Yamagata Prefecture
Nishinome Ruins
Access details unknown. At the "World of Dogu" website created by Masahiro Asano, there is a splendid photo of what is claimed to be the largest dogu unearthed in Japan, a female figurine from the Middle Jomon period. at the Nishinome Ruins
Ondashi Site
An important Early Jômon site (c. 5000 BP), excavated for the construction of a bypass road between Nanyo City and Takahata in SE Yamagata. Organic remains in wet sediment included ropes, baskets, and mushrooms. The site revealed houses built on small mounds, with wooden piles and planks. Also found were (see a lacquered clay bowl with painted designs.), and a "Jomon cake." To make the latter, acorns and chestnuts were ground into a powder, mixed with boar or deer meat, bone marrow or blood, and wild birds' eggs. The mixture was then allowed to ferment with a wild yeast before baking. Access: the site was probably destroyed, but excavated materials must be displayed in various museums.
A pleasant staring point for exploration may be the nearby Akayu Onsen.