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Yamagata

From Yamadera's trails to Zao Onsen's hot springs

About Yamagata
Mount Zao summit (Photo: Tom Roseveare / JT)

Top Attractions in Yamagata

Yamagata Top 10

  1. Zao Snow Monster Festival
    1

    Zao Snow Monster Festival

    Yamagata City
  2. Ginzan Onsen in Winter
    2

    Ginzan Onsen in Winter

    Accommodation
  3. Yamagata One of Nat Geo's Best Places to Visit in 2026
    3

    Yamagata One of Nat Geo's Best Places to Visit in 2026

    Planning
  4. Zao Onsen Shuttle Bus Service
    4

    Zao Onsen Shuttle Bus Service

    Culture
  5. Ginzan Onsen Caps Visitor Numbers This Winter
    5

    Ginzan Onsen Caps Visitor Numbers This Winter

    Planning
  6. Yamagata: Food Guide
    6

    Yamagata: Food Guide

    Food
  7. Millennium Corridor
    7

    Millennium Corridor

    Culture
  8. Tendo Ningen Shogi
    8

    Tendo Ningen Shogi

    Tendo
  9. Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival
    9

    Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival

    Event
  10. The Omoshiroyama-Yamadera Trail
    10

    The Omoshiroyama-Yamadera Trail

    Yamagata City

Upcoming Yamagata Events

Tendo City Nabe Battle 2025
Food

Tendo City Nabe Battle 2025

Sunday - Nov 16th

Now in its 27th year, the Tendo City Nabe Battle is held every winter and sees numerous restaurants fight it out – peacefully ..

9 Free Entry
Millennium Corridor 2025
Culture

Millennium Corridor 2025

Oct 25th - Nov 21st

From late October until early December, one of the Tohoku region's most popular winter illumination events is set to take place...

¥1,500
Japan Sea Cold Cod Festival 2026
Culture

Japan Sea Cold Cod Festival 2026

Mid Jan

Cold cod soup or dongara jiru is a popular winter dish in the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture, and the Japan Sea Cold Cod Festival..

Free Entry
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Where to eat in Yamagata

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Places to stay in Yamagata

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Latest Yamagata Reports

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About Yamagata

Okinawa Nagasaki Fukuoka Saga Kumamoto Kagoshima Miyazaki Oita Ehime Kochi Tokushima Kagawa Yamaguchi Hiroshima Okayama Tottori Shimane Hyogo Kyoto Osaka Wakayama Nara Shiga Mie Fukui Ishikawa Toyama Gifu Aichi Nagano Shizuoka Niigata Yamanashi Kanagawa Tokyo Saitama Gunma Tochigi Chiba Ibaraki Fukushima Miyagi Yamagata Iwate Akita Aomori Hokkaido
Region Tohoku
Island Honshu
Capital Yamagata
Population 1,168,924
Area 9323.15 km²

Located in the Tohoku region and bordering the Sea of Japan, Yamagata Prefecture (山形県, Yamagata-ken) is filled with beautiful natural landscapes.

Risshaku-ji, or Yama-dera, is a temple famous for its magnificent view after a 1,000-step climb to get to the top, while the five-storey pagoda at Mount Haguro (part of the Dewa Sanzan Mountains) is also a must-see destination for tourists.

After visiting those holy sites, reinvigorate yourself at one of Yamagata’s many hot springs, with the ones at Ginzan, Kaminoyama, and Zao (also a popular ski resort) being the most renowned. If you visit in early autumn, don’t miss out on imoni, the prefecture’s special potato soup.

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