Explore Japan by Prefecture
We list 2 places in Yamagata where yokai, cryptids and legends are told or sighted, and 2 related encyclopedia entries.
Please note Trespassing on private property or restricted areas is prohibited by law. Please be considerate of local residents.
Positions on the map are a rough guide to the area where a legend or sighting is set. Most pins are placed at representative points of a municipality or prefecture (outside Japan, a city position rounded to about 10 km, or the country), not at the exact place.
Municipality points: Geolonia address data (CC BY 4.0), based on the Address Base Registry (Digital Agency of Japan) / Country points: Natural Earth
A giant-fish cryptid said to live in Lake Otori in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture. There are sightings of fish over 2 meters long, and surveys have been carried out many times. The leading theory is that it is an unusually large char or similar fish.
Fish with markings that look like a human face. In 1990, carp in the pond of Zenpoji Temple in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, were featured in magazines and on TV, causing a huge boom with up to 10,000 visitors a day.
