Surrounded by grand mountains and 1,900 years of venerable hot springs tradition, Zao is located in Yamagata prefecture only 3 hours away from Tokyo and known as a top-tier traditional skiing and snowboarding resort in Japan.Surrounded by grand mountains and 1,900 years of venerable hot springs tradition, Zao is located in Yamagata prefecture only 3 hours away from Tokyo and known as a top-tier traditional skiing and snowboarding resort in Japan.

Zao is known for its multiple winter phenomena. Because of the unique weather conditions, trees are covered with ice and snow, or as locals call them, Juhyo, or even Snow Monsters.

The Snow Monsters making for winter scenery which combined with the wide panoramic scenery make Zao Onsen the best winter resorts in Japan for scenery.
 
The Juhyo can be seen from morning till late evening if you board the Zao Ropeway, which starts at the foot of the mountain. Furthermore, on weekends until 4th March 2018, visitors are treated to, “Juhyo Corridor of Fantasy” tour where the Juhyo are lit up throughout the night and are visible from snowmobile.

After enjoying the snow monster, you can take in the beautiful snow scenery from Zao Astraea Hotel, situated at an altitude of 950m, one of the highest in Zao Onsen.

More information can be found on this press release: https://goo.gl/ExZZMy

Images can be accessed here (source: Tobu Railway): https://goo.gl/NjAnPN