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What is a DMO?

DEGAM Tsuruoka Tourism Bureau is a regional Japanese DMO (Destination Management Organization) since March 31st, 2020. Japanese DMOs are Tourism Boards officially registered and authorized by the Japan Tourism Agency. 
DEGAM belongs to the regional DMO category (in Japanese: chiiki DMO 地域DMO), which means it has authority over the area of Tsuruoka City only. One of our roles as a DMO is to connect all the service providers in the local tourism industry, the Japanese administrations, and international tourism professionals altogether to offer both Japanese and foreign visitors a unique travel experience in our city. 

About Degam

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What does DEGAM mean?

DEGAM is the contraction of the first two letters of what we consider to be the two main assets in Tsuruoka City: Dewa Sanzan and its gastronomy. The final M stands for "management" as a reminder of the M in "DMO". The word born from this association, "degam," is borrowed from the Latin verb degere, conjugated in the first person of the future tense. Degam can be translated into "I will live on," "I will spend more time," "I will continue to live". 
"DEGAM" is what we want our visitors to feel when visiting Tsuruoka: we aim to provide travel experiences where the traveler feels he want to spend more time exploring the beauty of life.

Meet our team
dewa sanzan, dewasanzan, dewa mountains, Yamagata, Tohoku, Yamabushi, northern Japan, go to dewa sanzan, haguro, hagurosan, mt. haguro, mount haguro, yamabushi training, yamabushi experience, gassan, yudono, Tsuruoka, Sokushinbutsu, unesco gastronomy, hiking in Japan, go to tohoku, tohoku travel, tsuruoka yamagata, tsuruoka, tsuruoka city, shonai, shonai region, shônai, shônai region, unesco creative, pagoda, Japan heritage, kamo aquarium,
Shoji EIJU
Mr. Eiju is the Standing Director of DEGAM Tsuruoka Tourism Bureau. He has lived in Russia for 2 years and returned to his home: Tsuruoka to continue his work as a civil employee at Tsuruoka City Office. Mr. Eiju loves travelling the world with his son.
Tsuruoka City – Official Website
dewa sanzan, dewasanzan, dewa mountains, Yamagata, Tohoku, Yamabushi, northern Japan, go to dewa sanzan, haguro, hagurosan, mt. haguro, mount haguro, yamabushi training, yamabushi experience, gassan, yudono, Tsuruoka, Sokushinbutsu, unesco gastronomy, hiking in Japan, go to tohoku, tohoku travel, tsuruoka yamagata, tsuruoka, tsuruoka city, shonai, shonai region, shônai, shônai region, unesco creative, pagoda, Japan heritage, kamo aquarium,
Masafumi MAETA
Masafumi is a Certified General Travel Services Manager. He entered DEGAM in April 2021 after working in a travel agency as an agent for many years. Masafumi loves playing the clarinet and "any type of food that is stuck between two slices of bread".
Tsuruoka City – Official Website
dewa sanzan, dewasanzan, dewa mountains, Yamagata, Tohoku, Yamabushi, northern Japan, go to dewa sanzan, haguro, hagurosan, mt. haguro, mount haguro, yamabushi training, yamabushi experience, gassan, yudono, Tsuruoka, Sokushinbutsu, unesco gastronomy, hiking in Japan, go to tohoku, tohoku travel, tsuruoka yamagata, tsuruoka, tsuruoka city, shonai, shonai region, shônai, shônai region, unesco creative, pagoda, Japan heritage, kamo aquarium,
Yoko SATO
Yoko is a Certified General Travel Services Manager. She is a member of DEGAM since the start. She is an expert at drinking saké and likes to take long strolls in the city during her free time.
Tsuruoka City – Official Website
dewa sanzan, dewasanzan, dewa mountains, Yamagata, Tohoku, Yamabushi, northern Japan, go to dewa sanzan, haguro, hagurosan, mt. haguro, mount haguro, yamabushi training, yamabushi experience, gassan, yudono, Tsuruoka, Sokushinbutsu, unesco gastronomy, hiking in Japan, go to tohoku, tohoku travel, tsuruoka yamagata, tsuruoka, tsuruoka city, shonai, shonai region, shônai, shônai region, unesco creative, pagoda, Japan heritage, kamo aquarium,
Kazuharu OSHII
Kazuharu entered DEGAM in 2020 as a member of the executive division team. Before that, he used to be the director of a ryokan in Yunohama Onsen called Mankôen. Now, he is in charge of data analytics and marketing. He loves Taiwan and is trying to learn the Chinese language.
Tsuruoka City – Official Website
dewa sanzan, dewasanzan, dewa mountains, Yamagata, Tohoku, Yamabushi, northern Japan, go to dewa sanzan, haguro, hagurosan, mt. haguro, mount haguro, yamabushi training, yamabushi experience, gassan, yudono, Tsuruoka, Sokushinbutsu, unesco gastronomy, hiking in Japan, go to tohoku, tohoku travel, tsuruoka yamagata, tsuruoka, tsuruoka city, shonai, shonai region, shônai, shônai region, unesco creative, pagoda, Japan heritage, kamo aquarium,
Yoichi GOTO
Yoichi entered DEGAM as a dispatch employee from Shoko Travel, a local travel agency where he worked for more than 6 years. He is now DEGAM's executive division director. Yoichi has traveled the world many times and loves saké. Just like Kazuharu, he dreams of being able to speak Chinese one day.
Tsuruoka City – Official Website
dewa sanzan, dewasanzan, dewa mountains, Yamagata, Tohoku, Yamabushi, northern Japan, go to dewa sanzan, haguro, hagurosan, mt. haguro, mount haguro, yamabushi training, yamabushi experience, gassan, yudono, Tsuruoka, Sokushinbutsu, unesco gastronomy, hiking in Japan, go to tohoku, tohoku travel, tsuruoka yamagata, tsuruoka, tsuruoka city, shonai, shonai region, shônai, shônai region, unesco creative, pagoda, Japan heritage, kamo aquarium,
Sara MILLOT
Sara entered DEGAM in July 2020. Before that, she worked at Tsuruoka City Hall for 3 years as a Coordinator for International Relations within the JET Programme. She is now DEGAM's executive division manager. She loves learning about Buddhism, and because she is French, she also loves wine. 
Tsuruoka City – Official Website
dewa sanzan, dewasanzan, dewa mountains, Yamagata, Tohoku, Yamabushi, northern Japan, go to dewa sanzan, haguro, hagurosan, mt. haguro, mount haguro, yamabushi training, yamabushi experience, gassan, yudono, Tsuruoka, Sokushinbutsu, unesco gastronomy, hiking in Japan, go to tohoku, tohoku travel, tsuruoka yamagata, tsuruoka, tsuruoka city, shonai, shonai region, shônai, shônai region, unesco creative, pagoda, Japan heritage, kamo aquarium,
Ritsu NAKANO
Ritsu's knowledge about food is as sharp as her palate! She has worked at Tsuruoka City Hall's Division for the Promotion of Gastronomy for many years. She is the head of all the projects involving gastronomy and agriculture. Apart from eating, she also likes to drink.
Tsuruoka City – Official Website
dewa sanzan, dewasanzan, dewa mountains, Yamagata, Tohoku, Yamabushi, northern Japan, go to dewa sanzan, haguro, hagurosan, mt. haguro, mount haguro, yamabushi training, yamabushi experience, gassan, yudono, Tsuruoka, Sokushinbutsu, unesco gastronomy, hiking in Japan, go to tohoku, tohoku travel, tsuruoka yamagata, tsuruoka, tsuruoka city, shonai, shonai region, shônai, shônai region, unesco creative, pagoda, Japan heritage, kamo aquarium,
Shuichi FUKANO
Shuichi was a Certified General Travel Services Manager. He worked in the tourism industry for many years. Shuichi left DEGAM in March 2021 and is now working at Tatsunoyu Onsen in Yunohama Onsen. Thank you for everything!
Tsuruoka City – Official Website
dewa sanzan, dewasanzan, dewa mountains, Yamagata, Tohoku, Yamabushi, northern Japan, go to dewa sanzan, haguro, hagurosan, mt. haguro, mount haguro, yamabushi training, yamabushi experience, gassan, yudono, Tsuruoka, Sokushinbutsu, unesco gastronomy, hiking in Japan, go to tohoku, tohoku travel, tsuruoka yamagata, tsuruoka, tsuruoka city, shonai, shonai region, shônai, shônai region, unesco creative, pagoda, Japan heritage, kamo aquarium,
Shutaro TOKI
Shutaro is a city employee and the son of a shrine priest in Ohiro village. Shutaro was dispatched by Tsuruoka city office to work at DEGAM as a member of the executive team. After having fulfilled his mission in DEGAM, he returned to the city office in April 2021. We miss you!
Tsuruoka City – Official Website
Where to find us
DEGAM Tsuruoka Tourism Bureau (General Incorporated Association)
Address: 3-1 Suehiromachi, MARICA East Building, 2nd floor, Tsuruoka, Yamagata 997-0015, JAPAN
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TEL: (+81) 0235-26-1218
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E-mail: millot.sara@degam.jp
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