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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

Upcoming Yamagata Events

Zao Snow Monster Festival 2025

Zao Snow Monster Festival 2025

Early Feb

The Zao Snow Monsters rival Nagano's Snow Monkeys in popularity and they are one of Japan's winter attractions not to be..

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Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival 2025

Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival 2025

Feb 8th - Feb 9th

Held on the second weekend of February each year, the Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival sees Matsugasaki Park and its surrounds decorated..

Where to eat in Yamagata

Places to stay in Yamagata

Fujiya Ginzan Ryokan

Fujiya Ginzan Ryokan

Clifford Bernstein

The Fujiya Ginzan is a modern architectural accomplishment in a centuries old ryokan, breathing new life into a traditionally luxurious..

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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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