Best Western Yamagata Airport

The room and bed were super clean, though the space felt a bit tight by Western standards. Opening a large suitcase was hard unless I put it on the bed. They provided yukatas, towels, toothbrushes, shampoo, and body wash. The tablet was a really useful touch: you can switch it to English and read about Yamagata entertainment, local history, and recommendations. WiFi is free too. Breakfast was simple but tasty, about half Western and half Japanese, with natto, eggs, sausages, coffee, tea, and more. The staff were kind and would serve some items for you. At the front desk they were flexible and spoke a little English. We stayed just one night to visit friends. The location was handy, close to lots of useful places, including Aaron mall, where there's a pharmacy, grocery store, McDonald's, KFC, a stationery store, and a few smaller department stores. Sakuranbo-Higashine station is also just a short distance away, with trains to the northern and southern parts of Yamagata. You can catch the Shinkansen from there to Tokyo or north to Hokkaido. I speak some Japanese, so I can't say how well the train staff manage with English-only speakers, but the ticket machine can be switched to English.