Sendai

Easy booking through Klook. Super easy redemption at the airport. Seat reservation: No problem at the machine. But not always necessary, sometimes we just rode in the unreserved car. Staff always very friendly. We used it in Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Hiroshima. Everything worked out great.

pass voucher was mailed to me via DHL 👍🏻. easy exchange of voucher to actual pass at the airport. Booked all the Shinkansen tickets with ease at the airport. Pass was easy to use. wanted to go to Aomori and Hokkaido with the pass but met the mag 7.5 earthquake near the Aomori & Hakodate on the 1 night when I started my trip. so I changed my route to Fukushima and Yamagata. Ticket office allowed my full Shinkansen tickets change. will try again with this pass in my nxt Japan trip.

When planning your itinerary, calculate whether the JR Pass is cost-effective for taking the Shinkansen and trains. For subways, trains, and buses, you'll need a Suica card, which is also convenient! You don't have to buy tickets before each trip on the Shinkansen, and you'll also need to buy reserved seats for the Shinkansen! The JR Pass can be used as a single card, which is very convenient for visiting various remote attractions!

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!

Highly recommended to join this tour for seeing the Zaos Ice Monsters. Really an enjoyable experience!

Hotel pickup was very convenient. Great tour, friendly guide, yummy lunch, Ginzan onsen was pretty

Great day tour from Sendai Station. The bus was spacious, clean, comfortable, and had WiFi plus a tray for drinks and snacks. Driver and guide were punctual and professional. Our guide, Sanichi, really stood out. He speaks good English, is knowledgeable, and shared useful tips throughout the day. He also told us the inspiring story of Hamaguchi Goryo and the “Fire of Rice Sheaves,” with light jokes along the way that made the tour feel relaxed and welcoming. He helped take photos and gave great recommendations on what to see and eat. Zao Fox Village was fun and unique, with foxes up close. Feeding or hugging costs extra, and the guide helped with translation. Lunch was a simple but tasty noodle and tempura set. Ginzan Onsen was crowded and rainy, but well managed with clear instructions. Still worth visiting, as it’s very hard to reach by public transport. Overall, a fantastic day trip—the guide’s passion made all the difference.

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.

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