Every Place in the Catalogue
1,610 spots
Ouchi-juku Snow Festival
Little knownThe Ouchi-juku Snow Festival (大内宿雪まつり) transforms the historic thatched-roof village into a magical winter wonderland du…
Byakkotai Memorial
Little knownThe Byakkotai Memorial (飯盛山白虎隊記念館) commemorates 20 teenage samurai (ages 16–17) from the Aizu clan's Byakkotai (白虎隊, 'Wh…
Aizu Sake Breweries
Little knownAizu region is one of Japan's premier sake-producing areas, with 30+ active breweries crafting premium sake using local…
Abukuma Cave
Little knownAbukuma-do (あぶくま洞) is a spectacular limestone cave system stretching 3,300 meters underground (600m open to visitors), f…
Tadami Line
Little knownThe Tadami Line (只見線) is consistently ranked as Japan's most scenic railway, a 135km route threading through remote moun…
Sazae-do Temple
Little knownSazae-dō (さざえ堂) is an extraordinary hexagonal wooden temple built in 1796, featuring a double-helix interior structure w…
Higashiyama Onsen
Little knownHigashiyama Onsen (東山温泉) is a historic hot spring town nestled in a mountain valley 5km east of Aizu-Wakamatsu, where st…
Goshiki-numa Ponds
Little knownGoshiki-numa (五色沼, 'Five-Colored Marshes') is a collection of 30+ volcanic ponds created by the 1888 eruption of Mt. Ban…
Lake Inawashiro
Little knownLake Inawashiro (猪苗代湖) is Japan's fourth-largest lake, spanning 103 square kilometers at 514 meters elevation, famous fo…
Kitakata Ramen
Little knownKitakata (喜多方) is Japan's ramen pilgrimage destination, famous for asa-ramen (朝ラーメン, breakfast ramen) culture where loca…
Tsuruga Castle
Little knownTsuruga Castle is the five-story white keep where the Aizu clan made their last stand in 1868, holding out for a month w…
Ouchi-juku
Little knownOuchi-juku is a single street lined with 40 thatched-roof houses, preserved exactly as it looked in the 1600s when daimy…
Atsumi Onsen
Little knownAtsumi Onsen is a small hot spring village along the Atsumi River (a tributary of the Mogami River) from Yamagata City.…
Yonezawa Beef
Little knownYonezawa beef is one of Japan's three most prestigious wagyu brands (alongside Kobe and Matsusaka), produced from Japane…
La France Pears
Little knownLa France pears (ラ・フランス) are a French pear variety that thrives in Yamagata's climate, producing fruit with exceptional…
Bunshokan
Little knownThe Bunshokan (文翔館) is a Western-style brick building constructed in 1916 to serve as the Yamagata Prefectural Office an…
Kumano Taisha Shrine
Little knownKumano Taisha is a Shinto shrine founded over 1,200 years ago, famous for its massive thatched roof (茅葺屋根, kayabuki-yane…
Gassan Ski Resort
Little knownMt. Gassan (月山, Moon Mountain, 1,984m) is one of the three sacred mountains of Dewa Sanzan and Japan's only ski resort w…
Yamagata Hina Dolls
Little knownThe Hina Matsuri (雛祭り, Girls' Day or Doll Festival) on March 3rd is celebrated throughout Japan, but Yamagata takes spec…
Sakata Somaro
Little knownSomaro (相馬樓) is a beautifully preserved Edo-period geisha house in the port city of Sakata, converted into a cultural mu…
Zao Onsen
Little knownZao Onsen is a high-altitude hot spring village at 880 meters elevation on the slopes of Mt. Zao, one of Japan's oldest…
Tendo Shogi Pieces
Little knownTendo City produces over 90% of Japan's shogi pieces (将棋, Japanese chess), a craft tradition dating to the Edo period wh…
Illustration — not a photographYamagata Imoni
Little knownImoni (芋煮) is Yamagata's signature autumn comfort food — a hot pot stew made with taro root (satoimo), beef, konjac, gre…
Kajo Park
Little knownKajo Park occupies the site of Yamagata Castle, once one of the largest feudal castles in the Tohoku region. Built in th…
Estimated from distance to the nearest airport or shinkansen station. Confirm actual journey times before you travel.