Meitoya So is one of Takamiya group's hotels. Takamiya Group is the most well known hotel groups in Yamagata. Meitoya itself has the amazing indoor/outdoor Onsen but they offer all Takamiya guests the "Yumeguri Ticket" which allows you to use all their group's Onsen facilities in Zao including Hotel Lucent, Rurikura, Hotel Hammond, Hotel Jurin and three public Onsen bathes in Zao. Try a different onsen every day of the week. All the rooms are non-smoking. The traditional Japanese rooms pretty spacious has a very relaxing feel.
Breakfast is a buffet style and dinner is also available. The beautiful Yamagata beef Sukiyaki or SyabuSyabu is a "MUST" to try!
Meitoya So offers free picku up & drop off at the Zao bus terminal. It is less than 5 minutes walk to the nearest slope then you can ski down to the Chuo Ropeway.
Hotel options & features
Meitoya So - Yamagata, Japan
Meitoya So - Yamagata, Japan
Meitoya So - Yamagata, Japan
Meitoya So - Yamagata, Japan
Meitoya So - Yamagata, Japan
Meitoya So - Yamagata, Japan
Meitoya So - Yamagata, Japan
Meitoya So - Yamagata, Japan
Meitoya So - Yamagata, Japan
ZAO ONSEN
Yamagata
The Mountain
Zao Onsen is located in Yamagata prefecture and famous for the snow monsters, which you can actually ski & snowboard through. There are 25 courses with 41 chairlifts including a couple of ropeways and a gondola. The village is very traditonal Japanese. Similar to Nozawa Onsen, but less crowded.
The town’s hot springs are known as Hime-no-Yu (princesses’ bath) and “Kodomo-no-Yu” (children’s bath) because of their health benefits. There are three public baths in the town; Kami-yu, Shimo-yu and Kawara-yu, each of which is reasonably priced (200 yen each).
The Location
It is about 2 hours 40 minutes from Tokyo to Yamagata station by Shinkansen. Fom Yamagata station to Zao Onsen there is a public bus which takes 30 minutes. We can help you plan yor transfer from the airport or anywhere in Japan.
Where to stay
Most of the accommodation at Zao is Japanese style hotels with traditional Japanese Onsens & a choice of western beds or Japanese futons. They are also centrally located within the township and within close walking distance to the chair lifts.
Where to eat
Most of the accommodation options will offer dinner, but Zao also has a vast choice of dining options to explore within the town.
03 February, 2025
As you know we spent time at Zao Onsen in Meitoya-so. The rooms were good and generous size. The Onsens also were good, with an outside option. We only had breakfast included, so I can only comment on that. It was basic, having more selection with tradional food.
The motel was in a good position, but we thought that there may have been a shuttle to drop us off to the gondola, but instead we walked about 10 mins up the road to it. All in all the town seemed a lot busier with westerners this time, and we noticed that it was harder to get into restaurants in the evenings. Booking ahead seemed necessary. This was also our most expensive stay. Unsure if we would go back again.
Elizabeth Bryon
Japanese room with en-suite bathroom can accommodate up to four guests
Rates from 15,000 yen per person per night including breakfast
Child rate discount will apply
Long stay discount will apply to 3 or more nights stay
