Zao Sarukura is a skiers-only ski hill, located to the south-east of Yamagata city in the south-eastern region Yamagata Prefecture. It is part of Kaminoyama city. The ski hill is less than 10km to the south of the larger and more famous Zao Onsen and just by the Echo Line road. Zao Liza World is also close by, to the east a little further along Echo Line. Zao Sarukura first opened in 1977.
One additional artificial snow making machine is being installed for the 2020-2021 season.
Yamagata Prefecture is located in the south-west part of Tohoku with the west coast facing the Sea of Japan. The boundaries of Yamagata Prefecture are all mountainous with Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture to the south, Akita Prefecture to the north and Miyagi Prefecture to the east. The ski and snowboard ski hills in Yamagata range from very small one-lift local hills to the biggest individual ski resort in Japan (Zao Onsen) and are spread across the Prefecture.
There are no specific facilities for children but the resort plays on the 'skiers-only' aspect to appeal to young families. Look out for some human-sized skiing 'monkeys' from time to time!
Park information
There are no special snow park facilities.
Zao Sarukura Season & Opening Times
Typical season is from Mid December until Mid March
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
Daytime
Weekends and holidays
Normally open from 8:30am until 5:00pm
Weekdays
Normally open from 8:30am until 5:00pm
'Nighta' (night skiing)
Weekends and holidays
Yes
Weekdays
No
Opening information
Zao Sarukura is normally open from 8:30am until 5:00pm during the daytime.
Night skiing is from 5:00pm until 9:00pm on certain days. Sometimes it is only open at night for private reservation (which costs 110,000 yen).
Depending on snow conditions, the ski area plans to open on 19th and 20th December 2020 as a special 'pre-open' event.
Zao Sarukura Lift Ticket Charges
Adults
Child
Junior High School age & under
Senior
60 years & over
1 Day (until 5pm)
3,800 yen
2,500 yen
2,800 yen
2 Day
7,000 yen
4,500 yen
Morning (open-12pm)
2,500 yen
1,800 yen
Afternoon (12pm-5pm)
3,000 yen
2,000 yen
1 Lift Coupon
350 yen
250 yen
12 Lift Coupons
3,000 yen
2,000 yen
Weekdays (2pm-5pm)
1,200 yen
Nighta (5pm-9pm)
3,000 yen
2,500 yen
Season 10 Days
30,000 yen
20,000 yen
Season Ticket (individual)
33,000 yen
22,000 yen
27,000 yen
Season Ticket (anyone)
55,000 yen
33,000 yen
2020-2021 Season lift tickets
1 day family pack tickets are available:
2 adults + 2 children = 11,600 yen 2 adults + 1 child = 10,000 yen 1 adult + 2 children = 9,000 yen
Getting to Zao Sarukura
By public transport
Train
19.5km from Kaminoyama Onsen Station on the Yamagata Shinkansen line
12.1km from Kaminoyama Onsen Station on the Ou Honsen Line
19.5km from Yamagata Station on the Ou Honsen Line
Information
Zao Sarukura is just over 12km from Kaminoyama Onsen Station on the Ou Honsen line and Yamagata Shinkansen line.
A free shuttle bus operates from Kaminoyama Onsen Station and takes about 20 minutes to get to Zao Sarukura.
By Car
11.9km from the Yamagata Kaminoyama IC on the Tohoku Chuo Expressway
20.9km from the Yamagata Zao IC on the Yamagata Expressway
Nearest national route: Route 13 (8.9km away)
Nearest prefecture road: Prefecture Road 12
Direction
Zao Sarukura is about 12km from the Yamagata Kaminoyama IC exit of the Tohoku Chuo Expressway.
People travelling by car from the Sendai or Tokyo regions will usually arrive via the Tohoku Expressway and then onto the Yamagata Expressway, coming off at the Yamagata Zao IC which is about 21km from the resort.
To get to Zao Sarukura from the main Route 13, use Prefecture Road 12 (also known as Echo Lone).
The ski area is just under 10km from Route 13 and located just by the side of the Echo Line road.
Close by the Prefecture Road 53 (Zao Line) connects Zao Sarukura with Zao Onsen.
Updates to 2021-2022 season information on these individual ski areas listing pages are ongoing. All information will be manually checked and updated. Some official information from ski areas becomes available earlier than others, so not all our data can be updated simultaneously. The ongoing process will continue through December 2021.
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