The Shonai area offers tourist attractions such as Kichijoji Temple, Itsukushima Shrine, and Mt. Daisen; sightseeing events such as the Hana Matsuri (Flower Festival), Daruma Market, and Hachisaku Festival; and local delicacies such as soba noodles, sake lees soup, and pickled vegetables.
Located on the Sea of Japan side of Yamagata Prefecture, Tsuruoka City and Sakata City are representative cities of the Shonai region. Visitors can enjoy swimming in the beaches along the Sea of Japan where the Mogami River flows into the city, and inland, the city is rich in nature with the three mountains of Dewa and the 2,236-meter-high Chokai Mountain.
Sakata City is a tourist destination rich in nature, with Hamanaka Asari Beach at the sea, Matsuyama Ski Resort in the mountains, and Tamanoren Falls and Twelve Falls by the water being famous tourist attractions. The Shonai region is also famous for its hot springs, and Yunodai Onsen at the foot of Mt. Chokai is popular among tourists for its spectacular scenery and enjoyment.
In addition, although it is not well known, temples and shrines in the Shonai area are characterized by the large number of sokushin-butsu, and among them, Umikouji Temple in Sakata City is the only temple in Japan that enshrines two sokushin-butsu statues.
The Shonai region's gourmet food is its sake. The quality water and sake rice flowing from Mt. Chokaisan and Mt. The best food to go with sake are dachamame (green soybeans), gassan bamboo shoots, and nanzenji tofu, which can only be found in the Shonai region. For children who cannot drink, traditional food toys such as karakara senbei (rice crackers) would be perfect.
The Shonai region developed along the Sea of Japan and the Mogami River, and the nature surrounding the Shonai Plain will show tourists not only the recreational activities such as skiing, camping, swimming, and hot springs, but also the beautiful scenery and the history and culture of Shonai, which is integrated with nature.
The park offers a panoramic view of Sakata Port, the city, the Sea of Japan, the Mogami River, and the three mountains of Dewa, and within the park there is a monument to Basho, a wooden hexagonal lighthouse, a Taisho era clinic, and a memorial statue of Kawamura Mizuken, who contributed to the deve...»
Somairou was opened after renovating the famous ryotei (Japanese-style restaurant) Somaya, which has been around since the days when Kitamae-bune ships used to come and go. When you walk up the stone-paved Maimusume-zaka slope, the vermilion walls and thatched roof stand out. The fan-shaped stone p...»