Sendai Zao Snow Monsters & Ginzan Onsen Day Tour

Azumi and his colleague put in a lot of effort and made the trip an experience. They spoke English well. We were incredibly lucky with the weather. First we went to Ginzan Onsen, staying for about 1 hour. It was pleasant, not too crowded. We took a lunch break near Yamagata and had enough time to eat something. It was very busy at the Zao Ropeway. Thanks to the priority tickets, we quickly got to the summit and had a mega view of the snow monsters. Overall, a wonderful tour.

it is such an awesome trip, especially the snow monsters on Zao. When we reached zao ropeway, it had started to snow. We were then led by our two fantastic tour guides, Azumi and Yama to the priority queue who made our way up the mountain alot faster. Both our guides are professional and helpful to take photos for us. They have indeed made our journey smooth and safe at the end of the day

Went to a very nice rest stop for lunch in the morning, and during the Lunar New Year period, there wasn't much of a queue to get on the long-awaited Zao Snow Monster Ropeway. In the evening, we arrived at the longed-for Ginzan Onsen. The entire itinerary was well-arranged, the vehicle quality was good, the ride was smooth, and the best part was our tour guide, Tabuchi Yashin/Yama, who was professional, dedicated, and had a fantastic attitude. He is the best tour guide I've encountered in the many tours I've taken. Thank you so much.

The weather is great today. Our tour guide, Mr. Yama, led the tour very smoothly. There were discount coupons for taking the ropeway up the mountain to see the snow monsters, and fast-track access saved us from the suffering of queuing for 3-5 hours. Ginzan Onsen is wonderful, and I hope I have the opportunity to spend more time here in the future.

What an incredibly lucky day! The weather was amazing 👍 and the god of luck was especially on our side! The Zao snow monster ropeway only had a 20-minute wait to go up, and going down was super quick too! At Ginzan Onsen ♨️ we didn't even have to wait in line for the bus. Our tour leader took us to the waiting point, and the bus arrived in less than five minutes. Everyone got on smoothly and we completed the entire itinerary successfully! We also had a wonderful tour leader - Mr. Tabuchi, a Japanese tour leader with excellent Chinese. Highly recommend, highly recommend, highly recommend!

We participated on October 20th with a group of 7 people. Our tour guide was Ms. Wei, and we had a very new mid-sized bus. Our driver, Mr. Iwabuchi from Japan, was a very professional driver. In the morning, we took the Zao Ropeway, and in the afternoon, we went to Ginzan Onsen. There were scheduled restroom breaks along the way. Due to time constraints, lunch was changed to the Yamagata Prefectural Tourist Center, which was clearly explained in advance via e-mail, which was great. Also, Ms. Wei helped everyone order during lunch, providing excellent service. It was a wonderful day trip, and my family was very satisfied.

You will gradually receive e-mail notifications and reminders before the trip, including meeting information and a description of the day's itinerary, ensuring peace of mind when preparing for departure. The actual travel date was January 16th. On that day, some adjustments were made based on the actual conditions. The itinerary order was changed to visit Ginzan Onsen first, then the Zao Snow Monsters, and finally, an arrangement for souvenir shopping. The overall flow was smooth, avoiding some peak crowds. On the day, I met the tour leader, Angie, on time at the meeting point. The gathering and roll call were efficient, the explanations were clear, and the attitude was friendly, leaving a good impression of the trip from the start. The stay at Ginzan Onsen was about an hour. There weren't many people that day, and you could take beautiful photos from almost every angle without the pressure of being squeezed. There was plenty of free time to take photos, stroll around, or browse the surrounding small shops. You could also feel the unique retro atmosphere of Ginzan Onsen in winter, which was a very relaxing part of this trip. Next, we went to the Zao Snow Monsters. The weather conditions at the summit were poor that day, with blizzard conditions upon arrival and low visibility, making it impossible to see the most complete and spectacular appearance of the snow monsters, which was a bit of a pity. However, on the way up the mountain by ropeway, you could still admire the snow-covered forests and mountain scenery along the way, which was quite dreamy and made up for some of the regret. Visiting Zao in winter is indeed very weather-dependent, and you should be prepared for this. In terms of cost, in addition to the tour fee that has already been paid, you will need to pay separately for the Zao Ropeway ticket at JPY 4,400/person and the Ginzan Onsen shuttle bus fare at JPY 1,300/person, totaling JPY 5,700/person. The tour leader only accepts cash, and you need to bring your own change, so it is recommended to prepare in advance for a smoother experience on the day. The overall cost is indeed high after adding the entrance fees, but it saves you queuing time and avoids the hassle of complicated transfers and transportation connections, which is very convenient for travelers with limited travel time. Although the viewing of the Zao Snow Monsters on this trip was affected by the weather, the transportation arrangements were smooth, the pace was not rushed, and the crowds at Ginzan Onsen were well-controlled, making the overall experience quite good. If it is your first time visiting Tohoku and you want to visit Ginzan Onsen and Zao in one go, and you don't want to spend time researching transportation and transfers, this one-day tour is still a very time-saving and labor-saving option.

We joined the tour on October 10th and it definitely lived up to our expectations. The attractions were all very appealing. The autumn leaves at Zao Ropeway had already started to change color, but they'll probably be even more beautiful in another week or two! The tofu and bread at Ginzan Onsen are also worth trying! Most importantly, Ms. Lai, our tour leader, answered every question and was incredibly friendly. We hope to have the opportunity to join another tour led by her in the future.

The itinerary was perfectly arranged, and the tour guides were very professional. If you don't want to plan your own trip, I recommend booking a tour! The cable car tickets are also priority tickets for groups, so you don't have to spend so much time waiting in line. Highly recommended!

It was super crowded because it was a holiday, but the travel agency had pre-purchased Zao group fast-track tickets, which saved us the trouble of queuing. We boarded the cable car in less than 10 minutes. The tour guide was very responsible and helped group members take photos in popular photo areas. Zao is a long way from Ginzan Onsen, about 1.5 hours by car. When we went to Ginzan Onsen, we had a group shuttle bus arranged, and we boarded on time. However, it was very crowded, and we could only spend about an hour exploring. On the day of the meeting, everyone had to pay an additional cable car ticket and shuttle bus fee of about NT$1200. I recommend this to independent travelers who don't want the hassle of grabbing tickets and want to visit both attractions. Overall, the distance between the two locations is quite far, and we spent half the time traveling, but the overall experience was quite smooth.