Hushed and haunting beauty

YOU might know Yamagata better than you think especially if you are a fan of the 80's weepie TV drama Oshin (1983-1984) or Yojiro Takita's Oscar-winning Japanese dramedy Departures (2008). Both were shot on location there and often made references to the prefecture's harsh wintery conditions and its isolation.

When we visited Sakata and Tsuruoka cities there last month, the freezing temperatures kept most of its residents in the toasty comfort of their homes. The stillness of the snow-blanketed streets made it look like a ghost town but the sight of a near-empty winter wonderland also added to Yamagata's surreal and haunting beauty.

Its serenity makes perfect sense since the Japanese regard the prefecture - an hour away by air from Tokyo and a…