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Produce and Cuisine
Fruit
Yamagata Prefecture is a fruit paradise, boasting the largest production of cherries in Japan in addition to a bountiful variety of other fruits that are harvested throughout the year.
- Cherries
Yamagata produces over 70% of all the cherries in Japan. The extremely popular Sato Nishiki variety of cherries is truly a treasure, with their brilliant, ruby-red appearance and unbelievable sweetness.
- La France Pears
These pears are known in Japan as “The Queen of Fruits” due to their melt-in-your mouth texture and mellow scent. Yamagata produces more La France Pears than any other region in Japan.
- Strawberries
In Yamagata you can experience strawberry harvesting for yourself not only during the strawberry harvesting season that lasts from spring to early summer, but even during the dead of winter, thanks to strawberries grown in greenhouses.
- Grapes
Yamagata has the third highest grape production in all of Japan, and a wide variety of grapes can be harvested in the prefecture between August and October.
- Peaches
The extreme range in temperature that occurs over the course of a single day in Yamagata is perfect for growing enormous, sweet peaches, and Yamagata has the fifth largest peach production in Japan.
Fruit Harvesting Calendar
| Area | Fruits Produced | For more information, contact: (Japanese only) |
|---|---|---|
| Yamagata City | Cherries, Grapes |
Yamagata City Tourism Association Phone: +81-23-647-2266 |
| Yonezawa City | Apples, Cherries |
Yonezawa City Tourism and Produce Association Phone: +81-238-21-6226 |
| Tsuruoka City | Blueberries, Grapes, Strawberries, Cherries, Apples |
Tsuruoka City Tourism and Produce Department Phone: +81-235-25-2111 |
| Sagae City | Cherries, Grapes, Peaches, Strawberries, Blueberries, Apples |
JA Sagae West Murayama Anniversary Tourism and Produce Information Center Phone: +81-237-86-1811 |
| Kaminoyama City | Cherries, Grapes, Blueberries, Plums, Apples |
Kaminoyama City Tourism Association Phone: +81-23-672-0839 |
| Tendo City | Cherries, Peaches, Apples, Grapes |
Tendo City Tourism and Produce Association Phone: +81-23-653-1680 |
| Higashine City | Cherries, Peaches, Apples, Grapes |
Higashine City Tourism and Produce Association Phone: +81-237-41-1200 |
| Nanyo City | Cherries, Peaches, Apples, Grapes |
Nanyo City Tourism Association Phone: +81-238-40-2002 |
| Asahi Town | Apples | Asahi Town Tourism Association Phone: +81-237-67-2111 |
| Takahata Town | Grapes, Cherries, Apples |
Takahata Town Tourism Association Phone: +81-238-57-3844 |
| Iide Town | Strawberries | Iide Town Tourism Associations Phone: +81-238-86-2411 |
*Please direct all inquiries regarding food and produce in Yamagata Prefecture to the Yamagata Tourism Information Center.
Yonezawa Beef
When it comes to high quality Japanese beef, Matsusaka Beef in the West and Yamagata Prefecture’s very own Yonezawa Beef in the East are truly in a class of their own. The fats in Yonezawa Beef begin to melt at room temperature, creating a uniquely succulent flavor and texture that you will never forget. Why don’t you try some sukiyaki, steak, or shabu-shabu made with delicious Yonezawa Beef?
Natural Mountain Vegetables
The snow-covered mountains of Yamagata are home to a bountiful variety of wild vegetables that can be harvested from the spring until early summer. Methods for preparing these wild vegetables to draw out their individual, distinctive flavors are deeply ingrained in the culture of Yamagata, and local dishes centering on these natural mountain vegetables have been passed down from generation to generation. This low calorie, rich in fiber mountain vegetable cooking continues to gain popularity from year to year, particularly among the health conscious.
Imoni
“Imoni” literally means “simmered potatoes,” and it is a stew combining taro potatoes and beef, among other possible ingredients. Yamagata is known for its imoni parties in the fall, where friends and family gather along the riverside to enjoy imoni together.
Soba
Yamagata has long been famous for its delicious soba, traditional Japanese buckwheat noodles. The prefecture is even home to a number of soba districts, where soba shops line the streets. The taste of soba varies from not only from region to region, but also from restaurant to restaurant. The variety and depth of soba increases the more you eat, and it can only be truly understood by those who make the effort to experience it in person.
Tsukemono
Japanese pickled foods, or tsukemono, came into being thanks to the need to preserve vegetables during the winter. Tsukemono reflect the unique climate and customs throughout the different regions of Yamagata Prefecture. We hope that you are able to try a wide variety of tsukemono.
Ramen
Chilled ramen in the summer. Hand made ramen noodles from Sakata. Chicken giblet ramen from Shinjo. Akayu’s spicy miso ramen, famous throughout Japan. To those in the know, Yamagata is recognized as the home of a unique ramen noodle culture, and Yamagata Prefecture has the highest per household rate of ramen noodle consumption in Japan.
Chicken giblet ramen from Shinjo
Sake
Yamagata produces high quality rice, which means that it also produces high quality sake. There are 56 sake breweries within Yamagata, where brewers work diligently every day to produce top quality sake. Year after year, many varieties of sake brewed in Yamagata receive a gold medal in the National New Sake Awards, which indicates the high quality of sake in the prefecture.
