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Dish · Yamagata
Imoni
Taro stew with meat, konnyaku and scallion, cooked in large pots on riverbanks in autumn at Yamagata’s imonikai. Inland it includes beef and shoyu; on the Shonai coast it uses pork and miso.
Province · Tohoku
Yamagata
The Yamadera temple on the mountainside, Ginzan’s hot-spring street, Zao’s snow monsters, and the three sacred mountains of Dewa.
In the photo: Yamadera temple, in Yamagata.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
The province
Get to know Yamagata
Yamagata lies in southwest Tohoku, facing the Sea of Japan and surrounded by mountains. Inland basins have orchards of cherries, pears and grapes, and the prefecture produces most of Japan’s table cherries. Yonezawa beef and the region’s sake are also well known.
Yamadera, or Risshaku-ji, was founded in the ninth century on a rocky slope. More than a thousand stone steps climb between cedars and small halls up to the Okunoin and the Godaido viewing pavilion, which looks over the valley. The poet Matsuo Basho passed through in the seventeenth century and wrote a haiku about the cicadas’ song.
Ginzan Onsen, in Obanazawa, is a hot-spring village with three- and four-story wooden houses lining both sides of a river, lit by gas lanterns at dusk. In winter, snow covers the roofs. On Mount Zao, trees coated in ice and snow, the juhyo, form the so-called snow monsters, seen from the ropeway.
To the west, the three Dewa mountains, Haguro, Gassan and Yudono, are sacred to the yamabushi, the mountain ascetic monks. At Haguro, a stone stairway of 2,446 steps climbs between cedars, passing a five-story pagoda that is a national treasure. The Mogami River is toured by boats whose boatmen sing.
Flavors of Japan
To try in Yamagata
Destinations
1 destination in Yamagata
Cities
2 cities in Yamagata in the guide
Yamagata
Capital
Yamagata
Yamagata is the capital of the province of the same name, in a basin surrounded by mountains in inland Tohoku. It is the base for the Yamadera temple, high on a rock cliff to the northeast, and for Zao Onsen, to the south, known for its sulfurous waters and winter snow monsters. In the center are the Bunshokan, the former provincial government building, and the park with the castle ruins.
Yamagata
Obanazawa
Obanazawa is a town in northern Yamagata known for snow, watermelons and buckwheat, and above all for Ginzan Onsen, the hot-spring village of three- and four-story wooden inns in the Ginzan River valley, about 15 km from the town center. At the far end of the village are the Shirogane waterfall and the old Nobesawa silver mine.
When to go
Cherry harvest runs from June to July. Summers are hot in the basins, and the Hanagasa Festival, with dances and flower hats, takes place in August in Yamagata. Yamadera and the Dewa mountains turn autumn colors in October. Snow in Ginzan lasts from December to March, and Zao’s snow monsters usually form from January until the beginning of March.
Getting there
The Yamagata Shinkansen connects Tokyo to Yamagata in about 2 hours 40 minutes and continues to Shinjo, passing Oishida, from which buses go to Ginzan Onsen. Yamadera is about 20 minutes from Yamagata and 1 hour from Sendai on the JR Senzan Line. Zao Onsen is served by buses from Yamagata. Yamagata Airport (GAJ) and Shonai Airport (SYO) have flights from Tokyo.
Your questions
Frequently asked questions about Yamagata
How long does the climb at Yamadera take?
About 30–40 minutes to climb the more than one thousand steps to the Godaido, including stops at the halls along the way. Sturdy footwear helps, especially in winter, when the steps can be icy.
How do I get to Ginzan Onsen?
Take the bullet train to Oishida and a bus to the village, about 40 minutes. Private cars are not allowed on the main street, and in winter day-visitor access may have special rules: confirm before you go.
When can I see Mount Zao’s snow monsters?
Generally from January until the beginning of March, when wind and snow coat the trees at the summit. The Zao Onsen ropeway takes you up to them, and on some nights the trees are illuminated.
What are the three mountains of Dewa?
Haguro, Gassan and Yudono — sacred mountains of the Shugendo tradition, which blends Buddhism and Shinto. Haguro, the most accessible, welcomes visitors year-round; Gassan and Yudono are visited mainly in summer because of the snow.
Beyond the guide
