Yamagata Prefecture is located on the Sea of Japan side of the Tohoku region, about 300 km north of Tokyo, and is a land where the changes of the four seasons can be clearly felt. It takes about 3 hours from Tokyo via the Yamagata Shinkansen bullet train. Yamagata Prefecture has four areas, Okitama, Murayama, Mogami, and Shonai, each with a population of approximately 1,102,000 people with different languages, foods, and other cultures. In addition, dynamic nature can be enjoyed as an everyday landscape, with Zao, Gassan, Iide, Asahi, Azuma, and Chokai, which are among the 100 most famous mountains in Japan. These mountains are popular as mountain climbing and trekking spots, attracting many people from all over Japan.
Yamagata Prefecture’s most famous product is cherries. About 70% of the cherries produced in Japan come from Yamagata Prefecture, and the nature that produces these flavorful cherries changes its appearance from season to season. In Yamagata Prefecture, the Mogami River, known as the “Mother River,” flows through the prefecture, its beautiful waters flowing quietly through the basin. Yamagata Prefecture, where Matsuo Basho spent one-third of the 156 days of his “Oku no Hosomichi” (The Narrow Road to the Interior), also has many attractions. Yamagata is famous for its mountain worship, including Zao and Ryuzan mountains in the south of Yamagata City. The origin of the name “Yamagata” is unknown, but is believed to be related to the appearance of a character named “Sir Yamagata” in the book “Wana-no-Ruiju-sho” in the early Heian period (794-1185). There are also many food culture and traditional crafts unique to Yamagata Prefecture, such as the highest consumption expenditure of “ramen” in Japan, and “imoni “(stewed taro cooked in a giant pot 6.5 meters in diameter). The more one learns about Yamagata Prefecture, the more fascinating it becomes and the more it will fascinate visitors.
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