Few tourists make it to YAMAGATA , a large, workaday city ringed by high mountains, and those that do are usually just passing through. Apart from a couple of engaging museums, Yamagata's prime attraction is as a base for the atmospheric temples of Yamadera and Zao Onsen . Zao-san provides excellent summer hiking, while winter transforms these mountains into one of Japan's top three ski resorts, known for its deep snow and beguiling "snow monsters" – fir trees engulfed in wind-sculpted ice and snow. more »