Zao Onsen on a Day When the Sky... Smiles

Hello, this is our first review. We've been to Japan many times, but we've never written a review before. We apologize for any mistakes.

We chose to review Zao Onsen Ski Resort first. It wasn't the first place we visited on this trip, but it was the most impressive in terms of both scenery and people. Although it's called a ski resort, we didn't come here to ski. Instead, we came to see the Snow Monsters, or Juhyohara Snow Monsters.

Be warned: if you're planning to visit, be sure to bring warm clothes because the wind makes it extremely cold, especially for your hands. It hurts a lot!

Let's start with how to get there.

To get here, you need to take a bus from Yamagata Station. There are several options: you can stay overnight in Yamagata and then go to Zao early in the morning, or you can travel from another city. Before going to Zao, you should check the weather forecast to see if there are any storms. If there are, you shouldn't go because you won't be able to see anything. The website to check the ski resort forecast is www.snowjapan.com.

However, on this trip, we stayed in Yamagata for one night and then traveled to Zao in the morning. We also booked accommodation in Zao for one night, so we didn't have a choice. We had to go even if the weather wasn't good (we didn't want to waste the accommodation fee).

Upon arriving at Yamagata Station on the evening of February 14, 2018, we purchased tickets for the following day's early morning departure to Zao. The ticket counter was not yet open.

(Open year-round from 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM)

After exiting JR, turn right as shown in the picture.

Walk past the mall entrance and you will find a spiral staircase on your left.

Take the escalator down and you will find the ticket office right in front of you. If you are looking for a locker to store your luggage, it is located under the escalator.

The round-trip bus ticket, including the round-trip ropeway, costs 4,100 yen (only one trip each).

We happened to be there on the day of the Light Up event. The ropeway ticket is purchased separately from the ticket we bought.

You can buy it before you go up or at your accommodation.

Upon purchasing a ticket, you will receive a bus schedule for both your outbound and return journeys. You are free to board the bus at any time and on any day, as the ticket does not specify a specific time or date.

This flexibility is due to the open-ended nature of the ticket.

A supermarket and pharmacy are conveniently located near Yamagata Station, offering food and essential supplies for travelers. The narrator's accommodation, Toyoko Inn Yamagata, is situated close to a high school, evoking a sense of nostalgia.

On the morning of February 15, 2018, we joined the queue for the bus. The bus stop was conveniently located right in front of the ticket counter. Fortunately, we arrived early. As we boarded the bus, we noticed a long line of people waiting behind us. We recommend that anyone arriving at the bus stop join the queue immediately.

The bus that will take us to Zao Onsen. The bus ride to Zao Onsen takes about 40 minutes. When you get off the bus, turn right and walk for about 600 meters. You will find the Zao Ropeway Station on your left.

The following is a translation of the provided text:

It's a good thing we arrived early when there weren't many people. So we decided to drop off our luggage at the hotel first. Tonight we are staying at Pension Puutaro, which includes breakfast and dinner. It wasn't free, but we booked it along with the room reservation. The hotel is right across from the ropeway, very convenient. Before going up, the hotel owner asked us if we were going up. We confidently replied, "Yes!" He looked a little surprised and said, "Good luck! Let's go fight the snow monster!" We confidently walked out of the hotel without checking the weather forecast.

There were very few people queuing for the ropeway. We were so lucky (we didn't know it yet). We took the ropeway followed by two gondolas, a total of two sections, reaching an altitude of 1,660 meters above sea level. As we ascended, the weather gradually worsened. There was no sunshine like below. The first thing we encountered when we got off the cable car was the wind! Oh my god, I've never experienced such strong wind. We were all blown away. Look at the picture. The visibility was less than 2 meters.

Within two minutes of stepping outside, we were rushing to take photos and then hurrying back inside the building. The wind was relentless, and despite wearing two pairs of gloves, my hands were numb with cold. Thankfully, my four layers of clothing and two layers of pants kept me warm.

Who could have guessed that the weather would be so different up here compared to the pleasant conditions down below? We decided to return to our accommodation.

Keiko, the lovely owner of our accommodation, saw how cold we were and moved the fireplace closer to us. She also brought us warm water, probably thinking to herself, "I did ask you before you went up!" After warming up, we ventured out again to take some photos around the area.

As the air grew colder and snow began to fall heavily, we decided to return to Zao Onsen for dinner. Our meal was French-style, prepared by Keiko's husband, who, along with Keiko, was incredibly welcoming and chatty. The food was delicious, with incredibly fresh vegetables, and we ate everything on our plates. Despite feeling quite hungry earlier, we weren't particularly hungry by the time dinner arrived.

Prior to dinner, around 4:00 PM, we tried to find a restaurant as we were quite hungry. However, most restaurants were closed at that time, likely preparing to reopen for the evening.

After finishing our meal, we went up to see the Light Up show again. Still not tired, huh? 555 You can ask your accommodation about Light Up tickets. They sell them there, but I don't remember the price. You can also buy them at the ropeway station.

When we went up, what we saw was the same as what we saw during the day. So sad!

I could only take two photos. I'm giving up. I'd better go back. The heavens must not be on our side. Today is not our day.

Let's take a look at our accommodation for tonight. We got it for 12,000 yen/night, which is about 3,582 baht/night (at the exchange rate at that time). It includes breakfast and dinner. The single room is very spacious and has a sink in the room. The bed is a tatami mat, and you have to make your own bed. They provide a yukata to wear, but the bathroom is shared. It's separated by gender, but that's not a problem at all because it's very clean. When I went down to take a shower, I didn't see anyone. Of course, who would take a shower in this cold weather?

Only I am a clean freak. 555 Really? And so, the freezing cold night passed.

Based on the weather forecast shown above, the table below shows the conditions at an altitude of 1220m, which is the first ropeway we took. The table above shows the conditions at an altitude of 1,660m, which is the second Gondola we took after the Ropeway.

On the 15th, there were clouds and sunshine, but the wind speed was around 70-80 km/h, as shown in the picture above. It was difficult to see anything, and we were unsteady on our feet. It was so cold that our hands hurt.

However, on the 16th, there were clouds and sunshine, and the wind speed in the morning was around 45 km/h. And then, the weather was on our side.

The sun was shining brightly. It was our day! (From the pictures on the 17th and 18th, it is not recommended to come on these days, as you will experience the same thing we did on the 15th.)

We quickly packed our bags, left them at our accommodation, and went down to have breakfast. The breakfast was delicious, as always.

After finishing our meal, we wasted no time in heading to the ropeway, which opened at 8:30 AM. We were eager to see the sights, and to our delight, the early morning crowd was minimal. We highly recommend arriving early to avoid the tour groups from mainland China.

The photo through the frosted glass is not very clear, but judging from the sunshine, I am very happy to finally see the monster clearly with my own eyes.

Here comes the cable car we're going to take up, and we finally saw what we wanted to see. This trip is definitely worth it.

This year, the snow is really high, reaching the neck of the Buddha statue. In other years, it only reached the shoulders.

The weather is excellent today, attracting a large number of Japanese tourists to the ski slopes.

The view is amazing, worth millions. One day we must come here to ski, but for now, I still don't know how. Haha.

There wasn't much time, as the bus was scheduled to depart at 10:20. Therefore, we hurried to take photos while riding the ropeway down. We tried to capture some scenery along the way, but the ice on the windows hampered our efforts. The photos would have been much better without the obstruction. Even scraping the windows with the plastic sheet provided didn't help much, as we couldn't reach the outside to clean it properly.

Upon arriving at the station below, I was surprised by the large crowd. The queue extended beyond the station, spilling onto the street. I smiled to myself, thinking how fortunate I was to have arrived early and avoid the throng. Numerous tour buses were parked, and I realized that had I been even slightly later, my day would have been significantly impacted.

Pan back to the station again. The sun is so bright. Thank you for coming today, otherwise it would have been sad.

I returned to the accommodation to retrieve my bag and bid farewell to Ms. Keiko. She still remembered us and gave us snacks for the journey in case we got hungry. How sweet! I don't know what kind of snacks they were, but they were delicious.

After saying goodbye, I checked the time: 10:05. I had to run, as the bus was leaving at 10:20. The temperature was around 3 degrees, but running to the bus station made me tired and out of breath. I arrived at the station just in time for the bus to leave.

I will definitely come back here again when I have the chance. Bye Bye...……..

Note.

1. Always check the weather forecast before your trip. We recommend using three websites: www.snowjapan.com, https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html, and https://www.jnto.go.jp/weather/eng/index.php. These websites provide seven-day forecasts with a high degree of accuracy.

2. Prepare appropriate cold-weather gear, especially gloves and, importantly, face masks.

3. Spend a night at Zao Onsen, soaking in the hot springs surrounded by snow.

The sentence is already in English and does not require translation.