Excursão de um dia para Zao Onsen e Ginzan Onsen em Sendai

Azumi and his colleague made a great effort and turned the excursion into an experience. They spoke English well. We were incredibly lucky with the weather. We first went to Ginzan Onsen, staying for about 1 hour. It was pleasant, not too many people. Near Yamagata, we took a lunch break and had enough time to eat something. It was very busy at the Zao Ropeway. Thanks to priority tickets, we quickly reached the summit and had an amazing view of the snow monsters. Overall, a wonderful tour.

It was such an amazing trip, especially the snow monsters on Zao. When we arrived at the Zao Ropeway, it had started to snow. We were then led by our two fantastic tour guides, Azumi and Yama, to the priority queue, which made our ascent up the mountain much faster. Both our guides were professional and helpful, taking photos for us. They truly made our journey smooth and safe at the end of the day.

Before the trip, we continuously received email notifications and reminders, including meeting information and the day's itinerary, which made us feel very secure in our preparations. The actual travel date was January 16th. On that day, the itinerary was slightly adjusted based on the on-site situation; the order was changed to visit Ginzan Onsen first, then Zao Snow Monsters, and finally arrange a souvenir shopping location. The overall flow was smooth and avoided some peak crowd times. We met our tour leader, Angie, punctually at the meeting point. The gathering and roll call were efficient, and her explanations were clear and her attitude friendly, leaving a good first impression of the trip. The stay at Ginzan Onsen was about an hour. There weren't many people that day, so we could take beautiful photos from almost every angle without the pressure of being squeezed. We had ample free time to take photos, stroll, or browse the small shops nearby, and we could also experience the unique retro atmosphere of Ginzan Onsen in winter. It was a very relaxing part of the trip. Next, we headed to Zao Snow Monsters. The weather at the mountain top was poor that day; it was a blizzard when we arrived, with low visibility, so we couldn't clearly see the most complete and spectacular appearance of the snow monsters, which was somewhat regrettable. However, on the way up the mountain by cable car, we could still admire the snow-covered forests and mountain scenery along the way, which was quite dreamy and made up for some of the disappointment. Visiting Zao in winter truly depends on the weather, and one needs to be mentally prepared for this. Regarding costs, in addition to the paid tour fee, an additional JPY 4,400 per person for the Zao cable car ticket and JPY 1,300 per person for the Ginzan Onsen shuttle bus fare were required on the day, totaling JPY 5,700 per person. The tour leader only accepted cash and required exact change, so it's recommended to prepare this beforehand for a smoother experience on the day. The overall cost, including tickets, was indeed on the higher side, but it saved queuing time and eliminated the hassle of complex transfers and transportation connections, which is very convenient for travelers with limited 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 unhurried, and the crowd control at Ginzan Onsen was well managed. The overall experience was still quite good. If you are visiting Tohoku for the first time, wish to see both Ginzan Onsen and Zao, and don't want to spend time researching transportation and transfer methods, this one-day tour is still a very time-saving and effortless option.

The participation date was October 20th, with a total of 7 participants. Our tour guide was Ms. Wei, and we were provided with a very new medium-sized bus driven by Mr. Iwabuchi from Japan, who was very professional. In the morning, we took the Zao Ropeway, and in the afternoon, we visited Ginzan Onsen. Restroom breaks were arranged along the way. Due to time constraints, lunch was changed to the Yamagata Prefectural Tourism & Local Products Center, which was clearly communicated via email beforehand – this was excellent. Furthermore, Ms. Wei assisted everyone with ordering lunch, providing perfect service. It was a wonderful day trip, and my family was very satisfied.

We had a lovely lunch at a great rest stop in the morning. During the New Year period, we didn't have to queue much at lunchtime and were able to ride the long-awaited Zao Juhyo (Snow Monster) Ropeway. In the evening, we visited the much-anticipated Ginzan Onsen. The entire schedule was well-arranged, the vehicle quality was excellent, and the ride was smooth. The best part was our guide, Yama (Tabuchi Yama), who was professional, dedicated, and had an absolutely wonderful attitude. He is the best guide I've encountered in the many tours I've taken. Super grateful!

We had pre-purchased tickets for the Zao Juhyo Ropeway. Since we only got afternoon tickets, we had to change our itinerary. We went to Ginzan Onsen in the morning, and the wait for the shuttle bus wasn't long. In the afternoon, we went to see the juhyo (ice monsters), where the mountain temperature was only -10.5 degrees Celsius. The entire day's itinerary went very smoothly, and we were extremely satisfied.

The weather was great today, and our tour guide, Mr. Yama, led the group very smoothly. We had discount coupons for the cable car ride up the mountain to see the frost-covered trees, and the fast pass saved us from waiting in line for 3-5 hours. Ginzan Onsen was wonderful, and I hope to have the opportunity to stay here longer next time.

The itinerary was perfectly arranged, and the tour guides were very professional. I recommend joining a tour group if you don't want to plan your own itinerary. The cable car also had priority tickets for groups, so we didn't have to spend a lot of time queuing. Highly recommended!

The tour leader was attentive and kind, managing the time very well. The accompanying Japanese staff member was also excellent, helping with photos and paying attention to all the arrangements of the itinerary. Because we still needed to return to Sendai Station to catch the Shinkansen, the tour leader was especially mindful, ensuring we boarded the train smoothly.

What a super lucky day! Not only was the weather fantastic 👍, but the goddess of luck was also especially kind to us! The wait for the Zao Juhyo cable car going up was only about 20 minutes, and going down was super fast too! We didn't even have to queue for the bus at Ginzan Onsen ♨️. Our tour leader took us to the waiting point, and the bus arrived in less than five minutes. Everyone got on smoothly and completed the entire itinerary without a hitch! We also met a wonderful tour leader, Mr. Tabuchi, a Japanese guide with excellent Chinese. Highly, highly, highly recommended!