Photo: 水だらけのプール / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Tsuruoka City
Yamagata Prefecture · City
Official websiteYamagata Prefecture page
Tsuruoka City is in the southern Shonai region and has the largest area of any city in the Tohoku region. On Mt. Haguro, one of the Three Mountains of Dewa, a five-story pagoda that is a National Treasure stands along an avenue of cedar trees. The Kamo Aquarium, known for its jellyfish, and the hot springs of Yunohama and Atsumi are popular. The city is Japan's first UNESCO City of Gastronomy, and its rice production ranks 4th in Japan.
Key facts
Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2025 Population Census (population, area and density); area from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI), Area Statistics of Prefectures and Municipalities (2025). National ranks are among the 1,741 municipalities, ordered by this site from these values.
Live information
Current weather (observed)
Places to visit
LandmarkThree Mountains of Dewamountains in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
Shinto shrineFive-storied Pagoda, Haguro-sanShinto shrine in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
AquariumKamo Aquariumzoo in Yamagata, Japan
CastleTsurugaoka CastleJapanese castle constructed in Tsuruoka, Yamagata
Shinto shrineYudonosan ShrineShinto shrine in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
Shinto shrineDewa ShrineShinto shrine in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.jpg?width=240)
Historic siteChidokanhan school in Japan
LakeOtori Pondlake in Tsuruoka, Japan
Roadside station (Michi-no-Eki)Michi-no-Eki Atsumiroadside station in Tsuruoka, Yamagata prefecture, Japan
Roadside station (Michi-no-Eki)Michi-no-Eki Gassanroadside station in Tsuruoka, Yamagata prefecture, Japan
Chosen automatically, most popular first, from landmarks and cultural properties registered in Wikidata (we have not checked whether each is open). Names and descriptions: Wikidata (CC0); photos: Wikimedia Commons (photographer and license under each photo).
Mountains in this city
Mountains whose summit is in this municipality (mountains of 800 m or higher on this site's map, and mountains in the famous-mountain lists). Elevations from Wikidata and other sources.
National parks in this city
Chosen by overlaying the park boundaries (Ministry of the Environment, Biodiversity Center of Japan, "National Park Areas" GIS data, updated April 28, 2025, combined and simplified by NIPPON ATLAS) with municipal boundaries (National Land Numerical Information, January 2021), keeping overlaps of about 0.5 km² or more (approximate). Areas are the land areas from the Ministry of the Environment, "Overview of National Parks" (April 10, 2026). All national parks
Neighboring municipalities
Municipalities sharing a boundary (computed from the National Land Numerical Information administrative boundaries, January 2021).
Other municipalities in Yamagata Prefecture
The description was written for this site, picking out representative features.