10 Museums in Yamagata Prefecture That You Shouldn't Miss

Dating back over 200 years to the Edo Period, Somaro is a maiko teahouse and museum in the northern port city of Sakata. It is one of the very few places outside of Kyoto where geisha culture can be enjoyed. Originally called Soma-ya, Somaro's geisha culture was brought up to Northern Japan through the thriving trade ties that once existed between Kyoto and Sakata. During that time, Somaro served as an entertainment destination and exquisite restaurant for the many merchants and shipping agents who shuffled through this city. Beautifully restored in 2000, Somaro is a museum and maiko dance house that preserves and showcases the splendor of Sakata's geisha culture.

▼The first museum of photography in Japan Ken Domon is one of the representative photographers of postwar Japan. He took news photos grounded in realism, portraits and snapshots of famous and ordinary people, as well as photos of cultural assets such as temples and Buddhist statues. His lens captured moments that revealed truths in the turbulent Showa era. Ken Domon Museum of Photography was built in his hometown of Sakata in October 1983 as the first Japanese museum dedicated solely to photographs, and is said to be the only photography museum in the world built for an individual. Here, all 70,000 pieces of his photographic work, including his lifework, “A Pilgrimage through Old Temples,” “Muroji Temple,” “Hiroshima,” “The Children in Chikuho,” “Bunraku Puppets,” and “Features” are preserved and shown to the public in regular succession.

This private museum preserves and exhibits the collection of the art lover Kenzo Hasegawa.Japanese swords and carved red lacquer ware mainly from the Ming and Qing dynasties in China are on permanent display for researchers. An okura earthen storehouse,the traditional Japanese-style rooms and garden all serve to eloquently convery aspects of Japanese culture.