Places to seeWhere to go in Yamagata
Start with the first of these. Each is worth half a day.
Yamagata山形県
Yamagata is mountains, hot springs and fruit, and two of its places are among the most photographed in the north.
Yamagata is mountains, hot springs and fruit, and two of its places are among the most photographed in the north.
Start with the first of these. Each is worth half a day.
Yamadera is a temple built up a cliff face, reached by 1,015 stone steps through cedar forest. The climb takes about an hour at an ordinary pace, and the small hall at the top looks out over the whole valley.
Getting in: Yamagata Airport · Yamagata Station (shinkansen, about 2h 45m from Tokyo)
Pick the season first and the days will arrange themselves.
Snow into April. Cherry blossom mid-to-late April, and the mountain temples reopen fully.
Cherries are picked in June and sold everywhere. Cool in the mountains, hot in the basin — Yamagata records some of Japan’s highest temperatures.
Autumn colour from early October up high. The stone steps in autumn are the best walk of the year.
Deep snow. Snow monsters in February, and the gas-lit street under snow. Book far ahead.
