Zao Onsen Gensen Yuyado Zao Plaza Hotel

Zao Plaza Hotel stands right at the ski slope in Zao Onsen, one of Yamagata's classic hot-spring towns. The water is a cloudy, milky white sulfur spring, fed into a large indoor bath with a cypress-wood tub, a semi-open-air bath and a garden open-air bath, each split by gender. From the baths you can take in a panorama of the Yokokura slope and the surrounding trees, lit up for night skiing in winter. There's no mixed bathing and no private family bath, and the guest rooms have ordinary bathrooms rather than their own onsen baths, so the hot spring is enjoyed in the shared baths. The hotel itself is older and unpretentious rather than a polished resort, known for calm rooms, hearty food, and an easy walk to the lifts.