Destination
Zao
A legendary mountain onsen town in Yamagata Prefecture, Zao is famous for its powerful acidic sulfur hot springs, spectacular snow monsters (juhyo) in winter, and the emerald Okama crater lake in summer. Perched at the base of the Zao mountain range, the village doubles as one of Tohoku's premier ski resorts with breathtaking ropeway rides through frozen forests.
8 ryokans in Zao
Takamiya Ryokan Miyamaso
深山荘高見屋
A 300-year-old hilltop ryokan with nine natural hot spring baths and its own private source, the oldest accommodation in Zao Onsen.
from $250 /per night
Wakamatsuya
和歌（うた）の宿 わかまつや
Established in 1655, a historic ryokan with its own hot spring source, renowned for handmade seasonal kaiseki and connections to poet Saito Mokichi.
from $200 /per night
Zao Onsen Omiya Ryokan
おおみや旅館
One of Zao's oldest inns with over 1,000 years of history, offering source-flowing sulfur baths and a prime location near the ski slopes.
from $150 /per night
Zao Shiki no Hotel
蔵王四季のホテル
A modern onsen hotel just one minute from the ski slopes, offering both indoor and outdoor sulfur baths with all rooms renovated in 2024.
from $120 /per night
Hotel Lucent Takamiya
名湯リゾート ルーセントタカミヤ
A modern resort hotel at the center of Zao Onsen, directly opposite the Chuo Ropeway station with access to the Takamiya Group's bath-hopping pass.
from $100 /per night
Kinosato
岩清水料理の宿 季の里
A refined cuisine-focused ryokan with rock-spring sulfur baths, set in a quiet hillside location away from the village center.
from $200 /per night
Yoshidaya Ryokan
吉田屋旅館
A welcoming 300-year-old ryokan on historic Takayu-dori street with 24-hour onsen and an English-speaking proprietress.
from $80 /per night
Takasagoya Ryokan
高砂屋旅館
An intimate 7-room family-run ryokan just two minutes from the ski slopes, offering home-style cooking and a cozy sulfur bath.
from $60 /per night