My experience with Gassan-ski and in particular Waka-san from start to finish was the true definition of omotenashi.

Waka-san and I first started communications in March 2024 for a tailored solo trip that I was planning for in March 2025. They have always been transparent regarding the best options to make the most of my trip and that made me even more confident when it came down to booking and finalizing my trip with them.

There was clear and constant communication up until the day of the trip. The lodging at Pole Pole Farm was amazing with the staff being so accommodating to my needs.

Waka-san is an amazing tour director and made sure that my stay at Pole Pole and my time on the slopes was truly memorable, I felt like a local exploring the beautiful prefecture of Yamagata. Despite being a solo tour I never felt like I was alone/lonely and this is a testament to Pole Pole Farms warm atmosphere and Waka-san's guidance.

The snow guiding is top notch with each local guide knowing every inch of the mountain and secret powder stashes. Most importantly is the safety aspect which is highlighted by each guide before and during the tour.

I can't wait to come back to Yamagata and to once again experience the wonderful hospitality of Waka-san and the team at Gassan Ski!
See our video here

We booked this tour with Waka-san and it exceeded our expectations.

After a first trip to Hokkaido and Nagano last year, we were surprised by the dominance of Australian, NZ and US nationals over the guiding companies, lodging and even bars. We found it hard to be in touch with the Japanese culture in these regions (beside the daily onsen maybe?). We were keen to come back to Japan but not so keen to use the services of these large foreign guiding companies. We therefore decided to look for a Japanese guiding company and to increase our chance of success, we focused on the lesser-known region of Tohoku. Thanks to powderhounds.com, we found the Gassan guiding company and the Tohoku tour checked all our boxes. We booked without any hesitation. Best decision we ever made.

1- Waka-san is a first-class tour planner. He is always available and reverts very quickly. This gives confidence right from the beginning. He created a highly personalised ski tour (mixed of ski touring and lift-supported BC skiing) across the region. As per our wishes, he chose very nice accommodations in Japanese-style hotels and Ryokan in cities that are worth visiting.

2- We had two guides who gave their best to fulfil our expectations. We were lucky with the conditions (fresh snow) and the guides always knew where to take us for some very nice tree lines and long runs (not so easy to find in Japan). We were a group of 4 expert skiers, and we felt that the guiding skills were always on point.

3- The Tohoku region is still well-preserved from massive ski tourism which makes it very enjoyable for those who wish to experience the Japanese culture. Small cities, small resorts, good food, very local onsens and a lot of fun exploring these mountains.

I thought about being selfish and not write a review about this tour. Tohoku is still “relatively” under the radar of the international powder skiing community and I hope it will stay like that for some more years. I would hate to see the region becoming the new Hokkaido or Nagano. But it would also not be fair to Gassan to not recognise the perfect tour planning and guiding. They made our trip unforgettable, and they really deserve this 5-star review.

This tour is for you if you want to combine Japanese-culture and powder skiing. This tour is not for you if you are used to the US/AUS/NZ guiding company style with luxury vans, apres-ski beers in a pub in Niseko or if you are not ready to put skins on and hike up to get to the lines.
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Waka-san as tour operator and Ito-san as guide gave me an unforgettable day at Zao Onsen.
I have been to Japan many times and visited a lot of ski stations, often with guides, but today may have been the best day yet in Japan. Even though the snow was old, Ito-san found some amazing lines in fresh powder. We mixed up gentle but fun terrain through the snow monsters, along with steeper and deeper stuff in other parts of the resort. Snowshoes were provided to allow us to access some great untapped terrain.
Ito-san was really responsive and flexible to my wishes and also adapted our plan to include dropping in on my non skiing partner who was in the mountain top cafe. He had a great friendly but professional attitude and bought lots of positive energy, and a winning smile.
Waka-san as tour operator was really responsive to my enquiry and subsequent emails, his Englush is excellent, and he ensured everything went off super smoothly.
We were interested in doing the night cruise to the snow monsters and Waka-san actually stayed online to book the tickets for us when the came available (they are snapped up super quick as soon as they are released) - he really went above and beyond my expectations.
Ichiban guide; ichiban company - arigato gozaimasu!
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A group of us one of the best days skiing I’ve ever experienced with Waka and the other guides.

I felt super safe and comfortable when we explored Mount Zao. We wanted to explore areas we wouldn’t be able to find on our own and we were not disappointed!

Overall had the most increasingly day and would happily book again the next time we are in the area!

Thanks Waka!
See our video here

Wow. What a fantastic day. Amazing skiing, great care, fun and laughter, Would never have found the places we went and appreciated the real desire for us to enjoyed the day. Totally recommend Waka and guides.
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Waka and his team provided an amazing day of exploring the hidden powder areas of Zao Onsen. We explored areas we wouldn’t have known about, and they looked after us perfectly. They were very fun to spend the day with also. The tea break in the Snow Monsters was a highlight! 10/10 recommend to anyone visiting Zao Onsen looking for a a bit of an adventure. The tour will look after the range in ability levels and make you feel very safe.
See our video here

Waka & his dad & Ito were a terrific start to our family of 5 ski holiday in Zao Onsen.
Helped book, deliver & fit gear to hotel day before & we had a very full day skiing & learning & exploring until we could ski no more! Very friendly and helpful. 5 stars!
See our video here

We need a shorter variant of this tour & it was such a breath of fresh air to hang out with Waka and Nobi. This tour provided local ski-jo experiences, nice Japanese food, some backcountry ski touring, and lovely local guides.

Rather than taking a cat shuttle, on our first day we went backcountry ski touring on Yudonosan. The approach was mellow and long before we got to some pitchier sections in the trees, and then up to the vast alpine area. It was a spectacular fine day which is rare in winter, and we could appreciate the vastness of the three mountains and the many backcountry options, and it was easy to see why people would worship these mountains. The snow was nice in the morning but by the afternoon it had gone a little sour. We got a few nice lines in which probably weren’t as pitchy as we’d like, although conservatism is somewhat common with Japanese guides and we probably should have made more suggestions to see what was feasible. It was a holiday weekend and considering the nice weather, there were lots of locals out ski touring and snowshoeing so the ski-out was very tracked.

We also visited two little ski-jos where we could mingle with the locals. Yudonosan was teeming considering the holiday weekend, but there were fresh lines in the off-piste areas. It’s a mostly mellow ski area but it was still fun.

Asahi Shizenkan was really quiet and we had the lovely tree skiing to ourselves.

We also went to local ski area in Miyagi, Sumikawa, where we had a play and took a snowcat shuttle and skinned up to the top of Mt Zao to see the rime covered shrine which was pretty cool.

Staying at Pole Pole was part of the very personalised boutique experience and the staff were incredibly warm and hospitable. The cottage was lovely and it was great to have a table and living area and kitchen, although we didn’t use the latter much, other than to make a coffee, have a drink, and to eat the prepared breakfast. The twin beds were very comfortable, which is not something you take for granted in Japan, and there were both western and Japanese style pillows. Dinner the first night started with sashimi and a few other treats which then morphed into shabu shabu with wagyu beef. The bar had a nice selection of beer, sake and whiskey. Dinner the next night was also impressive and included wagyu steak, fish, rice and other accompaniments, topped off with ice-cream and more beautiful hospitality. One afternoon we had a soak in the onsen bath which was a relaxing after a day out backcountry touring.

This was a great tour to get away from the hordes and off the beaten path of international ski destinations, to experience the lesser known real Japan.
See our video here

What a breath of fresh air to hang out with Waka and Nobi for a few days. We’d been in Hokkaido, where many parts were rather busy and internationalised, and if it wasn’t for the snow, we might have wondered whether we were in Japan or not. This tour provided local ski-jo experiences, nice Japanese food, some backcountry ski touring, and lovely local guides.

Gassan Ski is a very boutique outfit that’s still in its infancy so processes are not fully cemented as yet, so the experiences can be quite flexible and Waka is so incredibly enthusiastic to ensure that you have a great time.

Rather than taking a cat shuttle, on our first day we went backcountry ski touring on Yudonosan. The approach was mellow and long before we got to some pitchier sections in the trees, and then up to the vast alpine area. It was a spectacular fine day which is rare in winter, and we could appreciate the vastness of the three mountains and the many backcountry options, and it was easy to see why people would worship these mountains. The snow was nice in the morning but by the afternoon it had gone a little sour. We got a few nice lines in which probably weren’t as pitchy as we’d like, although conservatism is somewhat common with Japanese guides and we probably should have made more suggestions to see what was feasible. It was a holiday weekend and considering the nice weather, there were lots of locals out ski touring and snowshoeing so the ski-out was very tracked.

The next day we visited two little ski-jos where we could mingle with the locals. Yudonosan was teeming considering the holiday weekend, but there were fresh lines in the off-piste areas. It’s a mostly mellow ski area and you can see our Yudonosan overview for more information and our review.

We stopped at a cute Japanese restaurant for lunch and then onto Asahi Shizenkan which was really quiet and we had the lovely tree skiing to ourselves. You can see our Shizenkan overview and review. Afterwards we visited a unique onsen.

The next day we went to another local ski area in Miyagi, Sumikawa where we had a play and took a snowcat shuttle and skinned up to the top of Mt Zao to see the rime covered shrine which was pretty cool.

Staying at Pole Pole was also a very personalised boutique experience and the interactions with the staff were so warm and friendly. See our Pole Pole review.

Just to reiterate, this was a nice tour to get away from the hordes and off the beaten path of international ski destinations, to experience the lesser known real Japan.
See our video here

It was such a breath of fresh air to hang out with Waka and Nobi. This tour provided local ski-jo experiences, nice Japanese food, some backcountry ski touring (we did a slightly different variant of this tour that included a day of backcountry touring), and lovely local guides.

We visited two little ski-jos where we could mingle with the locals. Yudonosan was teeming considering the holiday weekend, but there were fresh lines in the off-piste areas. It’s a mostly mellow ski area but it was still fun.

Asahi Shizenkan was really quiet and we had the lovely tree skiing to ourselves.

We also hiked up to the top of Mt Zao to see the rime covered shrine which was pretty cool.

On one day we went backcountry ski touring on Yudonosan. The approach was mellow and long before we got to some pitchier sections in the trees, and then up to the vast alpine area. It was a spectacular fine day which is rare in winter, and we could appreciate the vastness of the three mountains and the many backcountry options, and it was easy to see why people would worship these mountains. The snow was nice in the morning but by the afternoon it had gone a little sour. We got a few nice lines in which probably weren’t as pitchy as we’d like, although conservatism is somewhat common with Japanese guides and we probably should have made more suggestions to see what was feasible. It was a holiday weekend and considering the nice weather, there were lots of locals out ski touring and snowshoeing so the ski-out was very tracked.

Staying at Pole Pole was part of the very personalised boutique experience and the staff were incredibly warm and hospitable. The cottage was lovely and it was great to have a table and living area and kitchen, although we didn’t use the latter much, other than to make a coffee, have a drink, and to eat the prepared breakfast. The twin beds were very comfortable, which is not something you take for granted in Japan, and there were both western and Japanese style pillows. Dinner the first night started with sashimi and a few other treats which then morphed into shabu shabu with wagyu beef. The bar had a nice selection of beer, sake and whiskey. Dinner the next night was also impressive and included wagyu steak, fish, rice and other accompaniments, topped off with ice-cream and more beautiful hospitality. One afternoon we had a soak in the onsen bath which was a relaxing after a day out backcountry touring.

This was a great tour to get away from the hordes and off the beaten path of international ski destinations, to experience the lesser known real Japan.
See our video here

Would you like a local experience, where you hear japanese in the lift and not english, then Yamagata is a great destination. Enjoy fantastic snow, experience snow-monsters, onsen and local food. Live at the Pole Pole farm either either as a sole traveller or in a cosy house. The service was top, breakfast got served in the house and the guides english was superb. We experienced different spots with various difficulty levels which was enjoyable. I would go again and recommend.
See our video here

Would you like a local experience, where you hear japanese in the lift and not english, then Yamagata is a great destination. Enjoy fantastic snow, experience snow-monsters, onsen and local food. Live at the Pole Pole farm either either as a sole traveller or in a cosy house. The service was top, breakfast got served in the house and the guides english was superb. We experienced different spots with various difficulty levels which was enjoyable. I would go again and recommend.
See our video here

Wakatsuki (Waka) Yu is the best guide ever! If you're ever in Zao Onsen or in the Yamagata area, Zao Guided Day Tours is a must. You will find powder paradise. We were blessed with a bluebird powder day to snowboard among the snow monsters. Although he said it wasn't a good season for snow, we found some freshies. And, there was good coverage. Waka used his phone and a go-pro to video my rides, which were well filmed. We went through some trees and found some Ja-pow. Waka carried a tea and a hot snack drink, oshiruko or zenzai. He set up his skis in the powder for a mid-morning break among the trees. It was the most amazing guided experience I've ever had, and I've gone heli-boarding with a guide in Whistler and Teluride, had a guide through back country Jackson Hole, and also Asahidake (no trails). Waka stands out as best of them all!

Being a very fast telemark skier, Waka could get through flats easily and would always give me a push or pull (as a snowboarder).

We found some nice trees and the steepest slope, Yokokura Wall 38 degrees, at the end of the day.
After riding, we found a local fish shop that also cooked and served the freshest seafood for lunch! It stood in the shadow of the Kaminoyama Castle and a lovely bakery with mochi. We visited both.

Waka had some Japanese glove tips that the guides use, and we went looking for the special 850 yen riding gloves. Then we visited a local farmer's market and a beautiful onsen on the way back to Zao.

This was a magical day with the knowledge, skill, expertise, kindness and generosity of Wakatsuki Yu of the Zao Guided Day Tours! I recommend them highly!!! Five stars *****!!! Domo arigato!!!!
See our video here