Primal Scene of Japan：A Journey to the Countryside of Okitama,Yamagata

Several hundred years ago Japan was ruled by samurai.
Samurai families, such as the Uesugi family, ruled in Okitama too, building a samurai culture.
You can still feel the remnants of their culture in the present day.

The basin area of Yamagata's mother river, the Mogami, was connected to Osaka and Kyoto by westbound route from Sakata and later made famous in the TV drama “Oshin”.
Many merchants became rich by selling safflowers in Japan's capital, bringing back back souvenirs and western culture.
This western Japanese cultural influence can still be seen in Okitama today, where a historic merchant town still exists.