Yamagata City

Seeing snow for the first time was fantastic for me overall. Our guide, Oliver, was excellent; he was very kind, spoke three languages, and actively guided us throughout the trip. The itinerary was very well-planned, with ample time to explore, take photos, and enjoy the scenery at each stop. The hotel was comfortable, and the driver was a very skilled driver. Although the bus seats were a bit small, they were generally quite comfortable. I was lucky enough to see beautiful snowscapes. Although the heavy snowfall prevented me from seeing the Zao Snow Trees that day, and I only reached the first level of the cable car, it was still incredibly breathtaking. The foxes were also very cute.

Since the purpose of this trip was to see the Zao Snow Trees, getting on the cable car to the summit was crucial for us. We were very grateful to the travel agency for offering group tickets, which allowed all group members to get priority access and board the cable car smoothly to the top, avoiding long queues with others. This made the entire snow tree tour a very pleasant experience! We also want to thank our Japanese tour guide for her special care and consideration for us foreigners.

The itinerary was fantastic, the tour guide was very knowledgeable, and the Ginzan Onsen was beautiful. I highly recommend it. It gets very cold in winter, so please note that Wednesdays may be closed for some shops.

In the morning, we went to Ginzan Onsen, had lunch at noon, and then enjoyed Zao Juh (a type of Japanese ice sculpture) in the afternoon. We were quite lucky with the weather; the Ginzan Onsen shuttle bus schedule was perfect, and we had priority tickets for groups at Zao Juh, so we didn't waste time queuing. Lunch was also very plentiful. Thank you to Lion Travel for organizing this tour; my family was very satisfied. Thank you also to our tour guide, Lili!

It happened to be a day with little snow ❄️, and you could really feel the winter in the snow country!

Although it was a shared tour without a guide, the driver was very friendly, the ride was smooth, and the time was well managed. The Fox Village and Zao Snow Tree cable car trip was interesting and the scenery was beautiful and spectacular; however, in winter, you need to wear enough warm clothing and hats to visit Zao Snow Tree.

Although the journey was long and the itinerary was fulfilling, I look forward to returning sometime to experience what was missing. I was very fortunate to have a warm and responsible tour guide (Tommy), which made our trip unforgettable. Thank you!