Shonai Plain is located near the Japan Sea, in the northwest of Yamagata prefecture. It is a very large plain: 100km in the southeast and 40km in the northwest. It is one of Japan's major grain-producing areas and in the Edo period rice for the government came from here.

The reason grain grows so well here is that the big and small rivers that feed into the plain bring pure water. Rivers include the Mogami River, one of the three major rapid rivers of Japan.

Moreover, the the soil of the plain is fertile and suitable for rice production because the temperature difference between summer and winter is larger and the cold winds blow from surrounding mountains.

In autumn, the ripe ears of rice droop and you can see golden ricefields in every direction. There are gracefully flying red dragonflies and golden-ringed dragonflies that are rare in the city.