Yamagata Yamagata City
Zao Onsen, a famous onsen at the foot of the Zao mountain range, one of the largest mountain resorts in Tohoku, has a history of some 1,900 years. It is known for its strongly acidic sulfur spring and is celebrated as a beauty onsen that leaves the skin white and smooth. In winter, visitors can see juhyo, the “snow monsters,” a natural work of art that is rare worldwide, and enjoy superb powder snow at a vast ski resort together with authentic onsen, which has made it hugely popular with foreign visitors who love winter sports.
10 places to stay
You'd rather bathe in private
Stays with a private bath or an open-air bath in the room
Availability and rates are shown on each booking site.
A tranquil inn embraced by Zao’s great outdoors and a milky-white natural onsen fed straight from the source
A highland resort of strongly acidic Zao onsen water and a wood-fire lounge
A long-established Zao inn with natural onsen water fed straight from the source and nine baths of different character
An onsen resort in Zao, alive with nature, with strongly acidic water fed straight from the source
A highland resort of natural onsen fed straight from the source and Kenzo Tange architecture
A casual Zao stay with natural onsen water fed straight from the source and an open-air bath with a sauna
A Zao onsen inn with celebrated 1,900-year-old water fed straight from the source, never recirculated
A Zao resort wrapped in natural onsen water fed straight from the source and the quiet of the forest
A highland resort by the forest and lake, where a separate bathhouse offers milky-white water fed straight from the source
A Taisho-romance inn laid with tatami throughout, with milky-white water fed straight from a source that rises from its stone wall
Some of these stays are also in our magazine. See inside, free
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