Zao Onsen

Tohoku, Japan · Mountain, Snow

The trees that turn into ice monsters in February — seen from the chairlift, and floodlit at night — are the same ones that line the walk down from Jizo-dake to the Iroha-numa bogs between June and October. The village water is sulphurous and among the most acidic in Japan, with neighbourhood baths and free ashiyu dotted among the inns; up top is the Okama crater lake, viewed from the rim because the caldera is closed.

The essentials

Getting there

Train + bus — Train to Yamagata and a mountain bus to the ski resort

Frequently asked questions about Zao Onsen

What to do in Zao Onsen: 20 activities

• Snow Monsters (Juhyo) by Chairlift 3 h must-see

  Ice-covered trees forming ghostly silhouettes, unique to this area of Japan.

• Bathing in Zao's Sulfuric Onsen 1.5 h

  Highly acidic hot spring waters, considered among the most potent in Japan.

• Skiing and snowboarding on the Zao slopes 5 h

  The largest ski resort in Tohoku, with 57 runs spread over 14 areas of Mount Jizo and night skiing; the sport itself that makes the town famous, beyond simply looking at the snow monsters.

• Up Mount Kumano along the Jizo ridge 5 h only 1 Jun - 31 Oct

  Kumano-dake (1,841 m) is the high point of the Zao range and you can do it on foot from the village. The Zao Onsen ropeway drops you at the upper station at 1,665 m, and from there you walk on to Jizo-dake (1,736 m) and along the Uma-no-se ridge to the summit: only 176 m of height difference, a little more in accumulated gain because you go up and over Jizo, all of it on volcanic gravel with no shade. Yamagata Prefecture, the body that publishes these altitudes, allows 1 h 30 to 2 h for the full ridge from Jizo to Katta-dake by way of Kumano, and gives the season as June to October. The ropeway is the access the prefecture publishes: walking the whole way up from the village is not published as a mountain route. There is an emergency shelter on the summit, and the Okama crater lake is viewed from the rim, because the Uma-no-se caldera, the presumed crater area, is off limits and the paths that enter it are closed; Miyagi Prefecture explains why: on 24 April 2022 a person who had gone down to the Okama died. The ridge itself has been free of restriction since 2016, as has the Sai-no-kawara trail, which is left with one unmade stretch by the Maruyama-sawa spring where there has already been an accident. The Meteorological Agency has kept Zao at alert level 1, 'this is an active volcano, bear it in mind', since March 2018. The Zao Echo Line, the road on the far side of the crater, closes for the winter: in 2026 it opened on 24 April at 11:00, as the opening ceremony ended, with a nightly 17:00 to 08:00 closure until the morning of 7 May.

• Dai-Rotenburo great open-air bath 1.5 h

  One of the most famous open-air baths in Japan, beside the river, distinct from the generic sulphurous bath already known in the town.

• From Jizo-dake down to the Iroha-numa marshes 3 h only 1 Jun - 31 Oct

  The descent almost nobody takes: instead of riding the ropeway back down from the 1,665 m upper station, you climb Jizo-dake (1,736 m) and walk down through the Iroha-numa peat bogs to the mid station at Juhyo Kogen, 1,340 m. Yamagata Prefecture, the source of all these altitudes, measures it at 4.5 km with 120 m of ascent and 420 m of descent, 1.7 h of walking, and rates it fitness 1 and technical difficulty A on its scale: the easiest thing up here, and it goes through the best of it, pools among dwarf pine and the very trees that turn into February's snow monsters. Season June to October; once the snow settles these are ski runs.

• Imoni-jiru and grilled Zao beef 1.5 h

  Imoni-jiru (a taro and beef stew) is the signature dish of Yamagata; in Zao it is rounded out with jingisukan or yakiniku of local beef and lamb at restaurants in the town.

• Okama Crater 1.5 h only from May to October

  The crater lake changes colour with the light and is the picture everyone comes for, but you look at it from the rim: the Uma-no-se caldera is off limits and the paths down into it are closed, because in April 2022 someone who had climbed down died there. You reach it on the Zao Echo Line, which shuts for the winter, or on foot along the Jizo ridge from the village ropeway.

• Snow Monster Festival 2 h only 27 Dec - 23 Feb

  From 27 December to 23 February, night illumination of the juhyo, night skiing with torches and fireworks (7 February), plus a night snowcat ride, the 'Night Cruiser'.

• Zao Fox Village (Miyagi Zao Kitsune Mura) 1.5 h

  A park near Shiroishi where more than a hundred foxes of various breeds roam freely among visitors.

• FIS Women's Ski Jumping World Cup 3 h booking

  The annual FIS Women's Ski Jumping World Cup event on the Zao hill, available only on its specific winter dates.

• Hands-on kokeshi painting workshop 1 h booking

  A hands-on experience painting your own Zao-style kokeshi doll, a complement to the passive museum visit.

• Jizo-Kattadake-Okama hiking traverse 4 h

  An out-and-back walk along the crater rim between the summit of Jizo, Kattadake peak and Lake Okama, different from the simple ropeway ascent already known.

• Neighbourhood public baths (soto-yu) and free ashiyu 1 h

  A network of small neighbourhood public baths (Shinzaemon-no-Yu, Shimoyu and others) and free foot baths spread through the town, a reflection of the everyday hot spring life of its residents.

• Sankai Falls 1 h

  A lookout along the Zao Echo Line road over a waterfall more than 180 metres high that cascades through a volcanic gorge.

• Sukawa Onsen Shrine 1 h

  A shrine founded around the 9th century, the former western gateway for pilgrimage to the deity of Mount Zao (Zao Gongen), with a Kamakura-period Yakushi statue and a 'strength stone' linked to the feudal lord Mogami Yoshiaki.

• Sumikawa Snow Park 2 h

  A family-friendly snow area near Zao with slides and tubing, an alternative to the ski slopes for children.

• Summer Ropeway and Alpine Flowers 2 h

  Outside the snow season, the ropeway climbs through meadows of alpine flowers.

• Zao Kokeshi Museum 1.5 h

  A museum dedicated to the region's wooden kokeshi dolls, with a workshop where you can paint your own.

• Zao Onsen Super Slider 1.5 h

  A summer alpine slide at the base of the town itself, the warm-weather alternative to snow for families with children.

What only happens on specific dates

• Snow Monster Festival 27 Dec - 23 Feb
• Okama Crater from May to October
• Up Mount Kumano along the Jizo ridge 1 Jun - 31 Oct
• From Jizo-dake down to the Iroha-numa marshes 1 Jun - 31 Oct

Ready-made routes through Zao Onsen

Chains well with

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