Zao Kokusai Hotel

Zao Kokusai Hotel stands beside the Yokokura slope of the Zao Onsen ski area, about 10 minutes on foot from the bus terminal; from the car park you cross a bridge to the snow. It has 51 rooms: 13 Japanese rooms of 14 tatami, and Western rooms and suites, including deluxe and luxury suites added in December 2023. All rooms are non-smoking. The water is milky white and acidic, with sulfur, aluminium, sulfate and chloride, and every bath is fed straight from the source. The main bath, Hachiemon no Yu, has indoor and open-air pools, and three private baths can be booked by phone from the day before, 45 minutes for ¥2,200 to ¥4,400 plus the bathing fee. Dinner is kaiseki with Yamagata beef, and the breakfast buffet has Yamagata beef curry and Tsuyahime rice. Day visitors are admitted from 12:00 to 15:00. The hotel takes cards and does not allow tattoos in the baths.