Yamagata's Faces

Mountain prefecture with a smile on the face

Tomoaki Sato May 12, 2013 - 1 min read

Shinjo Matsuri is a summer festival held in August each year in Shinjo City. Bright floats are paraded through the streets

The view from Yamadera temple in autumn. You can enjoy this view after climbing up 1,000 stone steps

Mt.Chokai seen from Lake Nonomura in Mamurogawa Town in winter. Mt. Chokai is a 2,236 meters high mountain

This is the Bunshokan in Yamagata City in spring. This building housed the old prefectural office

Lake Gassan's fountain in Nishikawa Town in summer. This fountain is 112 meters high

Imonikai is held in autumn season at Yamagata's riversides. We enjoy having Imoni (a hotpot) with family, friends and fellow workers

Winter festival in Kaneyama Town.You can enjoy skiing and onsen here

Hinamatsuri in April. In the old days Yamagata was doing good business dealing in safflower and Yamagata's merchants bought many Hina dolls in Kyoto and brought them back to Yamagata

Map of Yamagata: turn it round and find the smiling face

Yamagata: do you know this place? Have a look at the map of Japan and try to find it on the Western coast of Honshu Island. If you don't seem to find it, then maybe this is because there are no big cities here. Yamagata truly is the Japanese countryside in every sense. It might be inconvenient for you to come here but please come to Yamagata when you want to be calm and relaxed. Peaceful people are waiting for you with a big smile! To those who love the countryside and who love nature: you are very welcome! Did you notice that the shape of Yamagata Prefecture from a side angle looks like a smiling face?

Tomoaki Sato @tomoaki.sato

こんにちは！I was born in Mamurogawa town　真室川町,Yamagata prefecture　山形県.And I had lived here till graduation of high school.When I was junior college student,I worked as Jinrikisha　人力車 driver in Hida Takayama　飛騨高山,Gifu prefecture　岐阜県.Jinrikisha is Rickshaw.　Hida Takayama is ...