Discover Monks, Mountains and More on the Japan Heritage Official Website
Most people who visit Japan like to play it safe and stick to the cities in the country’s so-called “golden triangle” of tourism: Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. While there isn’t anything wrong with the hustle and bustle of Japanese megacities, it would be a true disservice to your itinerary to skip the natural scenery, one-of-a-kind cultural experiences and traditions only found in the heart of Japan’s countryside.
Such an example of beauty and heritage is in Yamagata Prefecture and its sacred Dewa Sanzan, or Three Mountains of Dewa, near the coastal city of Sakata. These mountains—Mount Haguro, Mount Gassan and Mount Yudono—are not only magnificent points of beauty in Japan’s wilderness but sacred to Japanese Buddhism and the Shugendo sect of Shinto monks that traverse these mountains.
To open the door for visitors to these sacred sites, Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has updated the latest version of the official Japan Heritage webs..