Yamagata



Yamagata (山形) is the prefectural capital of Yamagata prefecture. Zao Onsen, the largest ski resort in Tohoku that doubles as a hot spring resort, is within city limits, but it's 40 minutes away bus and covered in a separate article.

Understand
Yamagata has been best known by outsiders for Mount Zao's hot springs and Yamadera for centuries. In fact, Matsuo Basho stopped by Yamadera on July 13, 1689 as part of his poetic journey, Narrow Road to the Deep North, and penned the following famed haiku poem:


 * 閑さや 岩にしみ入 蟬の声
 * shizukasa ya iwa ni shimiiru semi no koe
 * Silence, and seeping into the rocks &mdash; the cry of the cicada
 * &mdash; Matsuo Bashō

The meaning of this will be instantly apparent should you visit the temple (or most anywhere in Japan) during the late summer - judging from the date, it is considered Basho heard a quieter kind of cicada, niiniizemi (Platypleura kaempferi). (though other kinds' shrilling does sometimes get intense enough to sound like it is drilling through rock!) To this day, for many visitors to Yamagata, it is the desire to visit Yamadera that compels them to come in the first place and from there branching out to discover other gems of the city and prefecture.

History
Like much of the Tohoku Region, Yamagata was inhabited by Ainu and Emishi people until they were expelled in 708 AD as the Yamato pushed northward and the area that is now Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture was annexed as Dewa Province in 712 AD. The capital at the time was in Sakata, but the area in and around present-day Yamagata City had a sizable population. Forts were built during this time that would later be expanded to become Yamagata Castle, Yamadera was built as the most prominent temple in the province, and the hot springs of Mount Zao were already known and frequented by visitors.

The Mogami Clan (from the Shiba Clan) ruled over what is modern Yamagata Prefecture (minus the southern Okitama area) during the Sengoku Period. The Mogami sided with the Eastern Army during the Battle of Sekigahara, so they were not only able to keep their land, they were rewarded and became the 5th wealthiest domain in the country under Mogami Yoshiaki who built up Yamagata Castle. After he died, the Mogami had difficulty establishing a proper successor and in 1622 the land was taken by the Shogunate from the Mogami and divided into three areas. Yamagata City was part of the Murayama Region and the Torii Clan was chosen as the rulers but the area continued struggling with its leadership, going through 13 leaders in a very short period.

When the feudal era ended, Yamagata City was made its own prefecture but five years later in 1876 it was combined with surrounding areas (also "prefectures" at the time) to form modern Yamagata Prefecture with the city as its capital. Yamagata was designated an official city in 1889 and gained special city status in 2001.

Climate
Yamagata City has hot, humid summers and snowy winters. Some might assume that being in the north gives it milder summers than much of the country, but the city rests in a valley between mountains which makes summers hotter. In fact, the city set the record for the hottest temperature recorded in the nation (40.8°C) in 1933 and held it for 74 years until 2007 when Kumagaya and Tajimi both recorded temperatures of 40.9°C. The autumn season typically begins in late October and peaks in early November. Yamadera is especially popular during this time. Winters are snowy, and the ski season on Mount Zao begins around mid-December. The famous Zao "Snow Monsters" are typically at their best in February.

Tourist information



 * The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site with integrated Google Translate.


 * The city has official info pages in English on Matcha.

By train
The Yamagata Shinkansen zips from Tokyo to Yamagata in 2 hr 45 min at a cost of ¥10,690, and continues onward to Shinjo. From Fukushima onward the Shinkansen travels on an ordinary track and thus at Limited Express Train speeds.

By bus
JR Bus Tohoku runs an overnight bus service, the Sakuranbo, from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. The trip takes about 6 hr 15 min and costs ¥6,500.

Get around
Most of the town is centered around the JR station in the middle of town. Yamagata has a bus route, taxis, and bicycles for rent. Most of the most popular tourist destinations have bus routes that run to various areas around town including the areas further out, such as Yamadera and Zao Onsen. On weekends and holidays during the open season, some of the Zao Onsen buses terminate at the Okama Crater.

Yamako Bus (山交バス) timetables can be found here (English).

For Yamadera, it may be more convenient to travel by train to Yamadera Station. The temple entrance is a 5-minute walk away from the station past many souvenir shops. By train, Yamadera is less than 20 minutes (¥240 as of July 2018) from Yamagata Station on the JR Senzan Line which runs all the way to Sendai.

By car, Yamadera is about 25 minutes NE of Yamagata Station at the junction of Highway 19 and Highway 62. There is a large parking lot near Yamadera Station, and smaller parking lots closer to the temple complex. Parking costs ¥300-¥500.

Buy
From the JR station in the middle of town, there are free buses that will take you over to a decent amount of the local non-touristy shopping. JusCo has a bus that runs up until 16:00 each day that visits the eastern Yamagata location. Central to the JR station, there is a wealth of local shops, department stores, book stores of all kinds. The main street that runs from the JR station has several side streets as well. There are many shops that catered to all your basic needs, though very few were designed or meant exclusively as tourist destinations. There are very few chain stores in downtown Yamagata, though the skirts of town have a few chain stores like Joy (hardware), Super Denkodo (electronics), JusCo (giant supermarket), and a Toys R Us.

For souvenirs, there are shops within the station. But the best locations for souvenirs tend to be around Yamadera and Zao Onsen. Around Yamadera you'll find an exceptionally well chosen assortment of Yamagata crafts from naturally dyed silks to wooden toys, to iron and pottery pieces, most of which they source directly from the local craftspeople who make them.



Eat
Yamagata is known for its ramen. The specific type said to originate here is hiyashi ramen which is characterized by its cold broth. As such, it's especially popular in the summertime, although you can eat it year-round. Yamadera is known for tama-kon, balls of konnyaku (a firmly chewy gelatin like substance made from ground konjak 'devil's tongue' roots) cooked in soy sauce and served on a stick. You can buy them at the base of Yamadera as its said that eating them will give you the stamina to reach the temple atop the mountain. Be aware that the mustard they put on it is Japanese-style mustard, much hotter than Western varieties. The street connecting the temple and JR station are lined with family-owned soba shops that serve freshly-made soba, whose taste and springy texture cannot be compared to the pale, limp soba served in quick noodle shops in the big cities outside of Yamagata. If you can get your noodles with a side of sansai local mountain wild vegetables, don't pass up the chance for these seasonal delicacies.



Sleep
Nearly every hotel in the city is located around Yamagata Station.

Go next

 * The holy mountains of Dewa Sanzan are within striking distance of Yamagata.
 * Skiing and hot spring hopping in Zao Onsen
 * Higashine
 * Yonezawa
 * Tendo
 * Kaminoyama
 * Obanazawa
 * Shinjo
 * Tsuruoka
 * Shiroishi
 * Sendai - Capital of Miyagi Prefecture