Car hire and driving in Yamagata
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In Japan traffic drives on the left. Picking up at SDJ means 49 km (30 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q11185210 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648823 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2807090.
Drives from Yamagata
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yamagata to Sendai | Japan | 44 km (27 mi) | about 40 min |
| Yamagata to Fukushima | Japan | 54 km (34 mi) | about 50 min |
| Yamagata to Ōsaki | Japan | 66 km (41 mi) | about 1 h |
| Yamagata to Tsuruoka | Japan | 72 km (45 mi) | about 1 h 6 min |
| Yamagata to Ishinomaki | Japan | 84 km (52 mi) | about 1 h 17 min |
| Yamagata to Sakata | Japan | 88 km (55 mi) | about 1 h 21 min |
| Yamagata to Aizu-Wakamatsu | Japan | 90 km (56 mi) | about 1 h 23 min |
| Yamagata to Kōriyama | Japan | 93 km (58 mi) | about 1 h 25 min |
| Yamagata to Ichinoseki | Japan | 101 km (63 mi) | about 1 h 32 min |
| Yamagata to Niigata | Japan | 121 km (75 mi) | about 1 h 51 min |
| Yamagata to Ōshū | Japan | 122 km (76 mi) | about 1 h 52 min |
| Yamagata to Iwaki | Japan | 139 km (87 mi) | about 2 h 7 min |
| Yamagata to Tokyo | Japan | 289 km (180 mi) | about 4 h 25 min |
| Yamagata to Yokohama | Japan | 318 km (197 mi) | about 4 h 51 min |
| Yamagata to Osaka | Japan | 587 km (364 mi) | about 8 h 57 min |
| Yamagata to Nagoya | Japan | 459 km (285 mi) | about 7 h |
| Yamagata to Sapporo | Japan | 544 km (338 mi) | about 8 h 18 min |
| Yamagata to Fukuoka | Japan | 1,033 km (642 mi) | about 15 h 45 min |
| Yamagata to Kawasaki | Japan | 307 km (191 mi) | about 4 h 41 min |
| Yamagata to Kobe | Japan | 608 km (378 mi) | about 9 h 16 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Yamagata?
The left, as everywhere in Japan.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.