Photography

The Snow Monsters of Mount Zao

Winter conditions atop Japan’s Mount Zao can create “monsters” made of snow and ice that accumulates on trees. These snow monsters, called juhyo, attract visitors to one of the country’s oldest ski resorts.

By Alan Taylor
A stand of small trees, all completely covered by thick frost and snow, at night, lit by multi-colored lights
David Mareuil / Anadolu / Getty
Frost-covered conifers called “snow monsters,” or juhyo in Japanese, are illuminated by spotlights that sit on a slope of Mount Zao on the night of February 8, 2022, in Yamagata prefecture, Tohoku region, Japan.
A snow-covered mountain slope, with a stand of trees covered in thick snow and ice
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Frozen “snow monsters” stand on a mountain slope in Japan.
Snow-covered trees, seen in silhouette at sunset
Carl Court / Getty
Strangely shaped snow-covered trees, nicknamed “snow monsters,” are silhouetted by the setting sun at the summit of Mount Zao on January 19, 2019.
A person stands among small trees that are completely covered in snow and ice.
Koichi Kamoshida / Getty
Trees atop Mount Zao are illuminated on February 10, 2007, in Yamagata prefecture, Japan.
A cable car passes trees covered with ice and snow.
Koichi Kamoshida / ZUMA Press Wire / Reuters
A cable car passes trees covered with ice and snow at Zao Ski Resort on February 22, 2011.
Small trees, completely covered in thick snow and ice
Koichi Kamoshida / Getty
Illuminated “snow monsters” on Mount Zao on February 10, 2007
People walk on a mountain slope among snow-and-ice-covered trees
Hidenori Nagai / The Yomiuri Shimbun / Reuters
Ice monsters are seen at Zao Ski Resort in Yamagata City on February 27, 2023.
Snow-covered trees on a windy day
Tomohiro Ohsumi / Getty
Snow-covered trees stand on a windy day atop Mount Zao on February 13, 2024.
Skiers pass gigantic ice deposits on trees.
Kyodo / Reuters
Skiers pass gigantic ice deposits on trees at a ski resort in the city of Yamagata on February 2, 2011.
Snow-and-frost-covered trees stand on a mountainside, seen at night.
David Mareuil / Anadolu / Getty
Frost-covered “snow monsters,” illuminated by spotlights, decorate the snowy landscape of Mount Zao on the night of February 8, 2022.
People walk near trees covered in thick snow and ice.
David Mareuil / Anadolu / Getty
Snow monsters stand above visitors on Mount Zao, on February 8, 2022.
Snow-covered trees cover the slopes of a mountain.
Carl Court / Getty
Snow-covered trees cover the slopes of Mount Zao on January 19, 2019, near Yamagata, Japan.
Frost-covered trees, illuminated by lights at night
David Mareuil / Anadolu / Getty
Frost-covered “snow monsters” are illuminated by spotlights on Mount Zao on the night of February 8, 2022.
Frost-covered trees stand on a wind-blown snow-covered slope.
Tomohiro Ohsumi / Getty
“Snow monsters” stand on a wind-blown slope of Mount Zao on February 13, 2024.
Snow-covered trees stand on a mountain slope, seen at sunset.
Koichi Kamoshida / Jana Press / ZUMA Press Wire / Reuters
“Snow monsters” cover a slope at Zao Ski Resort in Yamagata prefecture, Japan, on February 22, 2011.

About the Author

Alan Taylor is a senior editor at The Atlantic.
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