Enjoy the breath of spring in Yamagata Zao as the snow melts

The Zao Mountain Range Natsuyama Opening is held with the opening of the Zao Echo Line. From the Yamagata City side, you can use the ropeway to approach the summit of Mt. Jizo at an altitude of 1,600 meters, and the appeal is that everyone from beginners to advanced climbers can enjoy mountain climbing and trekking according to their physical strength and level.

Recommended for trekking beginners is the 1km course that takes you from Zao Ropeway Juhyo Kogen Station to the Utopia Lift and takes you around Kanshodaira, which is home to a cluster of pine trees that are over 300 years old, and Iroha Marsh, which is dotted with dozens of large and small swamps. You can also take the Zao Ropeway to Jizo Sancho Station and take a 400m course around the Zao Natural Botanical Garden, where you can admire the plants that grow naturally on Mt. Sanpo Kojin, so don't worry even if you're not confident in your physical strength.

You can enjoy the fresh greenery in mid-May, and the alpine plants in June, but at the foot of the mountain you can feel the breath of spring a little earlier. Shiginoyachinuma, located at the entrance to Zao Onsen, is home to a colony of skunk cabbage, and the best time to see them is usually from late April to early May. The sight of these flowers blooming gracefully in the midst of a stream of clear water gives a sense of beauty and strength that has overcome the cold winter. The Oyamazakura cherry blossoms blooming along the lakeside are also at their peak, so you can enjoy cherry blossom viewing a little later than in the city.

After enjoying mountain climbing and trekking, the best way to heal your tired body is at Zao Onsen! Zao Onsen, where the scent of sulfur wafts through the air, has a variety of lodging facilities such as inns, hotels, pensions, and guesthouses, as well as a variety of day-trip bathing facilities, old-fashioned communal baths, and free footbaths, so you can enjoy the hot springs whether you're staying overnight or on a day trip. Please note that Zao Onsen Dairotenburo, which is famous for its rustic open-air bath, is currently closed for the winter. This season, we are scheduled to open on Sunday, April 23rd.

Why not go to Yamagata Zao, where the long winter is over and the spring tourist season has arrived, to find an early breath of spring?