DESTINATION / Miyagi Prefecture
Miyagi Zao's winter trip combines skiing at Sumikawa, snowmobile experience at Snow Monsters, hot springs at Togatta Onsen, kokeshi doll crafting, and dairy farm food. If you stay in a hot spring town, the way you spend the day can be divided between those who ski and those who don't. The transportation hub is different from Zao Onsen in Yamagata, so plan your trip first by staying on the Miyagi side.
Miyagi Zao Sumikawa Snow Park / Miyagi PrefecturePhoto: Sports Day Protein Power /Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Winter (March 2025) landscape. Size adjustment, WebP conversion, and cropping to fit the display frame.
Choose a base, then discover the places around it.
Miyagi Zao's winter trip combines skiing at Sumikawa, snowmobile experience at Snow Monsters, hot springs at Togatta Onsen, kokeshi doll crafting, and dairy farm food. If you stay in a hot spring town, the way you spend the day can be divided between those who ski and those who don't. The transportation hub is different from Zao Onsen in Yamagata, so plan your trip first by staying on the Miyagi side.
Enter Togatta Onsen from the Sendai or Shiroishi direction and arrange transportation between the hot spring town and the mountain. When traveling by car, use Murata IC and Shiroishi IC as entrances and check the mountain road conditions for the day. For bus trips, check separately the route to the hot spring town and the seasonal shuttle to Sumikawa. The Zao Echo Line cannot be used to cross prefectural borders in winter.
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Venue photographThe garden-facing exterior of Sansatei.
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Stay beside the river, with time left for the hot springs.
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Venue photographDetached accommodation in the forest at Daikon no Hana.
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Return to a cottage, with the forest and hot springs around you.
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Venue photographMercure Miyagi Zao Resort & Spa with the Zao mountains beyond.
メルキュール宮城蔵王リゾート＆スパ 公式サイト · Rights not verified · Source ↗
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A family trip with time to enjoy the hotel too.
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Venue photographZao Cheese Shed — venue photograph
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Taste the cheese at Miyagi Zao.
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Venue photographZao Cheese House — venue photograph
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Enjoy a light meal on dairy farm land.
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Facility sceneryKaminoyu Togatta (Zao Town, Miyagi Prefecture)/ Summer (July 12, 2009)
Photo: Piccolo/Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0. Summer (July 12, 2009) scenery. Size adjustment, WebP conversion, and cropping to fit the display frame.
A public bath in the center of Togatta Onsen. It is characterized by a bathhouse that uses Aomori cypress wood, and is the entrance to the hot spring town used by locals and tourists. There is also a footbath outside the building, but the operation of the facilities is subject to change. Soap and shampoo are not permanently provided, so come prepared differently than you would at an inn's bathhouse, and combine this with a walk around the hot spring town.
opening days, bathing reception, towels and toiletries, and footbath usage status.
A facility near Togatta Onsen that introduces traditional kokeshi dolls and wooden toys. You can experience Togatta's craft culture, and in addition to seeing the exhibits, you can also try painting. It's an indoor destination that you can incorporate into a half-day before departure, or on days when the wind changes your snowy mountain plans. Be sure to check the reception desk and closing days for the experience, and plan your schedule to include the time to take your work home.
Closing days, final admission reception, reservation and required time for painting experience.
A snowmobile snow monsters viewing tour starting from Sumikawa. Even non-skiers can add the winter scenery of Miyagi Zao to their trip. The departure location and experience are different from Zao Ropeway on the Yamagata side. The growth of snow monsters, visibility, and tour operations depend on natural conditions, so be sure to protect yourself from the cold, make reservations, and plan your stay at the hot spring town in case the weather changes.
Participation reservations, meeting time, cold weather, operation of the day, and status of snow monsters.
Learn about the atmosphere of the destination from the scenery at the time of the photo shoot.
Sumikawa Snow Park (Zao Town, Miyagi Prefecture)
Winter (March 2025)Photo: Sports Day Protein Power /Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Winter (March 2025) landscape. Size adjustment, WebP conversion, and cropping to fit the display frame.
Sumikawa Snow Park Slope House (Zao Town, Miyagi Prefecture)
Winter (March 2025)Photo: Sports Day Protein Power /Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Winter (March 2025) landscape. Size adjustment, WebP conversion, and cropping to fit the display frame.
Area reference photograph; not the featured propertyDiscover the culture of kokeshi dolls at the foot of a snowy mountain.
Area reference photograph; not the featured propertyTake a snowmobile to the snow monsters field on the Miyagi side.