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Yamagata right now

2026/09/18

Festival · Yamagata · Tohoku

Kasedori

This Edo-period Kasedori Festival features performers in bird-shaped straw costumes paraded through Kaminoyama while spectators splash water on them for good fortune.

Kaminoyama · 11 Feb 2027

Mountain · Yamagata · Tohoku

Mt. Gassan

The highest of the three mountains of Dewa in Yamagata, sacred to the moon god, with a shrine at the summit that opens only in high summer.

Tsuruoka

Festival · Yamagata · Tohoku

Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival

A two-day winter festival in snowy Yonezawa transforming Matsugasaki Park into a landscape of 300 snow lanterns and 3,000 snow lamps lit by candlelight.

Yonezawa · 14–15 Feb 2027

Mountain · Yamagata · Tohoku

Mt. Haguro

The lowest of the three mountains of Dewa in Yamagata, climbed by a stone stair through old cedars, with a five-storey pagoda that is a National Treasure.

Tsuruoka

Weather

Yamagata17°
Yonezawa16°
Kaminoyama16°
Shinjo17°
Tsuruoka20°

05:2217:42Yamagata

Yen

1 US Dollar¥155.8
1 Euro¥178.9
1 Singapore Dollar¥122.1
1 Australian Dollar¥110.7

Reference rates · 2026/09/17

Quick poll

Yamagata

Festival

Kasedori

This Edo-period Kasedori Festival features performers in bird-shaped straw costumes paraded through Kaminoyama while spectators splash water on them for good fortune.

11 Feb 2027Kaminoyama · Yamagata

Festival

Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival

A two-day winter festival in snowy Yonezawa transforming Matsugasaki Park into a landscape of 300 snow lanterns and 3,000 snow lamps lit by candlelight.

14–15 Feb 2027Yonezawa · Yamagata

Festival

The Yonezawa Uesugi Matsuri

The Yonezawa Uesugi Matsuri features a multi-day celebration culminating in a reenactment of the 1561 Battle of Kawanakajima between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen.

29 Apr – 3 May 2027Yonezawa · Yamagata

Festival

Yamagata Hanagasa Festival

The Yamagata Hanagasa Festival is a major August event where over 10,000 dancers parade nightly with flower-decorated hanagasa hats to taiko drums and folk song.

5–7 Aug 2027Yamagata

Festival

Aodake Chochin Festival (Green Bamboo Lantern Festival)

A summer festival transforms a town with illuminated green bamboo lanterns, folk performances, and fireworks over Takahata.

16 Aug 2027Takahata · Yamagata

Festival

Shinjo Matsuri

A festival with over 260 years of history, where 20 ornate floats themed on historical tales, legends, and kabuki parade through the streets with traditional music.

24–26 Aug 2027Shinjo · Yamagata

Mountain

Mt. Gassan

The highest of the three mountains of Dewa in Yamagata, sacred to the moon god, with a shrine at the summit that opens only in high summer.

Tsuruoka · Yamagata

Mountain

Mt. Haguro

The lowest of the three mountains of Dewa in Yamagata, climbed by a stone stair through old cedars, with a five-storey pagoda that is a National Treasure.

Tsuruoka · Yamagata

Temple

Yamadera (Risshakuji)

A Tendai temple of 860 built up a rock face in Yamagata, its halls reached by a stone stairway, and the place of Basho's poem about cicadas.

Yamagata

Shrine

Kumano Taisha Shrine

One of three major Kumano shrines in Japan, Kumano Taisha was established in 806 and is known as the Ise Shrine of the North for its significance.

Nanyo · Yamagata

Public Facility

Yamagata City Office

Yamagata's main administrative center offering public services, local event information, and a gallery featuring works by regional artists and photographers.

Yamagata

Onsen & Wellness

Ginzan Onsen

A nostalgic Taisho-era hot-spring town in the Yamagata mountains, lined with wooden inns along a gas-lit river – at its most magical under snow.

Obanazawa · Yamagata

Shrine

Uesugi Shrine

Uesugi Shrine in Yonezawa honors the formidable warlord Uesugi Kenshin and was rebuilt in 1923 following a destructive fire.

Yonezawa · Yamagata

Park & Garden

Mogami Park (Shinjo Castle Park)

A historical park built around the ruins of a 16th-century fortress, featuring reconstructed architecture and gardens with panoramic city views.

Shinjo · Yamagata

Activity & Sport

Yamagata Zao Onsen Ski Resort

Yamagata Zao Onsen Ski Resort offers slopes for all levels and a long winter season, famous for its rare snow-covered 'juhyo' formations and access to hot springs.

Yamagata

Park & Garden

Matsugasaki Park

This Yonezawa park preserves castle ruins dating to the 17th century and features scenic views alongside cherry blossoms in spring.

Yonezawa · Yamagata

Castle

Kaminoyama Castle

A 16th-century castle in Kaminoyama now preserved as ruins with a reconstructed main keep that offers panoramic views of the surrounding region.

Kaminoyama · Yamagata

Yamagata right now

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