  • Zao Onsen Ski Resort
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    4.5
    336 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...

  • Tsuruoka City Kamo Aquarium
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    4.5
    468 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Yamagata Pref. Tsuruokashi Imaizumi Okubo 657-1
    This is an aquarium in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, the prefecture’s only one, with the nickname “Jellyfish Dream Hall.” It is known for displaying over 50 kinds of jellyfish and holds a Guinness World Record in this field. The biggest highlight is about 2,000 moon jellyfish swimming in a large water tank five meters in diameter. An exhibition corner of Shonai’s freshwater and saltwater fish, a sea lion show, and the black-tail gull feeding are all popular. There is also a complete exhibition area for children.

    A small ,rather old place, but excellent to see jellyfish.And eat icecream containing jellyfish,very tasty,with the chewy bits being the jellyfish. Many of the tanks being rather small for the amount...

  • Zao Ropeway
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    4.0
    233 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.

    Its one of great sightseeing spot either autumn or winter. Sunset at Juhyo Kogen station is the best. Cable car is very well organized. It must visit place in Zao

  • Zao Onsen Dai Rotenburo
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    4.5
    191 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.

    How wonderful to soak in the Hot Springs breathing in the fresh air and listening to the river while enjoying the autumn colors. Awesome experience! No showers or washing, and very minimal changing...

  • Yamagata Prefecture Local Museum Bunshokan
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    4.5
    193 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    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.

    We walked in and no one asked for an entrance fee. Interesting exhibition of the history of the building with many authentic details still present.

  • Roadside Station Tendo Onsen
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    4.0
    132 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."

    WE stopped by to stretch our legs on a long drive. Everyone was lined up for the gelato ice cream made from the local fresh fruits so we decided to try them. There were some Interesting flavors so we...

  • Dewa Sanzan Shrine
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    4.5
    81 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Yamagata Pref. Tsuruokashi Haguromachitouge 7
    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.

    出羽三山は、祖霊の鎮まる“精霊のお山”、人々の生業を司る「山の神」「田の神」「海の神」の宿る“神々の峰”にして、五穀豊穣、大漁満足、人民息災、万民快楽、等々を祈願する“聖地”であった。 加えて「羽黒派古修験道」の“根本道場”として、「凝死体験・蘇り」をはたす山でもある。 すなわち、羽黒山では現世利益を、月山で死後の体験をして、湯殿山で新しい生命をいただいて生まれ変わる、という類いまれな「三関三...

  • Ken Domon Museum of Photography
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    4.5
    97 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...

  • Tsuruoka Park (Tsurugaoka Castle ruins)
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    4.0
    97 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    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.

    We visited the park on 21 Apr and it was the time for full bloom. The park wasnt overcrowded and there were many stalls for food and games. There are buses from train station to the park but they...

  • Cherryland Sagae
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    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.”

    寒河江市にある道の駅。山形空港周辺にある道の駅では、一番広くてきれいでした。土産物も多く販売されています。産直コーナーもあります。

  • Denkoku-no-Mori Yonezawa City Uesugi Museum
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    3.5
    90 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.

    かなり久しぶりに米沢市に来たら、立派なホールができていて、驚きました。 このホールは、山形県立の「置賜文化ホール」と米沢市立の「米沢市上杉博物館」からなる県と市の合築施設との事です。 常設展示室では、上杉の歴史と文化をテーマに構成されていました。 「上杉本洛中洛外図屏風」の中を疑似体験できる「洛中洛外図の世界」があり、また鷹山公の実像や改革の苦難時代を紹介する「鷹山シアター」を体験しました。 初め...

  • Yamagata City Folk Museum (Former Saiseikan Hospital Main Building)
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    4.0
    93 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)
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    4.0
    92 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...

  • Uesugi Clan Mausoleum
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    4.0
    80 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.

    初代上杉謙信公から斉定、そして茂憲の供養塔がある上杉家代々の墓所。特に見たかった謙信公、赤穂浪士で有名な綱憲、名君治憲公の霊廟が見れて感動しました。余談ですが、謙信公の養父で同じく越後春日山から遺骸を運ばれた山内上杉憲政の墓は南米沢駅近くの照陽寺にあります。

  • Sake Museum, Toko Brewery
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    4.0
    71 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Yamagata Pref. Yonezawashi Omachi 2-3-22 Yanagi Town Upper Street
    This library museum is located in Oh-machi, Yonezawa City, the Kojima Sake Brewery, the producer of the choice sake, Toko. One can learn about the culture and history of sake making through this exhibit displaying the old instruments and records housed in the sake cellar that has been renovated, while preserving the original structure. In the permanent exhibit room, the feudal lord Uesugi Yozan Hall, is displayed materials pertaining to feudal lord Uesugi Yosan, the ancient head of the Yonezawa clan. Here one can learn of his government and character.

    Awesome sake museum with tasting options! The descriptions are in English and the staff are very friendly. The museum explains well the history of their sake, how it was made and its development. The...

  • Mogami River Basyo Line Descent
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    4.0
    63 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.

    戸澤藩船番所で乗船券を購入し、坂を降りて、古口港から出発します。 ここから草薙港まで、12kmの定期航路は通年営業で、冬でも乗船できます。 基本的には船頭さんのお話を聞きながら、両岸の滝を眺め、のんびり川を下っていきますが、途中何箇所か流れが早い部分があり、スリルを楽しめます。 しかし、川の水量によって、そのスリル度は異なるようです。 今回は大雪の後で、水量が多く、スリルを楽しむ事が出来ました...

  • Roadside Station Atsumi, Wheel Sunset Atsumi Bussan Museum
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    3.5
    60 Reviews
    Transportation
    Yamagata Pref. Tsuruokashi Wasada Tonoura 606
    Roadside Station Atsumi is located along the Ushuhama Highway in Wasada Tonoura in the city of Tsuruoka. It includes a shop that sells local products, such as tsukemono (pickled vegetables) and folk crafts, along with a restaurant that sells full means that feature freshly caught seafood from nearby Nezugaseki Harbor. There is also an outdoor bazaar, where visitors can buy seafood, such as roasted squid, turbo cooked in its shell, or snacks such as soft ice cream. Since this roadside station is located on the seashore, visitors can watch the sun set over the Sea of Japan.

    直ぐそばに海がある風光明媚な場所にある道の駅です。 夕日がきれいだそうで、磯遊びも出来そうです。 GWだったのでレストランも混んでいましたが、まずまずの待ち時間で入ることが出来ました。 どの定食もボリュームがあって良かったです。もちろん味も良かったですよ。

  • Ubayu Onsen Masugataya
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    4.0
    57 Reviews
    Accommodations / Hot Spring
    Yamagata Pref. Yonezawashi Osawa Yu Yu 1
    This hot spring resort is deep in the mountains at Osawaubayu, Yonezawa City. Boasting 450-years history, you can take a bath at the stand-alone Masugataya inn that's been in the same family for 17 generations. The simple acidic sulfur hot spring water is a bluish milky white. Located about 1,300 meters above sea level in the Azuma Mountain Range, people love its open-air bath where you can absorb the beauty of the quiet valley deep in the mountains.

    JR峠駅から送迎バス(要予約)で約25分、徒歩だと2時間半です。手前に位置する滑川温泉からは徒歩で1時間です。 とても立派な建物ですが館内も清掃が行き届いておりピカピカです。客室はすべて洗浄便座のトイレ付き。従業員の方々の対応も良かったです。クレジットカードは使えません。 温泉は硫黄泉の源泉かけ流し。内湯は男女別ですが3つある露天は女性専用時間をのぞき混浴です。三方を断崖に囲まれた野趣あふれ...

  • Former Main Residence of Homma Family and Villa “O-tana”
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    4.0
    76 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.

    もともとは本間家が庄内藩に献上した日本家屋、後に拝領し本邸として使われました。ぐるっと外を回ってみましたが、やはり大きいですね。さすが本間家の建物です。

Yamagata Areas

around-area-map

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 Photo Album

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