Tendo is a small city just north of Yamagata, famous for one oddly specific craft: shogi pieces. Most of Japan's wooden pieces for Japanese chess are made here, and the town leans into the identity with museums, shopfront displays, giant pieces, and a spring festival where people become the board.
That would be too thin on its own, but Tendo has enough for a good half-day or slow day from Yamagata. Tendo Shogi Museum explains the craft, Hiroshige Museum of Art adds an unexpected ukiyo-e connection, and the onsen area east of the station gives the town a softer edge.
Come for the shogi if you have even a passing interest in games, craft, or small Japanese towns with a single obsession. In late April, Ningen Shogi turns that obsession into theatre on the hillside above town.