Zao Snow Monster Festival 2025: Dates, Highlights, Access, and Hotels

Zao Onsen is a hot spring town in Yamagata, northern Japan, renowned for its natural beauty. During winter, this snow-blanketed town offers excellent access to skiing and snowboarding, relaxing hot springs and ryokan inns, as well as superb food and culture, all at the foot of Mount Zao.

Home to the largest ski resort in the Tohoku region of northern Japan, Zao Onsen is famous for its unique snow monsters, frost-covered trees that look like an army of monsters.

The Zao Snow Monster Festival is an annual event celebrating this natural phenomenon through light-ups and special activities.

Zao Snow Monster Festival 2025

1. Zao Snow Monster Festival 2025: Dates and Venue
2. Zao Snow Monster Festival: History and Concept
3. Highlights of the Zao Snow Monster Festiva
4. How to Get To Zao from Tokyo and Sendai
5. Hotels in Zao

1. Zao Snow Monster Festival 2025: Dates and Venue

The Zao Snow Monster Festival takes place each year from December to late February, attracting ski enthusiasts and festival-goers who partake in snow activities and witness the enchanting scenery.

Unique to the region, snow monsters appear each winter, transforming the landscape into a mesmerizing wonder for skiers and snowboarders. Visitors can take gondola lifts for breathtaking bird's-eye views of this incredible phenomenon, then hop off to ski through winding paths flanked by these magical creatures.

This year, the Zao Snow Monster Festival is held from December 27, 2024, to February 27, 2025. Guests can enjoy a variety of events, including spectacular illuminations that highlight the snow monsters and exciting activities such as snowshoeing, skiing, and snowboarding.

As Japan’s largest ski resort, Zao boasts expansive ski slopes, with the longest being the 10 km Juhyogen Course. To fully experience the magic of the snow monsters, we highly recommend visiting during the festival dates.

Zao Snow Monster Festival 2025

Date: December 27, 2024 - February 24, 2025
Light-up Hours: TBA
Official Website: http://www.kankou.yamagata.yamagata.jp/zao/winter/jyuhyofes_2024-2025/

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2. Zao Snow Monster Festival: History and Concept

Picture by Pixta
Zao's snow monsters form each winter as the fir trees lining the ski slopes on Mt. Zao (1,841 m) at high altitudes get covered with frost and snow. The snow solidifies due to winds from Siberia and freezing temperatures that can drop to -20°C, giving these trees monstrous and distinctive shapes.

Together, they create a landscape that resembles an army of giant monsters marching up the mountains in the thousands! Attracting visitors from near and far each year, the annual festival allows participants to enjoy the snow monsters in all their glory, both during the daytime and at night.

Picture by Pixta

During the day, guests can hit the slopes and ski down paths surrounded by towering snow monsters that stretch as far as the eye can see. At night, visitors are transported into an alternate realm filled with hauntingly beautiful creatures illuminated in neon lights.

Like a pop-up book, these layers of colorful lights cast dark, menacing shadows, allowing each snow monster to stand out in its unique, grotesque form. Guests can also ride the Nightcruiser, a cozy snowmobile that brings them up close and personal with these enchanting creatures!

Zao, a renowned destination in Yamagata Prefecture, offers more than just its impressive ski resort. Guests can enjoy onsen hopping in warm baths sourced from the mineral springs of the active Mt. Zao.

The area also features traditional ryokans for an authentic stay, alongside attractions like Zao Fox Village and the Zao Kokeshi Museum, which houses 5,500 kokeshi dolls.

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3. Highlights of the Zao Snow Monster Festival

1. Torch Ski Run and Winter Hanabi Event

Picture courtesy of PR Times
For one special night, Zao Onsen will burst into an array of dazzling sparks and lights! On February 1, 2025, the resort's first 1,000 visitors will be treated to a spectacular 60th-anniversary celebration: the Torchlight Skating Festival, taking place at the Uenodai Slope from 20:00.

Participants are invited to be part of the Torchlight Skating Festival, torch in hand, creating a vibrant path of floating torches that descend down the slope. Coinciding with this breathtaking light event, fireworks will soar, painting the sky with incredible hues!

Event Information

Date: February 1, 2025
Hours: 17:00 Check-in, 20:00 Torchlight skating, Winter HANABI Fireworks from 20:05
Location: Uenodai Slope, Zao Onsen Resort

2. Winter Working Cars Gathering

Picture by Pixta
For two days during this magnificent season, winter vehicles and cars will gather together to showcase the equipment and advanced features that help keep the resort functioning as a skiing and snowboarding sanctuary.

Great for kids and vehicle enthusiasts alike, this event invites you to check out these monstrous cars and snap a picture with them!

Winter Working Cars Gathering: Event Details

First Date: January 26, 2025
Location: Omori Slope
Hours: 10:00 to 15:00

Second Date: February 24, 2025
Location: Uenodai Slope
Hours: 10:00 to 15:00

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3. Winter Zao Good Luck Tour Stamp Rally

Picture by Pixta
A sacred power spot, Mt. Zao is said to be home to three gods, each with their own unique powers and protective abilities.

In light of this, the resort has created the Zao Good Luck Tour—a stamp rally where participants visit the mountain's power spots, stamping them off as they experience good luck and enjoy a fun day full of exploration and memories.

Event Details

Dates: December 27, 2024 - February 24, 2025
Location: Stamp Rally Paper can be found at Zao Onsen Tourist Information Center

4. Snow Monster Light-ups

Picture by Pixta

One of the many highlights of the Zao Snow Monster Festival is the enchanting sight of the towering snow monsters illuminated at night. Radiating in soft yellows, blues, pinks, and greens, these trees come to life, showcasing a rare scene like no other in the world!

Three hot spring facilities located in the town will also be lit up, creating an eerie yet breathtaking scene of colorful rolling steam and tranquil waters against a snowy backdrop.

Snow Monster Light-up: Event Details

Date: December 27, 2024 - February 24, 2025
Location: Zao Ski Resort
Hot Spring Illuminations: December 27, 2024 - February 24, 2025, Time: Sunset to 21:00

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5. Jukki Snow Park

Meet Zao Onsen Resort's mascot, Juhyo no Jukki-kun, and play in the snow!

A place for kids to relax and unwind, the Jukki Snow Park will be created as a play area for children to enjoy the soft snow of Zao Onsen until late February.

Event Details

Date: Until late February
Location: Omori Slope, Nakamori Slope, Uenodai Slope (Sunrise Slope)

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4. How to Get to Zao Onsen

Picture by Pixta
Although Zao Onsen is a remote nature spot nestled in the mountains bordering Yamagata and Miyagi prefectures, the region has extremely reliable and easy access and transportation options.

In this section, we will introduce a variety of transportation routes that you can take.

Access from Tokyo: By Shinkansen and Bus

From Tokyo, travelers can take the bullet train on the Tohoku Shinkansen line at Tokyo Station or Ueno Station and get off at Sendai Station.

Once arriving at JR Sendai Station, you can either take the East Exit (76) and travel directly to Zao Onsen Ski Resort on an express bus, or walk to the West Exit (22), hop on an express bus to Yamagata Station, and then take the bus to Zao Onsen.

Alternatively, take the Yamagata Shinkansen from Tokyo to JR Yamagata Station (3 hours and 10 minutes) and then a 40-minute bus to Zao Onsen.

By Car

Driving is a great way to explore the region while accessing Zao Onsen Resort. From Tokyo, it takes about 4 hours and 10 minutes via Kawaguchi JCT, Tohoku Expressway, Fukushima JCT, Tohoku Chuo Expressway, Yamagata Kaminoyama IC, and Prefectural Route 21.

From Yamagata Airport, a rental car journey takes around 45 minutes via Higashine IC, Tohoku Chuo Expressway, Yamagata Kaminoyama IC, and Prefectural Route 21.

For those coming from Sendai, drive from Murata using Murata JCT, Yamagata Expressway, Yamagata Zao IC, and Nishi-Zao Kogen Line to Zao Onsen Ski Resort.

By Plane and Airport Shuttle Bus

From Tokyo, travelers can fly into Yamagata Airport or Sendai Airport.

From Sendai Airport, you can either book the Zao Onsen Members Bus Yamagata Zao online or take the Sendai Airport Access Line train to Sendai JR Station, then transfer to Yamagata JR Station and catch a bus to Zao Onsen.

At Yamagata Airport, a shuttle bus to Zao Onsen Resort stops at JR Yamagata Station and takes about 1 hour and 5 minutes.

Common flight routes include:

Haneda (Tokyo) → Yamagata (1 hour)
Itami → Yamagata (1 hour 20 minutes)
New Chitose (Hokkaido) → Yamagata (1 hour 5 minutes)

Access from Sendai

Travelers using public transportation from Sendai can take the JR Senseki Line train from JR Sendai Station to JR Yamagata Station. From there, follow signs to the Zao Onsen Bus Terminal to catch a bus to the resort.

Access from the Nearest Station to the Festival Venue

Upon arriving via bus from Zao Onsen Bus Terminal, visitors can walk for 10 minutes to Zao Ropeway Zao Sanroku Station and take a gondola to different locations in the park.

For more information on the Zao Ropeway and its routes, please visit the official website: https://zaoropeway.co.jp/summer/en.php

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5. Hotels and Ryokan in Zao

1. Meitoya So

Picture courtesy of Booking.com
Meitoya So Zao Onsen Resort is a cozy and charming ryokan located just a 10-minute walk from Zao Bus Station Terminal and about a 5-minute walk from Onsen Ski Lift 1.

Blanketed in snow each winter, visitors can enjoy soothing open-air onsens while admiring the region's scenic beauty. For those new to onsens and may feel shy, fear not, the ryokan also offers private onsen rooms that can be booked for two.

For breakfast and dinner, the inn serves a buffet and each room feature a fusion of Western-style bedding, tatami floors, and traditional Japanese sliding doors—the best of both worlds!

2. Zao Shiki no Hotel

Picture courtesy of Booking.com
Surrounded by lush nature and situated only a 5-minute walk from Zao Onsen Ski Resort, Zao Shiki no Hotel is the perfect choice for a comfortable and effortless stay. Immerse yourself in Japanese tradition and beauty in the hotel’s beautiful onsens, and try on yukata robes.

The hotel offers both Japanese-style and Western rooms to choose from, so whether you wish to roll on tatami flooring and hide from the cold in fluffy futons, or feel closer to home with high-raised beds and carpets, you can select what suits you best.

Onsite, there are saunas and massage services available, as well as a gift shop for purchasing souvenirs. Other notable facilities include ski storage and a restaurant.

3. Onsen & Stay OAKHILL

Picture courtesy of Booking.com
A chic and modern hotel, Onsen and Stay OAKHILL is a 3-star property located about a 4-minute walk from Zao Sky Cable. Notable for its easy accessibility, the hotel offers guests a ski pass sales point and a free shuttle service, allowing for quick and efficient access to ski sites.

Visitors can enjoy both indoor and outdoor onsens, as well as convenient amenities such as ski and luggage storage, a restaurant and café, and free parking.

The hotel features Western-style bedrooms, some of which are attached to living quarters, all decorated with Japanese interior design. From the windows, guests can relax and unwind while taking in stunning mountain views.

Enjoy the Zao Snow Monster Festival

Whether you are a ski enthusiast or a festival-goer, the beauty of the Zao Snow Monster Festival is hard to resist!

This rare and special location hosts a festival where you can enjoy winter activities while gazing at these mesmerizing snow monsters in all their glory.