Zao Onsen is a ski area in the southwestern region of Yamagata City in the southeastern region of Yamagata Prefecture.
Zao Onsen is both the name of the traditional onsen hot spring village nestled high above Yamagata city and also the name of the ski area. Many of the base ski lifts and ski runs are within walking distance from the main village.
This ski area has a long history and is one of Japan's most well-known ski and onsen resorts. There was skiing here as far back as 1925 and the first ski lift opened in 1951.
In terms of the area of an individual ski area, it is one of the largest in Japan and features multiple ropeway cable car lifts (3 ropeways and one gondola style lift). A total of 32 ski lifts are operating for the 2024-2025 season. (* The image and course map shown below will be updated in due course).
In addition to the ski and onsen, it is also famous for the juhyo 'snow monster' (or 'ice monster') formations on the trees in the upper area during the peak winter season. Juhyo can only be found on a limited number of mountains in Japan. This beautiful natural phenomenon makes for spectacular scenery and is one reason why many people visit Zao Onsen each season.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1661
Vertical (m)
881
Bottom/base (m)
780
Beginner runs (%)
40
Intermediate runs (%)
40
Advanced runs (%)
20
Longest course (m)
10000
Steepest slope (°)
38
Number of courses
25
Ski lifts
32
Ropeway cable car
3
Gondola
1
Quad lift (4-person)
4
Triple lift (3-person)
2
Pair lift (2-person)
20
Single lift (1-person)
2
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Zao Onsen usually plans to be open from early December until early May. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
The lifts at Zao Onsen are normally open from 8:30am until 5:00pm during the daytime.
Night skiing
Night skiing is from 5:00pm until 9:00pm in the Uwanodai area. It is scheduled daily from 20th December 2025 until 1st March 2026 and 7th/8th March 2026.
Park
There are park areas on the Nakamori and Chuo areas of Zao Onsen.
Families & children
There are a number of places in the base areas for sledging and general playing in the snow.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Zao Onsen.
Rental
Ski and snowboard equipment & wear rental is available.
Lift ticket prices
2025-2026 season
Information for the upcoming 2026-2027 season will be added by December 2026
1 day
Adult: 8,000 yen
Child: 4,000 yen
Senior: 7,100 yen
2 days
Adult: 15,900 yen
Child: 8,000 yen
Senior: 14,200 yen
3 days
Adult: 23,800 yen
Child: 11,900 yen
Senior: 21,300 yen
4 hours
Adult: 6,600 yen
Child: 3,300 yen
Season 10 hours
Adult: 17,000 yen
Season 10 days
Adult: 55,000 yen
Night skiing
Adult: 3,000 yen
Child: 1,500 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 98,000 yen
Child: 50,000 yen
Senior: 91,000 yen
The prices shown above are for 'peak season' (10th February through 1st March). A 1 day adult ticket is 400 yen cheaper before and after that period (and 400 yen more expensive over New Year).
Early and late season ticket discounts are available (until 19th December 2025 and from 1st April 2026).
The hourly tickets are valid from the time of purchase and can also be used for night skiing.
The 1, 2 and 3 day tickets can also be used for night skiing.
The Season 10 Hour ticket can be used in units of 1 hour over the season and can be used for night skiing.
Ski-kodomo-no-hi (Children's Day) is 17th, 18th, 24th, 25th January; 11th, 23rd February; 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 28th and 29th March 2026. On those days, a 1 day ticket is 1,000 yen for children.
Historical snow depth data
The following ski season and official snow depth data have been independently compiled by SnowJapan for publication on this website. Where available, the data is updated annually after each ski season.
First and last dates of recent seasons
2025-2026 season: 6th December - 24th April (140 days)
2024-2025 season: 7th December - 6th May (151 days)
2023-2024 season: 2nd December - 30th April (151 days)
2022-2023 season: 9th December - 29th April (142 days)
2021-2022 season: 27th November - 5th May (160 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 175cm on 7th-21st February
2024-2025 season: 250cm on 8th February - 12th March
2023-2024 season: 185cm on 21st-24th March
2022-2023 season: 200cm on 21st February - 5th March
2021-2022 season: 260cm on 25th February - 11th March
2020-2021 season: 180cm on 10th-13th February, 18th-25th February
2019-2020 season: 120cm on 10th-13th February, 25th February - 9th March
2018-2019 season: 170cm on 30th January, 2nd-4th February, 12th-14th April
2017-2018 season: 240cm on 13th February - 4th March
2016-2017 season: 240cm on 15th March - 6th April
2015-2016 season: 160cm on 30th January - 13th March
2014-2015 season: 230cm on 12th-19th March
Resources
More information on Zao Onsen
Official website [link opens in new window]
Daily weather & snow reporting on SnowJapan
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
SnowJapan Directory: accommodation listings in the region
Introduction to the region
Yamagata Prefecture is located in the southwestern corner of Tohoku, facing the Sea of Japan. Yamagata is bordered by Akita Prefecture to the north, Miyagi Prefecture to the east, Fukushima Prefecture to the south, and Niigata Prefecture to the southwest.
There are quite a lot of ski areas across the mountains of Yamagata Prefecture. In fact, after Hokkaido, Nagano Prefecture, and Niigata Prefecture, Yamagata is home to the fourth-most ski areas in the country. However, many are small and have only one or two ski lifts (some of which are surface rope-tow type lifts).
The larger ski areas in Yamagata Prefecture are located in the mountainous eastern and southern regions, close to the borders with Miyagi Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture.
The largest ski area in Yamagata Prefecture, by far (and one of the largest individual ski areas in Japan), is Zao Onsen in Yamagata City.
Zao Onsen is the only ski area currently operating in Yamagata City.
About the information on this page
SnowJapan independently researches, checks and updates the information on this page at least once each year, in the lead-up to every ski season. We also update it whenever we become aware of other changes. The information published on SnowJapan is based on independent research using official Japanese-language sources and is not supplied by ski areas. If you are planning to visit a ski area, we recommend checking the official ski area website for the latest operational information. We take great care to keep the information on SnowJapan accurate and up to date. However, SnowJapan accepts no responsibility for decisions made based on information published on this website.
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