Zao is one of the most popular sightseeing spots in the Tohoku region. It refers to Mount Zao and its mountain range which spans between Yamagata and Miyagi prefectures.

Zao is a resort where you can enjoy hot springs and winter activities. The site is so big that the address is split between Zao Onsen in Yamagata Prefecture and Zao-cho in Miyagi Prefecture.

The standard major sightseeing spots are Okama, the emerald green crater lake, the unique natural phenomenon of soft rime, and hot springs.

Unfortunately, the Okama area is off-limits during the winter season. Still, people swiftly forget about this because you can experience rime frost in other areas of Zao, alongside some fun snow activities.

Rime frost, the main attraction of Zao in winter, can be seen in both prefectures. Tours are available from Zao Ropeway in Yamagata Prefecture and Sumikawa Snowpark in Miyagi Prefecture.

Both Zao Juhyo Tours (requiring reservations) use snowcats to reach the rime frost area. Also, at “Zao Onsen Ski Resort” near the Zao Ropeway, you can ski and snowboard in the rime frost area, which is truly a memorable activity for your Japan travels!

So, we put together a 2-day winter sightseeing plan at Zao Onsen in Yamagata Prefecture, where you can casually enjoy the rime frost.

To reach Zao Onsen from Tokyo by train, take the Yamagata Shinkansen “Tsubasa” from JR Tokyo Station to JR Yamagata Station. It will take about 2 hours and 25 - 55 minutes.

Once you reach JR Yamagata Station, get on the Yamako Bus from Yamagata Station for about 37 minutes. Once you get off at the final destination Zao Onsen Bus Terminal, you will arrive at the central area of Zao, Zao Onsen full of gift shops and hot spring inns.

If you are traveling by air, you will depart from Haneda Airport via JAL and arrive at Yamagata Airport. To reach the Zao Onsen area, taking the sightseeing taxi “Oishi Yamagata Kankou Unko Liner” (requires reservation) is a pretty convenient option.

We will start our trip from Zao Onsen Ski Resort, located about 10 minutes on foot from Zao Onsen Station. With a total area of 305 hectares, the vast site has 14 slopes and 12 courses, and it is full of skiers and snowboarders.

First, you need to purchase a ski lift ticket at “Zao Base Center Jupeer,” located at the foot of Uwanodai Slope. You can travel light since they have skis, snowboards and ski wear for rent.

Once you are ready, head to the slopes! Zao Onsen Ski Resort has a nice variety of courses, so it is good to take a look beforehand. We strongly recommend the “Jyuhyogen Course (rime frost course),” where you can enjoy various fun slopes and rime frost.

To view the Juhyo "snow monsters", we recommend taking the ropeway. The resort has three ropeways, but Zao Ropeway is the only one where you can get a view of the rime frost fields.

Get on at Zao Sanroku Station and transfer to the Sancho Line at Juhyo-Kogen Station, then get off at Jizo Sancho Station. From the peak, you can get a breathtaking view of the rime frost fields.

At Jizo Sancho Stanton, you can warm up at the restaurant in the station that serves local cuisine and coffee while you view the rime frost from the window seats. Also, don’t forget to go to the rooftop observatory deck!

After your winter activities, how about relaxing in a hot spring? In the hot spring district, there are three communal bathing areas: Kaminoyu Kyodoyokujo, Shimonoyu Kyodoyokujo, and Kawahara Kyodoyokujo. It takes about 10 minutes on foot to reach all three of these communal baths from Zao Base Center Jupeer. They are all within 100 meters of each other, so you can even go hot spring hopping.

This time we went to Kaminoyu Kyodoyokujo, which is the closest to the ski resort. Put the bathing fee into the payment box located at the entrance, and head on in! The water is a bit on the hotter side and has a slightly cloudy color. The feeling of the hot spring warming you up after all that snowy sight-seeing is truly relaxing.

Next, it’s time for dinner at the cozy restaurant Otochaya, which is located about a 10-minute walk away from Kaminoyu Kyodoyokujo.

Since they have English speaking staff, it is a popular shop with overseas visitors. They have dishes such as the “Oyaji no Beef Curry” (880 yen) made with Yamagata-gyu beef, and the “Signature dish Tsurami” (1,000 yen), a ham made with Yamagata-gyu beef cheek meat. Another great thing about the shop is the wide variety of drinks they have, such as the 20 types of craft beer. You can even enjoy a fantastic dinner with delicious craft beer.

We have to take advantage of what Zao Onsen is famous for, and take a morning bath at the day trip bathing facility Shinzaemon no Yu, which is about 5 minutes on foot from the Zao Onsen bus terminal.

Here you can enjoy various baths such as “Mogami Takayu,” a hot spring with water pumped directly from the source, and the “Shi-Roku no Yu” with soft water features. Another key feature is they have spacious segregated outdoor baths. Bathing while looking at the snowscape is a uniquely Japanese experience that you must try. They also have a free resting area perfect for relaxing after your bath.

After your soak, let’s head over to ZAO Center Plaza for some lunch and shopping. It is located about two minutes on foot from Yunohana Chaya Shinzaemon no Yu.

At “Omiyagidokoro Minoriya” on the first floor, you can find various standard Zao Onsen souvenirs such as sweets, and arts and crafts. Since it’s a duty-free shop, you can do some discount shopping. The highly recommended “Zao no Shirabe (5 in a box, 1,000 yen)” is a baked cheesecake made with cheese from Zao with a rich cheese flavor.

If you get hungry, we recommend heading over to “Sobadokoro Yuyu-Tei.” Their signature dish is the Yamagata specialty handmade soba. The soba handmade with the clean water for Zao has great flavor and goes down smoothly.

To finish our trip in Zao, let’s head over to “Yamagata Sake Museum & Bar Tsumami,” which is about a 3-minute walk from “Zao Center Plaza.”

The facility is split between the “Yamagata Sake Museum,” which sells sake from the 49 breweries in Yamagata, and “Bar Tsumami,” where you can enjoy Yamagata’s local cuisine. They also offer sake tasting starting from 300 yen per glass. As a side note, the bus terminal and Zao Tourist Association provide free drink coupons (limited to one glass per person.” We recommend acquiring a ticket before visiting. If you find a sake for your liking, you can always buy it as a souvenir.

Bar Tsumami starts from 5:00 p.m. If you plan to spend another night in Zao, we recommend having dinner here.

There you have it! At Zao Onsen, you can experience winter activities, hot springs, food and sightseeing that is all within walking distance. You can easily arrange the time table that was used here to your liking. You can follow the plan here or arrange it to experience winter Zao Onsen.

Text by: SHOE PRESs

▼Early-bird lift tickets are recommended for winter skiing in Japan▼