Activities Matsugaoka Alena Eckelmann Japan's Meiji Era (1867-) saw samurai lose their warrior jobs. Some 3,000 samurai of the Shonai Domain decided to swap their..
Culture In Search of the Sakai Daimyo in Tsuruoka City Alena Eckelmann The Sakai, a samurai clan that originated in the 14thcentury, became chief retainers to the Shoguns of the Tokugawa Clan. The Sakai..
Culture The Old Abumiya Residence Alena Eckelmann Sakata, a small town in the northwestern part of Honshu Island, has a rich merchant history. The "Band of 36", a group of powerful..
Culture Sankyo Rice Warehouses Alena Eckelmann The heritage of Sakata City in Yamagata Prefecture tells the stories of rich rice merchants and of poor day laborers in rice warehouses...
Culture On the Movie Set of “Okuribito” Alena Eckelmann "Okuribito" (Departures) won the Best Foreign Language Oscar in 2009. The main movie set, the NK Agent's office, is now open..
Accommodation Hotel Pearl City Tendo Featured Hotel Pearl City Tendo. Affortable, functional hotel in the heart of Tendo
Culture 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.
18 Yamagata's Rose Haven Radica Sooknarine As the weather has gotten warmer, the peak of the rose season has reached Yamagata. Continuing for the next couple of weeks, you'll..