Discover Yuza: Chokai, Water, and Amahage

Yuza lies at the foot of Mount Chokai, bringing together mountains and rivers, the nearby Sea of Japan, and numerous springs. Mountains, water, and sea together shape the area's landscape. If you are considering Yuza as a travel destination, you might first ask whether you are most interested in learning more about its nature and water or its local culture. Both offer a distinct way to get to know the area.

Mountains, Water, and the Chokai-Tobishima Geopark

Together with the broad foothills of Mount Chokai and the area around Tobishima Island, Yuza forms part of the Chokai-Tobishima Geopark, one of Japan's geoparks. Its theme is the cycle of water and life between the Sea of Japan and the land. Its aims include protecting and conserving the natural environment, as well as promoting the region and tourism. In this guiding concept, water connects sea and land; at the same time, the geopark brings nature conservation and regional development together within a shared framework.

The area's landscape also includes rivers, the nearby Sea of Japan, and its many springs. Those interested in the geopark can explore the area through the water cycle and the relationship between land and sea. When choosing a vacation rental in Yuza, you can first decide whether this landscape or the area's cultural side will be the stronger draw for your trip.

Amahage: a New Year custom from Yuza

Amahage is a New Year custom passed down in the three settlements of Mega, Takinoura, and Torizaki in Yuza's Fukura district. Young people wear straw coats and masks depicting demons or old men, and visit homes at New Year. They admonish children to be diligent and wish older people a long life. The roles described thus address different generations: children are spoken to, older people receive a wish, and the masked figures are central to these encounters in people's homes.

Families can get a good sense of Amahage from these specific details: Who wears the masks, whom do the figures address, and what wishes are part of the custom? This turns the name into an understandable story about New Year encounters and the different people they address. If you like to include local culture in your travel plans, Amahage offers a clear cultural focus alongside the geopark's landscape theme.

The custom's designations have different dates and scopes. In 1999, Yuza's New Year customs, including Amahage, were designated at the national level as Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties of Japan, together with other New Year events. In November 2018, Yuza's Amahage was included in the UNESCO inscription of visits by deities in disguise and masks as intangible cultural heritage. These two details show both how Yuza's New Year customs are classified and the international cultural heritage category in which Amahage was included.

Another point of interest in Yuza

Yuza Station is also part of the area. JR East initially commissioned the town of Yuza to operate it; the town then passed this responsibility on to the NPO Yuza Chokai Tourism Association. This adds to the picture of a place whose name is associated both with the Chokai-Tobishima Geopark and with its own local custom.

More destinations: Mogami District, Yamagata, Higashine, Yonezawa, Sakata, Tsuruoka, Kaminoyama, Fukura.

For the broader travel overview: Yamagata Prefecture.