Visit Yamadera (Risshaku-ji), a mountain temple founded in 860 AD. Your guide leads you up the stone steps through ancient cedar forest to the Godaido hall, where you enjoy sweeping views over the valley made famous by the poet Matsuo Basho.

Visit Kajo Park, the grounds of former Yamagata Castle. Your guide walks you past the reconstructed Honmaru-Ichimonji gate and stone moats. It is a peaceful green space and one of the area's most beautiful cherry-blossom spots in spring.

Visit Bunshokan, the former Yamagata Prefectural Office, an elegant English Renaissance-style building from 1916. Your guide shows you its grand hall and balcony as you learn about the region's modern history.

Relax in the highland spa town of Zao Onsen, famous for its milky, sulfuric hot-spring waters said to beautify the skin. Your guide introduces this historic resort surrounded by mountain scenery, with time to enjoy the open-air atmosphere.

Stroll through Ginzan Onsen in Obanazawa, a nostalgic hot-spring town lined with wooden Taisho-era ryokan along a river. Your guide shares its silver-mining history, and the gas-lamp-lit streets are especially atmospheric.

Enjoy the scenery of the Mogami River near Shinjo, one of Japan's three swiftest rivers. Your guide tells the story of this gorge celebrated by the poet Basho, known for its dramatic cliffs and traditional river-boat journeys.

Visit Kaminoyama Castle, a picturesque reconstructed hilltop castle in a historic onsen town. Inside are local history exhibits, and from the top you enjoy panoramic views over the Yamagata basin and surrounding mountains.

Discover the Yamagata Museum of Art, home to French Impressionist masterpieces alongside Japanese and regional works. Set in a tranquil garden near the castle park, it offers a relaxed cultural finale to your tour.