Yamagata, Yamagata / 蔵王温泉
Zao Onsen
A hot-spring town said to date back 1,900 years, with Tohoku's most acidic sulphur water (pH 1.25-1.6) and three public baths open 6:00-22:00 for 300 yen.
Last official check
25 Sept 2026
Traveler reports
0
Reports open in Phase 2
Next scheduled check
24 Dec 2026
Decide before you go
A short summary made from the official facts below. Check the rows for details.
- Getting there
- Train / Bus / Car
- Admission
- Paid (see the price below)
Before you go
Only facts we confirmed on official sources are shown. Anything else is listed under “Not yet confirmed”.
- Opening hours
The public baths (Kamiyu, Shimoyu and Kawarayu) are open 6:00-22:00 all year.
Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site- Admission
Public baths: adults 300 yen, children 100 yen.
Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site- Getting there
About 40 minutes by bus from Yamagata Station to the Zao Onsen bus terminal; about 20 minutes by car from Yamagata-Kaminoyama IC.
Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site- Payment
At the public baths, put the fee in the box at each bath.
Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site- Not yet confirmed
Closed, Parking, Accessibility
we have not confirmed this on an official source yet. Check with the spot before you go.
Found wrong or outdated information? Let us know
Address: Yamagata, Yamagata (Japanese address: 山形県山形市蔵王温泉)
Official site: https://zaomountainresort.com/about/
Location
Smaller pins are other spots nearby.
Nearby spots
Photo: Yamagata Prefecture (yamagatakanko.com)Zao Ropeway (snow monsters)YamagataLess than 1 km away (straight line)- No photo yetZao Onsen Dai-rotenburo Open-air BathYamagataLess than 1 km away (straight line)
Photo: Σ64 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (resized)Zao Okama Crater LakeMiyagi5 km away (straight line)
Photo: Photo ACKaminoyama OnsenYamagata10 km away (straight line)- No photo yetNanokamachi GotenzekiYamagata11 km away (straight line)
Distances are straight-line distances, not travel distances.
Crowds
- Busiest season
In winter (January-February) you can see the snow monsters (rime-covered trees) from the Zao Ropeway, lit up at night; in summer, the Okama crater lake.
Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site- Not yet confirmed
Crowd level, Best time to visit, Peak time, Busiest days
no official source yet, and not enough traveler reports.
- Latest traveler report
- None yet
Traveler crowd data by time of day appears after 5 traveler reports (0 so far).
You can check typical busy hours in Google Maps ("Popular times" on the place's page). Open this spot in Google Maps
Visiting respectfully
- Local etiquetteThe town has 3 public baths, 3 footbaths and 5 day-use bathhouses, open to non-guests.Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site
Verification log
- 25 Sept 2026First check · Tourism board · https://zaomountainresort.com/about/Hours, fees and description read from a tourism organization's site.
- 25 Sept 2026First check · Tourism board · https://yamagatakanko.com/attractions/detail_2766.htmlAccess and coordinates read from a tourism organization's site.