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Some pics from Zao this season, will do my best! Last few days the snow has arrived.        

Thanks for sharing! I ahve been to many ski resorts and towns in Japan, but Yamagata Zao is by far one of my favourites for a weekend away. It just has a really nice little feel to it, and the onsens are great. It has one really long run, and is good for visiting with friends of different abilities. Can't wait to get there again this season!

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I think many ski-jo charge 1000 yen for parking TBH. Its pretty much par for the course in Japan, 1000 yen for a days parking. I doubt it has anything to do with the lack of nightlife - Japanese just don't do the apres-ski thing, it's an onsen, a beer at the hotel and then bed for the most part. Outside of the major cities, most of Japan is dead after 10 pm - even many parts of Tokyo on a Saturday night. The only resorts with much night life are those where lots of foreigners go.

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Zao is especially quiet.

Yuzawa isn't full of gaijin, but there's life in the town.

 

No skijo charges for parking in Yuzawa weekdays now.

Saturdays, some do.

But where 1000 yen was the norm, it's not now.

Not here anyway.

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It depends where you park.

 

If you park right in the center, you can expect to pay. It's very limited.

 

I would drive up to Astraea or the Kurohime area, where you can park for free.

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Thanks for that ILoveZao. I used to park on Sogo Ground(cross-country area) but often the lift to Ryuzan was not operating.I remember when most parking in Zao was free and there was a lot of nightlife....then the bubble burst. I'll be there with my ski club this weekend and after a crate of beer, several 1.8l bottles of sake will be drunk and then someone will produce a bottle of bourbon or brandy to round off the night......but a few diehards will venture out to one of the small bars near Kawarayu to have a few final 'atsukan'. It's just a different kind of nightlife.

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When I went last time, I parked near the Astrae Hotel in that car park. It was a weekday and empty and free and you just ski down to the lift.

 

I have also parked at Kurohime area. Those quads are the fastest! That was free too.

 

Can't see any reason to pay and park in town.

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A place I want to visit also, but it is a long drive from Yamanashi, so would need to go there for a few days to make the trip worthwhile! Nice to see pics of the area, are the snow monsters there yet?

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'monsters' are getting there....plenty of snow in the last few days....had to clear a lot of snow off my car in the carpark in ILoveZao's excellent pics....and as of yesterday it was still free! The slopes were empty for a holiday weekend.....some criticism from Tohoku people about Zao's expensive lift tickets, so people are choosing to ski elsewhere.....there can be a difference of ¥1,000 on a day ticket if one purchases earlybird.

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Today most of the runs were groomed so we had packed powder. Yokokura Kabe, 'The Wall', was in great condition with untracked powder at the edges. Viz was not good on the top slopes and although very few people around ski patrol appeared busy. The local business people are hoping for more visitors from the 28th......"they play Christmas songs but they don't want a white Christmas"

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