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Yamagata Prefecture

Best of Yamagata Prefecture

Yamagata Essentials

Yamagata's landscape is defined by the sacred peaks of the Dewa Sanzan, including the mysterious Mt. Yudonosan, and the volcanic terrain of Mt. Zao, famous for its winter rime ice 'snow monsters' and the emerald Okama Crater. The region features historic sites like the cliffside Yamadera temple complex and the ruins of Yamagata Castle. Cultural highlights include the Ken Domon Museum of Photography in Sakata and the Chido Museum in Tsuruoka, which showcases local history through relocated Edo-period buildings and traditional gardens.

Yamagata Essentials — Map
A

Mt. Yudonosan

The most sacred of the Dewa Sanzan mountains, home to Yudonosan Shrine. Visitors traditionally enter the shrine grounds barefoot, and the object of worship is a large, natural thermal rock with flowing hot spring water rather than a traditional building.
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Mt. Zao

A volcanic mountain range known for the Okama Crater, a circular lake with highly acidic, color-changing water. In winter, the mountain is famous for its 'snow monsters,' created when heavy rime ice coats the local trees into surreal shapes.
katorisi / CC BY 2.5
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Yamadera

Yamadera Station is a railway station in the city of Yamagata, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company.
Tomofumi Sato / CC BY-SA 3.0
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Yamagata Castle

Yamagata Castle is a flatland-style Japanese castle located in the center of the city of Yamagata, eastern Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.
Batholith / Public domain
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Mt. Chokai

Mount Chōkai is an active volcano located on the border of Akita and Yamagata in the Tōhoku region of Japan, and is 2,236 m tall.
contri / CC BY-SA 2.0
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Ken Domon Museum of Photography

The Ken Domon Museum of Photography was opened in 1983 in Sakata, Yamagata, the birthplace of the photographer Ken Domon.
Ippukucho / CC BY 3.0
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Chido Museum

The Chido Museum is a private museum in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture.
Mt. Yudonosan
Drive
Mt. Zao
Drive
Yamadera

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