Yamadera, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
Photo: Alexandre Breveglieri via Flickr · CC BY 2.0
山形TŌHOKU
TŌHOKU · 山形県 · Japan

Yamagata

Mountain temples, cherries, and snow monsters on Mount Zaō.

Yamagata, in the Tohoku region facing the Sea of Japan, grows about 70% of Japan's cherries and is home to the cliffside mountain temple Yamadera (Risshakuji). In winter, Mount Zao's fir trees freeze into famous "snow monsters" (juhyo) above its onsen ski slopes.

Yamagata (山形) is a land of sacred mountains. The poet Bashō climbed cliffside Yamadera (山寺) in 1689, and the Dewa Sanzan (出羽三山) have drawn yamabushi mountain ascetics for over a thousand years.

Yamagata-shi 山形市Yonezawa-shi 米沢市Tobishima 飛島
Where it isYamagata, TŌHOKU
Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
Ginzan Onsen
Mount Zao, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
Mount Zao

Photos: Ginzan Onsen — LIKEWORKS via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Mount Zao — granpapa3 via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0

01

Getting there

Book buses & trains PR

Yamagata is ~2h30m from Tokyo by Yamagata Shinkansen.

Get a Japan eSIM before you fly (PR)

02

What to see

All tours · Yamagata PR
Yamadera, Yamagata Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Yamadera (Risshakuji)

Mountainside temple founded over 1,000 years ago, reached by a 1,015-step stone path; famously visited by haiku poet Matsuo Basho, with sweeping valley views…

MapOfficialTickets
Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Ginzan Onsen

Secluded Taisho-era hot spring town of wooden ryokan lining a river, lit by gas lamps at night. Built around a former silver mine and a frequent stand-in for…

MapOfficialTickets
Top pick

Mount Zao / Zao Onsen

Active volcanic range straddling Yamagata and Miyagi, with the summer Okama crater lake and winter 'juhyo' snow monsters (frost-covered trees) at the ski…

MapOfficialTickets
03

What to eat

Food tours & cooking classes PR
Must-eat

Yonezawa beef (Yonezawa-gyu)

One of Japan's top three wagyu brands alongside Kobe and Matsusaka, prized for its fine marbling; typically enjoyed as sukiyaki or yakiniku. Cattle are…

Imoni, Yamagata Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Imoni (taro stew)

A hearty autumn hotpot of taro root, beef and vegetables in soy- or miso-based broth. Locals gather for riverside 'imoni-kai' parties, and Yamagata City holds…

Yamagata soba, Yamagata Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Yamagata soba

Thicker, chewier buckwheat noodles than the national norm, served along the prefecture's 'soba highways'; cold/chilled noodle dishes are a regional staple.

04

Yamagata at a glance

Food Culture Nature City Access how we rank all 47 →
05

Say it in Yamagata

Practise with a tutor PR
Ask a local
Kirei desu ne.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
Test yourself
Local word
sakuranbo
cherries — Yamagata grows most of Japan's
Test yourself
One more
kisetsu no fuzei wo kanjiru
to appreciate the seasonal atmosphere or charm
Practise more Japanese →
Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan

Sleep in Yamagata

Compare ryokan, business hotels and local inns.

Find places to stay PR
07

Next door

AkitaDeep snow, rice and sake country, and the fierce Namahage folk tradition.FukushimaSamurai history, hot springs, and fruit orchards in a large, scenic prefecture.Play the 47-prefecture mapUnlock Yamagata in the RPG-style explorer.

Links marked PR are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Photos: Yamadera — Alexandre Breveglieri via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Ginzan Onsen — LIKEWORKS via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Mount Zao — granpapa3 via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Yamadera — mrhayata via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ginzan Onsen — Sergiy Galyonkin via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Imoni — f_a_r_e_w_e_l_l via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Yamagata soba — Saké Puppets via Flickr, CC BY 2.0. Map: Geolonia (MIT).