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.
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 special facilities for children - but 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.
Nighta is from 5:00pm until 9:00pm on certain days (usually Sundays). Sometimes it is only at night for private reservation (it costs 108,000 yen).
Depending on snow conditions, the resort may open before 21st December as a 'pre-open' event.
Zao Sarukura Lift Ticket Charges
Adults
Child
Junior High School age & under
Senior
55 years & over
1 Day (until 5pm)
3,780 yen
2,370 yen
2,700 yen
2 Day
6,480 yen
4,320 yen
Morning (open-12pm)
2,160 yen
1,620 yen
Afternoon (12pm-5pm)
2,700 yen
1,940 yen
1 Lift Coupon
320 yen
210 yen
12 Lift Coupons
2,700 yen
1,940 yen
Weekdays (2pm-5pm)
1,080 yen
Nighta (5pm-9pm)
2,700 yen
2,160 yen
Season Ticket
54,000 yen
32,400 yen
A '10 day' season ticket (10 one day tickets) costs 25,000 yen (adult) and 18,000 yen (child).
A weekday ticket valid from 2pm until 5pm is 1,000 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 hill 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.
The ski resort information currently shown on SnowJapan is from the 2018-2019 season. Over the summer and autumn months we will be checking and then updating information. Everything will be updated online in time for the 2019-2020 winter season. Please note that planned ski resort opening dates are often very similar every year, so the dates from the 2018-2019 season can be taken as a good idea of what to expect next season.
For more details and explanations about the information presented on this page,
please read this.
It is very important to us that the information presented on SnowJapan is correct and up-to-date. Checks and updates are made throughout the year. If you find information that you feel needs checking and updating, please let us know by contacting us. We appreciate your support.
Ropeways
Gondolas
Quad lifts
Triple lifts
Pair lifts
Single lifts
Other
