Travel to experience the culture of Yamagata and Tokyo

Yamagata is a treasure trove of delicious foods and excellent sake created from an abundance of nature’s blessings. Tokyo has prospered as one of the world’s largest cities and is a place where the latest advances and traditions exist side by side. The prefecture and metropolis have begun a partnership that promotes each other’s tourist attractions. Here, we introduce recommendations for getting to know the places through artisanship, excellent sake, and onsen and accommodations.

Take a trip to discover the attractions of each location

　Did you know the only two places in Japan with a female governor are Yamagata Prefecture and Tokyo? These two have partnered to encourage tourism in both locations, and endeavors are underway in accordance with a proposal from Governor Mieko Yoshimura of Yamagata Prefecture and Governor Yuriko Koike of Tokyo. Yamagata Prefecture has terrain surrounded by mountains such as Mt. Zao, Mt. Gassan, and Mt. Chokai, and scenic landscapes favored with underground water fed by the Mogami River, known as the “mother river.” Not only is it a rice-producing region, but it also has thriving agriculture that grows a variety of flowering plants and fruits, including the local specialty, cherries. As the saying goes, “where there is good water, there is good sake,” and in Yamagata there are over 50 sake breweries. Meanwhile, Tokyo is a city that shares world-class culture. It goes without saying that the city’s attraction lies in being a metropolis where every kind of information is available, but it is also a city where traditional artisanship lives on. Plus, there is more to Tokyo than its 23 wards. The Tama area on the city’s western side still retains rich nature such as the woodland of Musashino and Mt. Takao. Sake brewing has also flourished there since long ago due to benefits provided by the Tama River system. Although Yamagata Prefecture and Tokyo are separated by a distance of more than 300 kilometers, we’ll share what both locations have in common, artisanship, sake, and onsen and accommodations.

First, we traveled to Yamagata. Wanting to learn about artisanship, we visited Oriental Carpet Mills, Ltd. in the town of Yamanobe where high-end carpets called Yamagata Dantsu are made. The carpets are woven using two techniques. One is handweaving where wool yarn is tied by hand to the warp, and the other is hand embroidery where wool yarn is woven using a tool called a hook gun. It’s said the carpets last many years because the density of the wool is so high that it’s difficult for the pile to wear out. The handwoven products require patience, given that only a few centimeters can be woven in a day. Said to last a hundred years, the carpets are used in famous hotels, art museums, and public facilities. There is currently a hand-embroidered carpet in the main lobby of Kabukiza.

Kojima Sohonten, known for the excellent sake brand, Toko is a long-established brewery in Yonezawa that has existed since the Azuchi–Momoyama period. The snowmelt in this region of heavy snowfall totals seven meters a year and contributes to the production of superb sake. The Brewing Museum Toko no Sakagura, just a few-minutes walk from the head office, is housed in a renovated earthen-walled storehouse that is over a century old. You can see tools such as vats used for sake brewing long ago and what day-to-day life was like in the Meiji period, as well as enjoy taste-testing sake.

The fact that many onsen are found throughout the prefecture is one of the biggest draws to Yamagata. Each guest room in Kaminoyama Hayama Onsen Meigetsuso features completely different interior decor. After ongoing updates to hospitality services while renovating one guest room a year, this onsen inn has succeeded in attracting repeat guests who visit every month, and families wanting a large guest room to use like a vacation home that accommodates three generations of family. The site is full of different ways for you to relax throughout your stay, including facilities such as a gallery, a wine cellar, a beauty spa, a sauna, and a library.

Next, we journeyed straight from Yamagata to Tokyo. We visited Tomita Dyeing & Crafts in Nishiwaseda. Since long ago, there have been dyeing businesses along the Kanda River that produced the Edo Komon and Edo Sarasa dye patterns. This workshop has preserved 120,000 Ise Katagami stencils. Even today, the artisans carry out the entire process by hand, including applying paste for dyeing, steaming, and washing. The company also offers tours of Tokyo Craft Dyeing Story Museum and hands-on dyeing experiences.

Ishikawa Brewery is one of ten breweries that are members of Tokyo Sake Brewer’s Association. It’s located near JR Haijima Station, approximately an hour by car from central Tokyo. Within the spacious site, water flows from the Tama River water supply system, there are Japanese zelkova trees around 700 years old, and white plaster-walled storehouses scattered about. Today, sake brands including Tamajiman are still prepared and stored in the main brewery, which was completed in 1880 and has been designated a national registered tangible cultural property. There are many ways to enjoy the site in addition to tours of the storehouses, including eating a meal at the restaurant on the grounds and buying unprocessed sake that can only be purchased here.

After returning to the city center, we stayed overnight at Hotel New Otani. Needless to say, this hotel is representative of Japan. To commemorate its 60th anniversary in 2024, for the first time it has introduced cypress wood baths to its suite and deluxe rooms in Executive House Zen, which takes up the 11th and 12th floors. These rooms let you experience the ultimate retreat in the city center. The aroma of cypress faintly emanates throughout the universally designed bathrooms that have a modern Japanese interior with traditional Japanese designs.

Recommended spots

• in Yamagata
• in Tokyo