Some three hours north of Tokyo, via Japan Rail's Yamagata Shinkansen, is Zao Onsen in Yamagata prefecture, one of Japan's largest ski/winter resorts. Here snow sports are king, thanks to the area's excellent powder conditions and wide range of courses covering a large area. However, what sets this ski resort apart from most others in the world are the natural hot spring onsen baths and the mysterious, natural Juhyo ("Snow Monster") ice sculptures - Because of Zao's unique weather conditions, trees become completely covered in ice and snow so that they no longer look like trees at all. Instead they look like eerie snow monsters!  keep reading