Historical Tohoku's Four Temple Pilgrimage Ashley Cox Retrace the steps of Matsuo Basho and collect stamps through Tohoku's Four Temple Pilgrimage.
Festivals Green Tourism and Sugegasa Hats Imogen Riethmuller An account of a visit to the beautiful village of Iide in Yamagata to make a sugegasa: a traditional Japanese conical hat.
Museums Shonai Eigamura in Tsuruoka City Alena Eckelmann Hollywood in Japan at the Shonai Open-air Movie Set in Yamagata. Pretend to be a samurai for one day.
Culture Yamadera: The Temple in the Mountain Alena Eckelmann Yamadera - "temple in the mountain" - fully lives up to its name: famous haiku poet Basho penned a poem here in praise of the place...
Festivals Kurokawa Noh Alena Eckelmann Kurokawa, a small village near the mountains of Dewa Sanzan in Yamagata Prefecture, is preserving a 500-year-old tradition of Noh..
Festivals 360° Yonezawa Open Factory 2026 Mid Sep The 360° Yonezawa Open Factory invites visitors to step inside the workshops and studios that define the city’s rich manufactu..
Festivals Fireworks Festival in Tsuruoka Rashaad Jorden The Akagawa fireworks festival in Tsuruoka is a big celebration that attracts thousands of onlookers.
Culture Tsuruoka's Zenpoji Arlene Bastion Zenpoji's plain wood structures beautifully highlight its complex carvings of flora and fauna. Its tradition of a dualistic..