Tsuruoka

Tsuruoka (鶴岡) is a city in Yamagata.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a bilingual guide site.

By train

 * From Tokyo, Tsuruoka is reachable in as little as four hours by taking a Joetsu Shinkansen Toki or Max Toki service, changing in Niigata to one of several daily Inaho limited express trains (&yen;12,760). Taking local trains from Tokyo is silly, because the overnight bus is comparable in price and faster (though if you're doing the Seishun 18 ticket, this train option, though slower, will still be several times cheaper than the cheapest bus.)
 * From Tokyo, Tsuruoka is reachable in as little as four hours by taking a Joetsu Shinkansen Toki or Max Toki service, changing in Niigata to one of several daily Inaho limited express trains (&yen;12,760). Taking local trains from Tokyo is silly, because the overnight bus is comparable in price and faster (though if you're doing the Seishun 18 ticket, this train option, though slower, will still be several times cheaper than the cheapest bus.)

Get around
Tsuruoka City has an official website in English that you can check to get around the city and discover hotels, restaurants and hot springs.

The city also has an official Japanese website which is very exhaustive in terms of Tsuruoka's cultural heritage.

Eat
Tsuruoka's claim to culinary fame is dadacha-mame (だだちゃ豆), the local variant of the popular snack edamame. The appearance and taste resembled peas in the pod, and many are surprised to find out that this, too, is actually made from soybeans.

Sleep
go to city central or Yunohama hot spring.



Go next

 * Dewa Sanzan. The three holy mountains of Shugendo.
 * Mikawa
 * Sakata. The port city of Sakata is 24 km NW and is connected to Tsuruoka by Expressway, Route 7, and the Uetsu Main Line.
 * Yuza
 * Tozawa
 * Yurihonjo. Explore Yurihonjo, a city in SW Akita Prefecture.
 * Murakami
 * Tanai
 * Shibata