By WATARU SEKITA/ Staff Writer
January 30, 2025 at 17:41 JST
An icy winter has transformed the tall trees of the Zao mountain range into wonderous snow sculptures, known as “juhyo,” or “snow monsters,” and conditions are now perfect to see them.
On Jan. 27, under clear skies, tourists enjoyed taking photos beside the towering ice formations and strolling through the frosty landscape.
Skiers and snowboarders slowed their descents, taking in the breathtaking winter scenery.
Juhyo form when moisture and snow in the air, chilled by northwesterly seasonal winds, freeze onto the Aomori fir trees that grow in clusters across the Zao mountain range straddling the border between Yamagata and Miyagi prefectures.
According to the Zao Ropeway, snow monsters typically begin to take shape in late December, but this season’s heavy snowfall has caused them to grow earlier and larger than usual.
Clear days are rare in winter, with only two or three days each month offering ideal conditions for viewing juhyo.
“It’s not always sunny, so today is just perfect. I don’t want to leave,” said Junichi Muroi, 56.
Muroi, who is from Tochigi Prefecture, has been visiting Zao for years to see the juhyo and enjoy the hot springs.
Fu Shi-xiang, 31, who is from Taiwan and works in Japan, learned about Zao through social media and decided to visit for the first time.
He had been checking the weather for two weeks, weighing his decision until the day before.
With the clear weather, he said, “I was surprised to see so many Taiwanese tourists in the ropeway line,” as he held his camera.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II