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29-411: Yamagata is the capital and largest city of Yamagata Prefecture, with other major cities including Tsuruoka , Sakata , and Yonezawa . Yamagata Prefecture is located on Japan's western Sea of Japan coast and its borders with neighboring prefectures are formed by various mountain ranges , with 17% of its total land area being designated as Natural Parks . Yamagata Prefecture formed the southern half of

58-516: A season with depths up to 8 metres (26 ft) at higher elevations. Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced. As of October 2020, Yamagata Prefecture had a population of 1,068,027. As of October 2019, 33.4% of the population was over 65 with 15.5% aged between 65 and 74 and 17.9% over 75. This

87-556: A three-year project in which the Buddhist art of the city's temples would be catalogued and compared to a set of guidelines in order to identify "cultural assets". One hundred and ninety temples have had their works of art examined and several significant examples of Buddhist sculpture have been discovered. At Heisenji Temple, in the Hirashimizu district, a particularly rare statue, a seated Vairocana Buddha made from zelkova wood,

116-404: Is also the location with the most western hotels and the primary place of lodging for visitors visiting this region. This city serves as a good hub to visit the surrounding cities and towns around this prefecture with bus lines and train lines linking almost every part of Yamagata from the station. There are also many bars near the station giving this city a good night life for visitors to enjoy at

145-522: Is an annual summer festival that lasts from 5 August to 7 August on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the first weekend of August. It was first celebrated in 1963 when the parade was a part of the Zaō Summer Festival as an event to attract tourists to Yamagata Prefecture. After some success the parade grew over time into one of the four major festivals of the Tōhoku region . Ten thousand dancers dance to

174-478: Is an increase of 8.5% over census data from 2004 where 12.8% of the population was aged between 65 and 74, and 12.1% was over 75. Yamagata prefecture experienced its greatest growth period following the end of World War II, but then quickly began to slow down and eventually decline steadily. Today, the population is nearly the same as it was in 1930. Yamagata City is the central hub for Yamagata Prefecture and has many shops and restaurants around its main station. It

203-463: Is known for its local dialect Yamagata-ben , sometimes thought of as backward sounding in other parts of Japan. The 2004 movie Swing Girls (スウィングガールズ), co-written and directed by Shinobu Yaguchi , is set in Yamagata and makes use of Yamagata-ben for comedic purposes. The sports teams listed below are based in Yamagata. Football Volleyball Basketball The temple of Yama-dera , carved into

232-513: Is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from July to September. The average annual temperature in Yamagata is 11.7 °C (53.1 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,163 millimetres (45.8 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25 °C (77 °F), and lowest in January, at around −0.1 °C (31.8 °F), just below

261-532: Is the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan . As of 1 August 2023 , the city had an estimated population of 242,505 in 103,165 households, and a population density of 636 persons per km². The total area of the city is 381.58 square kilometres (147 sq mi). Yamagata is in the southern portion of the Yamagata Basin in southeast Yamagata Prefecture. The northern and northwestern parts of

290-717: Is the home of the bi-annual Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival in October. In February, a snow lantern festival is held in Yonezawa at the Uesugi Shrine . Hundreds of candle-lit lanterns light pathways dug into the snow around the shrine. Yonezawa is also the site of the Uesugi Festival (上杉祭り, uesugi matsuri ) in mid-spring. The festival's highlight is a re-enactment of the Battle of Kawanakajima on

319-613: The Bandai-Asahi National Park ; Chōkai , Kurikoma , and Zaō Quasi-National Parks; and Goshōzan , Kabusan , Kennan , Mogamigawa , Shōnai Kaihin , and Tendō Kōgen Prefectural Natural Parks. Thirteen cities are located in Yamagata Prefecture: These are the towns and villages in each district : The climate of Yamagata Prefecture is characterized by long, hot, and humid summers and long, snowy winters. Both spring and autumn are short,

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348-507: The Fujiwara ( 藤原 ) family ruled the area. Yamagata City flourished during the Edo period (1603–1867) due to its status as a castle town and post station, famous for beni (red safflower dye used in the production of handspun silk). In 1689, the famous haiku poet, Matsuo Bashō visited Yamagata during his five-month trip to the northern regions of Japan. Yamagata Prefecture is located in

377-403: The " Hanagasa Ondo " song in the parade. The song's creation is attributed to workers who were constructing an embankment in 1919 along Lake Tokura in the city of Obanazawa in northeastern Yamagata Prefecture. The song was created as workers compacted dirt into the embankment, they would rhythmically chant "yassho" followed with a response "makasho". Following the completion of the embankment,

406-551: The 0.0 °C (32.0 °F) isotherm required to earn the Humid Subtropical ( Cfa ) climate classification. Yamagata city is part of the heavy snow area of Japan (Gosetsu chitai, 豪雪地帯 ) with snowfall most days throughout the winter season. Yamagata City is located in a wide central valley that can heat up quickly in spring and summer and is often grey and humid, while to the east in Miyagi Prefecture on

435-513: The Pacific coast it is usually clearer and more temperate. Per Japanese census data, the population of Yamagata has remained relatively steady over the past 40 years. The area of present-day Yamagata was part of Dewa Province . During the Edo period , it was a castle town and the center of Yamagata Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate . The city of Yamagata was founded on April 1, 1889 as

464-555: The banks of the Matsukawa River. In September, Yamagata Prefecture is famous for its imoni , a taro-root stew popular in Northern Japan during the autumn. Imonikai, taro-root soup parties, are very popular during this season, and many tourists come to Yamagata Prefecture specifically for its particular style of imoni. Beginning in 2003, Yamagata city officials with the aid of Tōhoku University of Art and Design began

493-549: The capital of Yamagata Prefecture with the creation of the modern municipalities system. The city attained special city status on April 1, 2001. The city's status is then further elevated into a core city on April 1, 2019. Yamagata has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 33 members. The city contributes nine members to the Yamagata Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics,

522-620: The city are flatland, and the eastern part of the city is occupied by the Ōu Mountains . The city includes Mount Zaō within its borders. The Mamigasaki River passes through the city, and the Tachiyagawa River forms the border between Yamagata and Tendō. Yamagata has a Humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfa ) closely bordering on Humid Subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa ) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation

551-514: The city is part of Yamagata District 1 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan . [REDACTED] East Japan Railway Company - Yamagata Shinkansen [REDACTED] East Japan Railway Company - Ōu Main Line (Yamagata Line) [REDACTED] East Japan Railway Company - Senzan Line [REDACTED] East Japan Railway Company - - Aterazawa Line Yamagata is famous in Japan for eating

580-473: The community that built it held a parade where they all wore sedge hats that were dyed red with safflower , a crop of the region. These red sedge hats, called hanagasa became the focal point of the parade. While the Hanagasa festival is still held in smaller towns and cities throughout the prefecture, including Obanazawa, the largest festival takes place in the city of Yamagata, where its parade follows

609-517: The former often cold, the latter often warm, but both quite dry and sunny. Yamagata Prefecture, along with northern parts of Miyagi and Iwate are the transition areas from humid subtropical climate ( Koppen Cfa / Cwa ) to humid continental within the Japan mainland. Winter temperatures rarely fall below −10 °C (14 °F) in populated areas; they frequently rise above 30 °C (86 °F) in July and August. Precipitation falls all year round and

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638-553: The front of the station as well as the nanukamachi district in the downtown area of the city. Yamagata Prefecture has a number of annual festivals and events. The largest is the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival (花笠祭り) which takes place in Yamagata City on the first weekend in August, when thousands of people perform the hanagasa dance in the city centre and attracts up to 300,000 spectators. Yamagata City

667-662: The historic Dewa Province with Akita Prefecture and is home to the Three Mountains of Dewa , which includes the Haguro Five-story Pagoda, a recognised National Treasure of Japan . The aboriginal Ezo ( 蝦夷 ) people once inhabited the area now known as Yamagata. Yamagata and Akita Prefecture were known as Dewa Province until the Meiji Restoration . During the Heian period (794–1185),

696-472: The most ramen on average. Yamagata is twinned with: Yamagata Hanagasa Festival The Yamagata Hanagasa Festival ( 山形花笠まつり , Yamagata Hanagasa matsuri ) is one of the four major Japanese festivals of the Tōhoku region . It is held in the capital city of Yamagata , Yamagata Prefecture . The hanagasa is a headpiece that is shaped like a flower and was traditionally dyed red from locally grown safflower . The Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri

725-470: The mountainside near the city of Yamagata , is a major attraction. The Dewa Sanzan are three holy mountains that form a traditional pilgrimage for followers of the Shugendō branch of Shintō. The famous Gojudo (five-story pagoda) is at the base of Mount Haguro , the lowest of the three mountains. Mount Zaō is a famous winter ski resort, also known for its snow monsters (frozen snow-covered trees) in

754-502: The remnants of one or perhaps two typhoons usually pass through between August and October. The winters see heavy snowfall especially at higher elevations, though the Japan Sea coast ( Sakata ) is milder and has more rain. Snowfall for Shinjō is typical of populated mountainous areas, snowfall for Yamagata City typical of the valleys. The central mountains around Gassan may see as much as 3,000 centimetres (98.43 ft) of snow in

783-480: The southwest corner of Tōhoku, facing the Sea of Japan . It borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture on the south, Miyagi Prefecture on the east, and Akita Prefecture on the north. All of these boundaries are marked by mountains, with most of the population residing in a limited central plain. As of 31 March 2020, 17 percent of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks , namely

812-744: The winter, and the Okama crater lake , also known as the Goshiki Numa (Five Color Lake) because its colour changes according to the weather. Ginzan Onsen (銀山温泉) is a Silver Mountain hot spring town located in the mountains of Obanazawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. The area originally developed around a silver mine. Yamagata is pictured in the 1991 Studio Ghibli film Only Yesterday directed by Isao Takahata. 38°26′N 140°8′E  /  38.433°N 140.133°E  / 38.433; 140.133 Yamagata, Yamagata Yamagata ( 山形市 , Yamagata-shi , Japanese: [jamaꜜɡata] )

841-553: Was found. Other significant works include sculptures from the Heian period (794–1185) and Kamakura period (1192–1333). The Yamagata Museum of Art, located in Yamagata City, was opened in 1964 through the efforts of a foundation led by Yoshio Hattori, the president of Yamagata Shimbun and Yamagata Broadcasting Co, Ltd. The permanent collection consists of three types of art: Japanese and Asian, regional, and French. Special exhibitions are held periodically. Yamagata Prefecture

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