Ginzan Onsen tours

overall a lovely experience, ginzan onsen was beautiful and eventhough we were struck with a heavy snowstorm for the zao ropeway trip, we still had a fun time. Everything was timed well and although 1.5 hours seem short in Ginzan, we actually still have plenty of time to stroll the city and buy souvenirs or hot coffee. The lunch was surprisingly better than we expected, local Yamagata couisine, and we did not expect we would get private rooms to enjoy it! Worth to note that the guide explains everything in chinese, and later on communicate the important parts in japanese which would be ok if you understand basic japanese. But basically just prepare a live translating app (or chatgpt) to understand the explanations! And Lili laoshi(the guide) can take very good photos🫶 Thank you so much!

Met with our awesome guide Johny the next day (I booked 2 separate day trips) for Zao frost covered trees. We got to take the faster line for the ropeway so we were only waiting for 20-30 minutes while others were 60-70 mins. unfortunately we had more snow so visibility was low but it was still beautiful. With the heavy snow fall the journey back was slightly delayed but nothing major. Johny and our driver were amazing.

Overall, the itinerary is quite recommended. This trip used a 9-seater vehicle, and there were a total of 6 people carpooling that day, so the seating space was comfortable. The driver was punctual for pick-up and drop-off, was friendly and polite, and the driving was stable, which made people feel at ease. The stay at the Fox Village was about an hour, which was plenty of time to fully visit the park and browse the gift shop. It should be noted that even in winter, there will still be some odors in the park due to animal excrement and the foxes themselves, so travelers who are sensitive to odors may need to pay special attention. The Silver Mine Onsen itinerary time was from 13:00 to 16:45, which was quite ample. Travelers can bring their own towels to soak their feet, or buy them at nearby stores. On that day, due to heavy snowfall and low temperature, coupled with the large crowds, it took more waiting time to take pictures, and it was a pity that we couldn't actually soak our feet, but the overall stay time was still sufficient. In addition, the group members generally adhered to the meeting and itinerary times, and returned early to the bus pick-up and drop-off area (Taisho Roman Museum) in Ginzan Onsen. Finally, with everyone's consent, we returned early. Overall, the atmosphere of the trip was good, and it was a pleasant trip.

The driver, who also served as our guide, was very attentive. He contacted us the night before to reconfirm the pick-up location. The nine-seater vehicle was comfortable and not crowded. We were fortunate to see Ginzan covered in heavy snowfall — truly a beautiful and worthwhile experience.

I shared a ride with three other companions this time, with a private car service along the way (available within a 2km radius of Sendai Station). Mr. Li is a Chinese man who has been working in Japan for four years. He is kind and also provides some simple introductions. If you are looking for a private car or shared ride and don't want to travel long distances, I highly recommend participating!

Our tour guide for the past two days was Tony, and he took very good care of us. He even gave us small gifts. It was very cold when we went to Ginzan Onsen, and he gave us heat packs. He also gave us heat packs and chocolate on the second day. When we couldn't enter the Fox Village, he found a way for us to go somewhere else. We went to Shiroishi Castle, which was very beautiful and worth a walk and taking some pictures. The driver was also very nice, drove very smoothly, and greeted everyone warmly when getting on and off the bus. We happened to encounter heavy snow when we went to Ginzan Onsen, which was very beautiful. On the second day, we went to the Zao Snow Monsters, and we were incredibly lucky! The weather was very clear. Although we couldn't ride the cable car to the very top because there were too many individual travelers, it was still very beautiful and worth it! I heard that the day before we went, Zao had a big snowstorm and the visibility was very poor, but the weather was clear blue skies today! So lucky~ We stayed at Kamesei Ryokan. The hotel looks very historical, but it's maintained quite cleanly. The rooms are also very large, and the breakfast is rich and delicious, with both traditional Japanese and Western breakfasts. Thank you to the tour guide and driver for their hard work these past two days! 👍

It was a great tour we went up 800 steps to a beautiful temple that had a great view both guides made it up there which was great. We ate some great food and we went to a famous cherry place in Japan then went to a cool onsen

Excellent, the driver even stopped halfway to let us take pictures of the apple trees. Grateful.