Snow Monsters
North of Tokyo is a land of monsters and at night the monsters are lit up in a chilly, spooky, multicoloured display!
Zao Onsen is an ancient Onsen town, a ski resort and one of three places in Japan where you can see Juhyo or snow monsters. The bitter Siberian winds whip over the mountains rapidly freezing the snow which completely covers the trees, the result is snow monsters or snow ghosts that move ever so slightly in the strong winds.
The Zao ropeway takes you right up to the top of the mountain. The trip up gives a magnificent view of the mountainside and the ghostly trees completely covered in white. The ropeway leaves from Zao Sanroku station to Juhyo Kogen station then a second ropeway takes you up to Jizo Sancho Station at 1661m.
At the top, the winds are chilly! No matter how warm you think you are, you will freeze on the mountain it is -10 degrees and that’s without the wind chill factor of those Siberian winds! Of course it didn’t stop us having snow ball fights!
As the sun sets, the monsters take on an eerie feel in the growing dark.
Time your visit with the illumination to see these bizzare shapes take on a multicoloured glow as they sway in the strong winds under coloured lights.
We would highly recommend going inside to thaw out a little with some hot chips and hot chocolate! Sancho is the restaurant at the top of the mountain, here you can sit in comfort and warmth and view the monsters doing their slow, chilling dance through the windows.
You can walk beside the monsters at the summit but not amongst them. If you’d like to get up and personal with the monsters then you could try the Night Tour via Snowcat or come during the day and ski down between the monsters! Alternatively, our boys decided on a game of soccer with the monsters!
Where to stay
There are many amazing places to stay in Zao Onsen. We stayed at Takamiya Hotel Rurikura Resort which we booked through Booking.com. It was right at the bottom of the ski lifts and is a true ski in, ski out hotel, super convenient and very easy to access the Zao ropeway for the snow monsters. Tickets for the ropeway and snow monsters illumination can be bought at the hotel. This hotel provides kaiseki meals served in the dining hall which were amazing but perhaps not as atmospheric as other kaiseki meals we have had which were served in private rooms on tatami mats. Being an onsen town, this hotel also offers an onsen and we had a bathtub on our room balcony (although we were not brave enough to go outside into the freezing wind to try it!)
Who would enjoy this…
If you are looking for something different to do and see in winter in Japan then this should be on your list! Peak time to see the monsters is Feb to April. We went in Jan and there was a great covering of snow on the monsters. The trip up to the monsters is via the Zao ropeway and the ride up in itself is a great experience.
If you enjoy skiing or snowboarding then this is a great place to have a ski between the monsters. The ski resort is one of the oldest resorts in Japan and has over 30 lifts as well as gondolas and ropeways. There are a variety of slopes for all levels. Check out Snow Japan for more about the slopes.
Just remember to wear warm clothes as the winds on top of the mountain are freezing (literally!)
Tickets
Winter illuminations
Tickets: ¥3000
Season: daily from late Dec to early Jan, then on weekends through January then daily from late Jan and through February.
Zao Onsen Ski resort
Lift Passes: ¥5000 full day, ¥4000 half day, ¥2400 night ticket
Season: First snow to late May
How to get here
From Tokyo, take the Yamagata Shinkansen to Yamagata station, this will take about two and a half hours. Buses for Zao Onsen leave from Yamagata station and take about 40 minutes.
Need more info?
Zao Onsen Ski Resort Official Website
Zao Ropeway official site
Japan Guide
Japan Travel
JW Web magazine
Snow Japan
Matcha Article
