The northeastern Japanese prefecture is the only one selected in Japan.

American publishing giant National Geographic revealed its annual “Best of the World” travel destinations last week, and this year’s list includes only one location in Japan. While readers may initially assume that the selection was somewhere internationally famous for its history and traditional culture such as Kyoto or Nara, the choice is far more unassuming: Yamagata Prefecture, in Japan’s northeastern Tohoku region.

▼ Yamagata Prefecture, which is often said to resemble the profile of a face with an open mouth.

Yamagata, whose name is written with kanji meaning “mountain shape” (山形), was also only one of three locations chosen in Asia–the other two being Beijing and Manila. One of the reasons it was selected was because while other areas of Japan are currently grappling with overtourism by international visitors in the wake of a weak yen, Yamagata remains an off-the-beaten-path destination largely untouched by both domestic and global tourists, despite being chock-full of breathtaking natural scenery in particular.

▼ True to its name, you can see mountains from pretty much anywhere within the prefecture–including the capital, Yamagata City.

One of the prefecture’s most popular localities is the Yamadera mountain temple complex, where you’ll be greeted by panoramic vistas if you can make it up the 1,000+ stone steps in the midst of an ancient cedar forest.

Mt. Zao’s ski resorts, which are home to an unusual meteorological phenomenon that results in “snow monsters,” are also often cited along with its natural hot springs.

While already quite famous, Ginzan Onsen experienced some added recognition when it was pointed out that the Swordsmith Village of popular anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba bears quite some resemblance to it. The hot springs town, with its surviving Taisho era (1912-1926) architecture, makes it ethereal at any time of the year.

The prefecture is also known for attracting practitioners of the Shugendo Buddhist folk religion characterized by mountain ascetic practices at the Dewa Sanzan three sacred mountains, which includes Mt. Haguro’s elegant five-storied pagoda.

That’s still only the tip of the iceberg, because there are plenty more reasons to visit the prefecture as well.

Representatives from Yamagata Prefecture have officially responded to National Geographic‘s selection by stating that they look forward to more international tourists visiting as a result of the listing. As longtime fans of Yamagata Prefecture ourselves, we’re happy to see the increase in long-overdue recognition–as long as there continues to be enough of the local specialty dish imoni to go around.

Source: YBC Yamagata Hoso via Yahoo! Japan News
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