Yamagata Prefecture

Yamagata, a prefecture on Japan's Honshu Island, is known for mountains, hot springs and temples. Snow-covered conifers famously resembling "snow monsters" mark its Mt. Zao ski resort area, which is also the site of hot springs and hiking trails around color-shifting Okama Crater Lake. The capital, also called Yamagata, is home to the hillside Yamadera Buddhist complex, centered on 9th-century Risshaku-ji Temple.