Derek Yamashita - Creative Director

Getting to Yamagata

Your Yamagata transit guide: how to get there from transportation hubs across Japan, and how to travel around the prefecture.

Experience the local nightlife scene in Yamgata City with a guided bar-hopping tour exploring the sidestreets around Yamagata Station.

Zenpoji, a temple in Tsuruoka offering visitors zazen meditation sessions, shojin ryori lunches, shakyo experiences, lodging, and more!

Maruike is a pond with beautifully clear waters that gleam emerald in summer and sapphire in winter. It is part of the Mount Chokai Geopark.

Our top 9 spots for hanami (cherry blossom viewing) in the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture: at parks and temples, along rivers, and more!

Held annually since 1609, the Sakata Matsuri is Sakata City’s biggest event. It boasts parades, performances, and hundreds of street vendors.

This dance festival is held in downtown Sakata; hundreds of dancers fill the streets and dance to Sakata Jinku, a traditional folk song.

The Yamagata Snow Festival, held in Sagae City, is one of Yamagata Prefecture’s biggest winter events and boasts a great fireworks display.

Every winter, the young boys of Shonai brave subzero to participate in this intense religious and cultural ritual.

At the Sakata Ika Tsuri Festival, onlookers cheer on the fishermen of Yamagata as they depart on their first squid fishing trip of the year.