Zao

We departed from Sendai and arrived at Zao Snow Forest around 9:45 AM. The wait for the Zao Ropeway was very long; we queued for almost an hour to reach the Snow Forest Highland Station. It's unimaginable how long the wait would be before the snow melted… Although the snow had melted, the scenery was still beautiful. We had three hours, just enough for lunch and the ropeway ride to the summit. Afterwards, we arrived at Ginzan Onsen around 2:30 PM. From the Taisho Romantic Hall, we transferred to a bus to the onsen village. Again, there were many tour groups, and the wait was quite long. The onsen village had many places to eat, but since it was still light out, we couldn't capture the classic photos. I recommend staying there if you're interested. The whole trip was pleasant. The driver was polite, spoke Chinese, and contacted us in advance, which was convenient for those who couldn't drive. Public transportation there is infrequent, and the journeys are long. We could rest in the 9-seater bus without waiting for other buses, making it suitable for travelers with limited time in Sendai.

Our tour guide, Zoe, was from Hong Kong and was incredibly friendly, even helping us take photos :) The trip went smoothly, with rest stops every hour or so to buy souvenirs and use the restrooms. The itinerary was well-planned, offering views of both Ginzan Onsen during the day and night. However, it would have been better to stay a little longer to see the sky turn blue. The hotel was very new, but unfortunately, one of our rooms had a urine-smelling toilet. I suggest changing rooms immediately if you encounter this, otherwise you'll still smell the odor when you go to bed at night… Also, note that the main attraction is for viewing snow scenery; the Central Ropeway doesn't offer views of the ice trees, although the snow scenery is still beautiful. Ouchi-juku was more worthwhile than I expected.

Customer service will provide the driver's license plate number first. Wait at the designated time and address, and the driver will arrive on time. Then you can simply get in the car. The fox village has many foxes of various colors, and there's even a 1000 yen "fox hug" activity. Unfortunately, the snow had melted by the end of February, so we couldn't see the foxes rolling in the snow. However, I still recommend visiting overall. Taking public transportation would be very time-consuming, and this chartered car service perfectly suited our needs.

Customized round-trip itinerary to Sendai. The driver was friendly and polite, and could communicate in Chinese, which was very convenient. The car was clean and comfortable. Overall, I was very satisfied with the trip. Chartering a car made the journey very easy, and I will definitely use it again in the future and recommend it to my friends.

Despite the bad weather, heavy snow, and a large number of tourists, our tour guide, Wang Lili, was quick to adapt and ensured that we were able to visit the hot spring area and see the snow trees within the allotted time. The day trip was really convenient, especially when the weather was bad; it was so good to have someone to take care of us.

Thank you to our driver and tour guide, Mr. Li Mengyang, for his kind hospitality, which made our trip to Fox Village and Ginzan Onsen very enjoyable! The Shiraishi Onsen noodles for lunch were also delicious!

Thanks to Ashley, our trilingual guide, for leading us to the legendary Spirited Away scene and even encountering a blizzard, which added a unique touch to Ginzan Onsen. We also appreciate the driver's professionalism in taking us back to Sendai Station on time.

I arrived at the meeting point 20 minutes early that morning, but couldn't find the car. Panicked, I contacted customer service and found out the driver had me on WeChat (but I didn't check WeChat while in Japan). What I thought was a small group tour turned into a private car for two. The driver, Mr. Qian, was very kind, allowing us to comfortably visit Fox Village and Zao Snow Fun Park without feeling rushed. On the return trip, he even took us to Shabu-no-Ya in Sendai city for dinner. The service was excellent.

We participated in this tour on February 3, 2026. The itinerary was well-planned, the travel time was precise, and we even arrived early, allowing ample time for sightseeing and photos. Our guide, Ms. Yuka, provided enthusiastic introductions, and all members of our group were punctual, making it a wonderful trip. Because there was sufficient time, we were able to participate in the paid fox-holding and photo opportunity at the Fox Village. Furthermore, all information on the cruise ship in Matsushima was available in both Japanese and Chinese. The mode of transportation was a mid-sized bus; if you're worried about not being able to walk back to the parking lot, you can mark your parking location on Google Maps on your phone. We chose this tour because we didn't want to go to Ginzan Onsen (crowded, small attraction, long round trip), and Zao Ski Resort had a separate full day available, so this itinerary perfectly met our needs.