Ming Sheng Travel Agency:: Northeast Open-Air PARTY, Ice Field Tree Monsters Welcome Show:: Mount Zao Ice Trees

The Tohoku region in northeastern Japan is one of the areas with the most distinct four seasons in the country. In winter, Tohoku transforms into a dreamlike world of pure white. In fact, the serene and stunning snowy landscapes featured in the movie "Departures" were filmed in Yamagata Prefecture in northeastern Japan. Whether it's mountain skiing, hot spring bathing in the snow, seasonal cuisine, or traditional festivals, Tohoku has it all and is welcoming travelers to experience a winter-only Japanese snow adventure!

Travelers who want to take in the beauty of the snowy landscapes in one go might consider taking Tohoku’s unique heated-railway carriages or snow-viewing heated horse-drawn carriages. Sit warmly inside while leisurely watching the beautiful silver-white scenery glide past outside the window. For those looking to enjoy skiing, there are options like the Hachimantai Ski Resort and the Hakkoda Ski Area, where you can admire the ice trees. Other unique snowy experiences include ice fishing and riding snow vehicles to view the ice trees.

As for the ice trees of Mount Zao in Yamagata, Tohoku, they are a once-in-a-lifetime natural wonder that you have to see at least once. Across the vast snowy plains stand thousands of tree clusters encased and blanketed in snow. When we ride the cable car and look down over the expansive ice fields covered with countless ice trees, each one seems to be reaching out as if in a lively, playful, and uniquely pure and adorable “snow monster winter party”!

★★★ Recommended Attraction = Mount Zao Ice Trees
The Mount Zao Ice Trees are the most unique natural wonders on the ice fields of the Tohoku region in winter. They begin to form around late November to early December each year. During this period, cloud particles and fog ice are brought by the winter monsoons of Tohoku, gradually attaching ice and snow to the coniferous trees. By January and February, the originally green pine trees on the Zao ice fields are completely covered in white snow...Click to view full attraction introduction
 

★★★ Recommended Attraction = Matsushima
Matsushima has been widely praised by poets and scholars since ancient times. As early as 350 years ago, Hayashi Razan, a Confucian scholar of the Edo shogunate, hailed it as one of Japan’s Three Great Views. This is a place full of historical charm and ancient relics. Over 260 islands formed by crustal movements, along with the Naruko Gorge, not only offer majestic mountainous scenery but also natural hot springs, making Miyagi Prefecture one of Japan’s hot spring destinations...Click to view full attraction introduction

★★★ Recommended Attraction = Yamadera
Yamadera, also known as Risshaku-ji, is the most famous Buddhist sacred site in the northern part of Yamagata City. It has a long history, having been built in 860 AD. Located on Mount Haguro within Yamadera, perched on a prominent cliff, besides the temple itself, there is also a massive standing rock. Next to the huge rock sway several red maple leaves, which can be clearly seen even from afar...Click to view full attraction introduction

★★★ Recommended Attraction = Kamura Castle
Kamura is the site of a feudal castle located at the southernmost part of the Tohoku region. Built in 1535, it was renovated in 1982 as a local history museum introducing the history of the Kamura area. It’s an excellent destination for those who wish to deeply explore the development history of the Zao region and Yamagata City...Click to view full attraction introduction

★★★ Recommended Attraction = Godaido Hall
Godaido Hall was built during the Heian period by the warrior Sakanoue no Tamuramaro during his eastern campaign. It enshrines the Five Great Wisdom Kings, which are in the early Heian style. In 1604 (the 9th year of the Keicho era), it was reconstructed by Date Masamune and is the oldest surviving Momoyama-period architectural structure in the Tohoku region...Click to view full attraction introduction