Zao Kokusai Hotel Yamagata — Hotel in Yamagata

Zao Kokusai ski in ski out resort /hotel ZAO ONSEN||Second Stay at Zao Kokusai with a friend 6 nights + 2 days completely wiped out by severe snow storm w/ high winds which shut almost the entire Zao Onsen ski resort facilities & confined us inside – This hotel fulfils all conditions it was warm & tranquil inside whist roaring blizzard outside. A comprehensive suite of facilities & ski in ski out to the Gondola to Jizo Sancho station up to one of the most ski mountain views in Japan & the famous snow monsters.||It was not dissimilar to my previous stay. An inclusive and exceptional Japanese style dinner which consistently delivered interesting & delicious sometimes unusual culinary experience.||Exquisite Onsen facilities custom designed for relaxation and grooming - sublime and quiet with simple beautiful fittings. Its tranquillity plus….||There was a fare dose of adventure and challenge from getting outside in sub zero temperatures to use the very gorgeous outdoor Onsen. Time spent there in that incredible ambience reinvigorates & restores relaxes, truly amazing. ||Zao gets heaps of Snow its heavy and deep and requires a certain level of overall mental and physical fitness. A custom designed ski in ski out destination for all levels of skiers. Ski equipment rental on site is excellent. ||Would be great to have a western hotel consultant help with development of etiquette guide and translated menus. Mostly we got by I had been here in January 2017 with a friend. We often had no idea what the food composure was – though enjoyed mostly! Just disappointing that we could not know a lot of the amazing and perhaps traditional Japanese foods & delicacies. Great views from the restaurant too. It’s Blissful. I felt that the breakfast requires a refresh and perhaps some investment. Various foods were not kept sufficiently hot and fresh as you might expect. It was good not great! ||Restaurant staff were exceptional faultless patient and kind. Thank you ||this hotel may not be ideal for English only speaking “families” unless you are all adventurous foodies & experienced. The 6 night package for 2 was 3500.00AUD which is surprisingly good value when you consider all the inclusions. ||The only miniscule material complaint overall is the small green bath towel in rooms are insufficient! ||Otherwise it’s still a Great Ski hotel to call home for a week and access my favourite ski...

Zao Kokusai ski in ski out resort /hotel ZAO ONSEN||Second Stay at Zao Kokusai with a friend 6 nights + 2 days completely wiped out by severe snow storm w/ high winds which shut almost the entire Zao Onsen ski resort facilities & confined us inside – This hotel fulfils all conditions it was warm & tranquil inside whist roaring blizzard outside. A comprehensive suite of facilities & ski in ski out to the Gondola to Jizo Sancho station up to one of the most ski mountain views in Japan & the famous snow monsters.||It was not dissimilar to my previous stay. An inclusive and exceptional Japanese style dinner which consistently delivered interesting & delicious sometimes unusual culinary experience.||Exquisite Onsen facilities custom designed for relaxation and grooming - sublime and quiet with simple beautiful fittings. Its tranquillity plus….||There was a fare dose of adventure and challenge from getting outside in sub zero temperatures to use the very gorgeous outdoor Onsen. Time spent there in that incredible ambience reinvigorates & restores relaxes, truly amazing. ||Zao gets heaps of Snow its heavy and deep and requires a certain level of overall mental and physical fitness. A custom designed ski in ski out destination for all levels of skiers. Ski equipment rental on site is excellent. ||Would be great to have a western hotel consultant help with development of etiquette guide and translated menus. Mostly we got by I had been here in January 2017 with a friend. We often had no idea what the food composure was – though enjoyed mostly! Just disappointing that we could not know a lot of the amazing and perhaps traditional Japanese foods & delicacies. Great views from the restaurant too. It’s Blissful. I felt that the breakfast requires a refresh and perhaps some investment. Various foods were not kept sufficiently hot and fresh as you might expect. It was good not great! ||Restaurant staff were exceptional faultless patient and kind. Thank you ||this hotel may not be ideal for English only speaking “families” unless you are all adventurous foodies & experienced. The 6 night package for 2 was 3500.00AUD which is surprisingly good value when you consider all the inclusions. ||The only miniscule material complaint overall is the small green bath towel in rooms are insufficient! ||Otherwise it’s still a Great Ski hotel to call home for a week and access my favourite ski...

After spent a night in a nearby resort at 300usd a night and found it was totally unpleasant. My friend and I discussed if we should move to Kokusai as it is really high pricing. However, we needed something certain for then so we chose Zao Kokusai and it worths paying for eventually. ||The hotel is big and new. The staff are nice and attentive. Even most of them could not speak fluent English, but they are always keen to help. They work so hard and long hours. We really appreciate their spirit and service mind. ||The public onsen room is big and cozy. There are a few private onsen to use. Foot onzen is designed on a corridor which provides nice view. Massage chairs and vending machines are available at the hotel. ||The foods are great both for breakfast and dinner. They serve Wagayama beef for dinner. They are super delicious. ||Hotel ski shop is okay. After rental, you can dress up in the dry room and walk about 200 meters to the slope at Zao ropeway (station #1)||The hotel provides shuttle bus from/to Zao bus station. Also at night, the shuttle bus serve you to Zao rope way for ice monster illumination. ||If there is any doubtful, I put it for the baggage room and the wifi. The baggage room is the room that guests put their luggages before/after your check-in and check-out. The system is everyone put their luggages there, then use a net to cover them and that’s all. Thanks to Japanese honesty, we are comfortable to leave our luggages like that (of course, we take valuable stuff with us). Wifi speed is very slow that I prefer using my data roaming package. ||All in all, I am impressed with the hotel and their service. I will find a chance to go...