YAYU SNOW · YAYU ADVENTURE · ZAO SKI RESORT · TOHOKU

F.A.Q

From gear rental and lift tickets to transport and lessons, find answers to the questions riders ask most.

“ Flow With Nature. Ride With Rhythm. ”

SCROLL

Lift Tickets / Gear / The Resort

※ Need help planning your route? Message us any time. YAYU Official LINE: @yayusnow

First-time skiers and riders: on day 1 you only need a point ticket. Buy a full one-day pass for days 2 and 3.

Experienced riders: a one-day pass is the best value from the start.

※ Any questions, just get in touch. YAYU Official LINE: @yayusnow

We recommend the following rental shop in Yamagata Zao Onsen:
—————————-
Best Rental Pro Shop
Show this page for ¥500 off
—————————-

What you can rent

  • Available in store: snowboard (SB), skis (SKI), jacket and pants, helmet, goggles, gloves.
  • We suggest bringing your own: protective gear (knee, wrist and hip pads, helmet), waterproof insulated gloves, and goggles.

Peak season notice

  • There are only a handful of rental shops in Yamagata Zao. We strongly recommend collecting your gear before 08:00 so you can meet your instructor at 08:30 — and skip the queue.
  • If you arrive the day before, stop by the shop in the evening to try gear on and reserve it, then simply pick it up the next morning. (Subject to the shop’s cleaning schedule.)

Making the process faster

  • Shops generally accept both credit cards and cash.
  • Prepare your details in advance. For larger groups, we suggest one person collects the following for everyone:
    • Snowboard or ski
    • Number of days, full name (in Roman letters), height, shoe size
    • Renting outerwear (jacket + pants) and a helmet?
    • Renting the accessory set (goggles + gloves + beanie)?
    • Name of your hotel

Storage and returns

  • For multi-day rentals you can either take your gear back to the hotel or leave it at the shop overnight.
  • On your final day, please return everything before 17:00.

The rental shop staff will take care of everything — selecting your gear, confirming sizes, and showing you how to put it on.
Before your lesson begins, your instructor will double-check that everything is adjusted correctly and run through a short briefing so you can start with confidence.
If you would prefer your instructor to accompany you to the rental shop, we’re happy to arrange it — please note that this time counts toward your lesson.

Yes — Zao Onsen Ski Resort has coin lockers.
Sky Cable (Ropeway Station No. 4) also offers short-term storage for large luggage.

We don’t currently run a shuttle. We recommend asking your hotel’s front desk to call a taxi to the meeting point.

Yamagata Zao Taxi
Tel: 023-694-9611

Lesson meeting point
The open area in front of Best Rental, Uwanodai area

Google Maps:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/knquwx8xvQ5ZQmQe7?g_st=ic

Insurance

1. All students (Japanese third-party liability insurance):

  • Underwritten by Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.
  • Maximum cover for accidents / damage to facilities: ¥100,000,000
  • Maximum cover for facility repair costs: ¥10,000,000
  • Maximum legal fees: ¥3,000,000

2. Taiwanese nationals departing from Taiwan (additional cover):

  • Accidental death and disability (specified activities): NT$1,000,000
  • Medical expenses (specified activities, reimbursement basis): NT$100,000
  • Emergency rescue costs (specified activities): NT$500,000

※ If you hold another nationality, please contact us and we’ll walk you through what to arrange. YAYU Official LINE: @yayusnow

Lessons & Instructors

Three days before your lesson we’ll create a LINE group and add your instructor, so you can receive updates and reach us instantly.
If anything comes up before then, just message us. YAYU Official LINE: @yayusnow

We match each student with the instructor best suited to their level, goals and lesson content.

Every YAYU instructor is fully certified and highly experienced, and we hold all of them to the same standard of teaching, technique and service — so you can relax and enjoy your lesson.

Yes — YAYU teaches in Mandarin, English and Japanese. For English or Japanese lessons, please contact us on our official LINE. YAYU Official LINE: @yayusnow

Full-day lesson: 08:30 – 14:30 (including a one-hour break)

Advanced lesson: 15:00 – 17:00

※ Times may change due to weather or other conditions on the mountain.

Teaching and safety always come first. Where conditions allow, your instructor is happy to grab photos or video on a phone so you have something to remember the day by.

DSLR photography service (optional add-on)
¥10,000 per day

What’s included

  • Your lesson shot on a DSLR
  • A curated edit with basic colour grading
  • A download link to the full-resolution files

Absolutely. Photography add-ons must be requested no later than the day before your lesson.
If you’re watching the budget, we’d suggest booking it for your final day — once your riding has come together, the shots look a whole lot better.

Beginners: we recommend 2–3 days for the best rate of progress.

※ To protect teaching quality and learning outcomes, the two-hour advanced lesson is not open to beginners.

Children aged six and above are welcome. For safety, children under 10 are taught one-to-one only.

All our lessons are private. We run lessons from one person up to a maximum of five.

For the best learning experience we suggest keeping groups to four or fewer, with everyone at a similar level — that lets your instructor pace the lesson and structure practice far more effectively.

YAYU offers private lessons only; we don’t combine separate parties into one group. If you’d like to ride with friends or family, we recommend booking together with people at a comparable level.

We accept online card payment and cash. All lesson fees are charged in Japanese yen.

In summer we paddle out toward the horizon at Matsushima.
In winter we ride down toward the horizon at Zao.

At YAYU we believe nature was never something to conquer — it’s a friend worth a lifetime of understanding. From ocean swell to snow-covered peaks, through the turn of the seasons, we’re here to add a little more scenery to everyday life, and a little more freedom to explore.

Get Outside With Us
YAYU 雪祭活動通知