Yamagata Prefecture is not on most tourists’ itineraries for Japan — and most people probably have no idea where it is in relation to the main destinations like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. I was fortunate enough to visit this beautiful region of the country, but I had little idea of what to expect on the trip. I had spent a lot of time in Japan before, but I only got to see Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kanagawa. And Yamagata is nothing like those places.
Of course, now that National Geographic has the prefecture listed as one of its best places to travel in 2026, some travelers may alter their itineraries to include it. Considering how many announcements I’ve seen on social media about people traveling to Japan recently, I’d say there’s a good chance tourists will want to visit less crowded areas. The blurb about Yamagata focuses on the mountains, skiing, and onsen, which overlooks so much that the region offers tourists.
Going to the more in-depth National Geographic article provides a bit more information for travelers, but it still misses a lot. Specifically, it focuses on the eastern portion of the prefecture rather than the larger (small) cities. What I experienced was all around the western coast in Sakata and Tsuruoka, which are not mentioned at all in the article.
Why Did I Visit Yamagata?
My decision to visit Yamagata Prefecture was influenced by my student. I have been teaching this student for quite a while, and she’s told me a lot about her hometown. Everything about the quiet and food made me want to visit. And I coordinated a trip to meet her and my friend and her family for a tour. And it was a great decision because having a car makes a huge difference to get around.
While Nat Geo notes that there is a shinkansen to Yamagata, it does not go to Tsuruoka or Sakata. To meet my friends in Tsuruoka, I had to take the 6 am shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Niigata, where I switched to an express commuter train to Tsuruoka. It was a lot of early travel on my first day in Japan — jet lag didn’t help — and navigating Tokyo Station is a nightmare under the best conditions. Of course, there is also the option of flying to Shonai Airport, which is not near much and may require renting a car, though there are likely buses to the city.
I had some idea of what my student planned to show us on this trip, but the highlight was set to be the Dewa Sanzan temple at Mt. Haguro. While that took up most of our three days together, it wasn’t the only sight we enjoyed.
Sights in Yamagata
While researching the area before the trip, I poked around Google Maps to see the route and interesting sights along the way. I provided some good lessons with my student — she could explain the places I pointed out on the map and add suggestions (great way to build vocabulary and practice grammar). I wasn’t sure what I would get to see with my student and friend aside from the temple, so I checked out a lot of options between Sakata and Tsuruoka for my free time.
With my little tour group, we saw some highlights between the towns. My student insisted we visit Kaikoji Temple in Sakata — it doesn’t look like much, but it is worth visiting. The 1,200-year-old Buddhist temple is home to two self-mummified monks, called Sokushinbutsu. There are 16 such mummified monks in Japan, and most of them are in Yamagata Prefecture. These aren’t ancient relics with mystical stories either; the monks self-mummified in 1755 and 1822, respectively. I was impressed that the temple had a well-translated text of the presentation explaining the monks (made it easier on my student and friend who would have had to translate).
We also took time to walk around the center of Sakata and Tsuruoka, which included stops at the Sankyo Rice Storehouses and Chido Museum. I would have liked to spend more time exploring Tsuruoka as it is the larger city, but I didn’t have enough time on this trip.
While there are local buses that could take tourists to most of the destinations we visited, there were some that would have been difficult without a car. Our stop at Maruike-sama Pond was well off the beaten path. It’s a beautiful little hike, and the pond is fed by a natural spring and considered a spiritual site. We also visited a vineyard where visitors can pick their own grapes and taste them along the way (they’re all labeled in Japanese, so I had no idea what varieties they were). And to get a break from the rain, we visited a mountain home that is also a rustic cafe (I think it’s a business anyway, but I could be wrong; it may have just been a friend who served us coffee with an amazing view). The owner told us stories about how she taught karate in Spain.
On my own in Yamagata, I took a free bike from the hotel in Sakata to see the sights around town. The main attraction was the Ken Domon Photography Museum across the river — it is a beautiful building and the photography is interesting. Homma Museum of Art and the Homma Residence were worth stopping in for a view of history in the region. I was impressed with the amount of information provided, though it would’ve been easier if it wasn’t all QR codes to scan on the floor (also, it requires local phone access or wi-fi).
That evening, I was taken to an outdoor onsen in the mountains — my student’s brother drove us. This was another destination that would be complicated to reach without a car.
Food & Drinks in Yamagata
The National Geographic article mentions a little about food and drinks in the prefecture, but it leaves out so much. It only mentions ramen and some sake without mentioning how it’s different. There’s a lot more to the food scene than that. In 2017, Tsuruoka was named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, and I experienced some of that local cuisine during my days.
The sake was far different from what I was used to. Much of what Americans are accustomed to has a strong flavor with a lot of additives. It’s not easy to find higher-quality sake in the US. As Yamagata is a big rice growing region, they have a lot of sake to try. Pretty much everything I tasted was light and floral — there was no strong flavor or aftertaste. The Sankyo Rice Storehouses is a great place to grab cheap tastes of local sake (as long as you’re not driving or biking). I also got to have a large tasting at the ryokan on my first night, but I don’t remember much from all the jet lag except that six full glasses of sake is too much when you’re tired and slightly dehydrated.
As for the food, everything is more or less farm to table. Yamagata Prefecture is known for its variety of edamame as well as buckwheat and grapes. I found out that they grow the largest variety of grapes in Japan, which is also why there’s a wine industry (and the wine I brought home from the trip was pretty good).
The meals I had at the ryokan and the Mt. Haguro temple lodge were the best. I wish I understood more of what was served because it was all hyperlocal ingredients. I only had sushi once in Sakata at a restaurant my student recommended. It was difficult to order, but everything was amazing. This was the best sushi I’ve had. I didn’t understand until then that regional rice has its own flavor, which is part of why I wasn’t given wasabi and even instructed which pieces should be dipped in soy sauce.
The worst meal I had was the yakisoba I ordered at the izakaya across from hotel when I was in a rush to meet my student for the mountain onsen. And by worst, I mean that it was still a good meal, just not as good as everything else I ate.
Getting Around Yamagata
As I’ve noted, a lot of destinations within Yamagata aren’t easy to access via public transportation. There are buses, but they aren’t frequent or easy to navigate for most tourists. There also aren’t many local tour guides who speak English, so it would be necessary to book in advance.
Aside from my friend’s husband, I encountered no other foreigners on this trip. And few people spoke much English. But the people were so much more friendly and helpful than in Tokyo — so many people tried to help with translation apps. The tourism office in Sakata has a lot of information, but not much in English. That won’t stop the staff from being helpful.
I recommend traveling to destinations like Yamagata to experience more of Japan and get away from the crowds. But it’s important to plan ahead to get around and brush up on at least a few useful Japanese phrases.
