Yamagata is the largest city in Yamagata Prefecture in terms of population. The population is estimated to have about 249,743 people. As a capital city of Yamagata Prefecture, it lies in the Tohoku region, northern Japan. This city is full of attractions from historical and cultural sites to the nightlife scene. Yamagata is well –known for its largest centre of cherry and rice production. Besides that, this city has an abundance of hot springs, temples and big mountains that are well recommended to explore. Yamagata is famous for its winter destination. The visitors can enjoy skiing at the Zao Onsen Ski Resort. It is also home to the famous “snow monsters” at Mount Zao.

Airport in Yamagata

Yamagata Airport

Located in Higashine, Yamagata Airport is the only airport serving for the city of Yamagata. This airport only focuses more on domestic flights. There are two airlines operates for this airport such as Japan Airlines by J-Air and Fuji Dream Airlines. The distance between Yamagata Airport and the city centre is about 24.3 kilometres. The visitors can easily get a taxi or a bus to Yamagata City. For those who ride a taxi, the taxi fare will be around JPY 8,787 which is about SGD 110.11.

How to Get Cheap Flight Ticket to Yamagata?

Traveloka is a travel website and an application that makes it convenient for travellers to search for the most affordable flights to Yamagata. All you need to do is key in the information in the search box, and the application will recommend the best trip according to your budget. It compares flight costs across some trustworthy airlines to assist you to urge the simplest doable deal. Use Traveloka’s price alert feature to be notified of flights in your desired price range to get the best flight cost to Yamagata.

When is The Best Time to fly to Yamagata?

In Yamagata, the climate is warm and temperate. This city will be facing four types of seasons annually. The average annual temperature of this city is 15.2 degrees Celsius. This city has its peak period during the winter season, from December to February. Whereas, the off-peak season happens during the autumn season, from September to November. Since this city is famous for its winter tourism, a lot of visitors come to Yamagata to enjoy skiing and watching a spectacular view of snow monsters at Mount Zao. Besides that, hot springs is also a popular tourist spot during the winter season. As for the autumn season, lesser visitors coming to this city because it happens during the non-holiday season. Otherwise, the weather is mild and pleasant. The visitors can drop by to a few festivals during the period. Hence, the best time to visit Yamagata is during the spring season (March to May) and autumn season. During the spring season, the visitors will be mesmerized by the blooming cherry blossoms and the nature view of this city.

The visitors should not miss out on the big festivals and events in Yamagata City. Firstly, Yamagata Imoni Festival. It is the largest Imoni festival in Japan. Imoni is a traditional stew dish of taro and meat. The visitors can sample the Imoni dish since this festival will be serving the dishes for thousands of guests. This festival held yearly in September. Another big festival happening in this city is Yamagata Hanagasa Festival. It is a traditional dance and music festival featuring a large parade. The large parade joined by 10,000 dancers wearing traditional costumes and flower-decorated hats as well as taiko drums performances. This festival usually held from Takomachi Corner to Bunshokan.

What are the Top 3 Things to Do in Yamagata?

Yamagata is one of the beautiful cities in Japan. There are a few highlight attractions in Yamagata City for visitors to enjoy their time in Japan.

Zao Onsen Ski Resort - Zao Onsen Ski Resort is one of the famous ski resorts in Japan. It is the largest ski resort in the Tohoku region. The ski trail is more than 10 kilometres long. This resort provides a few slopes that are suitable for beginners and intermediate skiers. It also features a gondola, ropeways and 42 lifts for visitors. The visitors will enjoy skiing and snowboarding in this resort. The visitors can also see a spectacular view of ice trees or also known as “snow monsters” within the area. After having a fun time of skiing, the visitors can have their relaxing time at the hot springs which located in the foot of this resort.

Yamadera - Yamadera means “mountain temple” in Japanese is situated at the northeast of Yamagata. Also called as Risshakuji Temple, this Buddhist temple was built thousand years ago. This temple is home to short poems made by a famous poet named Basho. The visitors will discover the famous poem inscriptions and Basho statue in the low area of the temple ground. Besides that, the visitors can head on to Konponchu-do Hall where a ritual flame takes place and Niko Hall where the visitors can see the display of artwork and literature of Buddhism. To get to the top of the mountain, the visitors need to climb 1015 stone steps. The journey will take about 20 to 30 minutes. Once the visitors have reached the hilltop, the visitors can see the beautiful view of the mountain and Tachiya River Valley from the observation deck. There are some restaurants and a few shops selling souvenirs near the temple entrance.

Kajo Park - Kajo Park is a must-visit destination in Yamagata City. It is built in the site of former Yamagata Castle. The castle is listed as one of the top 100 castles in Japan. The visitors can watch the amazing view of the castle. There are also other historical and cultural sites can be found in this park such as Yamagata Museum of Art, Yamagata Prefectural Museum and Yoshiaki Mogami Historical Museum. Other than that, Kajo Park is well-known for its cherry blossom viewing spot. Every year, this park will be pack with locals and foreign visitors around mid-April to see the blooming cherry blossom.