About a 40-minute drive from downtown Tsuruoka.
At the foot of Mount Yudono—one of the three sacred peaks of Dewa Sanzan—there’s a ski resort that, every winter, draws skiers from all over Japan.
It’s not a flashy resort.
There are no big hotels, no hot springs.
And yet, there’s something here that makes you think, “I came all this way for this.”
There’s only one reason.
To meet “Saburo-san.”
Saburo Watanabe, a legend in the ski world.
There’s a name that so many visitors to Yudonosan Ski Resort mention.
“Saburo-san”—that’s the affectionate nickname for Saburo Watanabe, a former member of Japan’s national moguls team.
From a young age, he competed on the world stage as a top athlete, and after retiring he spent many years working as a coach.
Today, skiers across Japan know him as “the instructor you want to meet.”
But when you actually meet him, you’re surprised by how approachable he is.
On the slopes he’s always smiling, sharing that warmth with everyone—kids and adults alike, without distinction.
That kind of personality is exactly what draws so many fans to him.
At Yudonosan, there are plenty of regulars who come back again and again just to see Saburo-san.
Some even travel all the way from Kansai or Kanto.
Some come to learn technique, and others come simply because they “just want to see him.”
In the quiet snow of Yudonosan, his very presence is what creates the warmth of this slope.
Why Yudonosan?
Why did Saburo Watanabe—someone who knows ski resorts all across Japan—choose Tsuruoka’s Yudonosan as his home base?
When you ask him why, he smiles a little and answers like this.
“You know, the snow here is alive.”
Mount Yudono, one of the three sacred peaks of Dewa Sanzan, has long been revered as a place where the mountain itself is an object of worship.
Because the natural environment is so harsh, the snow is delicate too—its character changes completely from day to day.
“Working with nature means exactly that.
It’s interesting precisely because no two days are the same.”
There are no flashy hotels or tourist streets at Yudonosan.
But that’s exactly why it offers an environment where you can face the snow in a pure, undistracted way.
For him—someone who values feeling over technique—this mountain is the ideal classroom.
Yudonosan Ski Resort as the stage.
Yudonosan Ski Resort is about a 40-minute drive from central Tsuruoka.
At higher elevation, the snow is light and fluffy.
Just skiing here naturally brings a smile to your face—
that kind of “everyday-accessible escape” exists right here.
The courses aren’t overwhelmingly large, so beginners can practice with confidence.
At the same time, there are steep ungroomed sections too—making it popular with advanced skiers as well.
And more than anything, this slope has a human warmth to it.
When you get off the lift, Saburo-san greets you with a smile: “Great snow today!”
With just that one line, even the cold starts to feel oddly comforting.
More recently, a terrain course called “R Tengoku,” designed by snowpark designer Jun Maruyama, has become a big hit.
It’s turned into a shared playground where skiers and snowboarders, kids and adults alike, can enjoy the same snow together.
You can find more details about R Tengoku here.
There’s something about Yudonosan’s snow that mysteriously brings smiles to people’s faces.
Maybe it’s because, at the heart of it all, there’s someone like Saburo-san.
A place where people connect.
On the slopes of Yudonosan, people’s distance from one another seems to shrink in a natural way.
As you ski, you start chatting without thinking, and up on the lift, strangers find themselves laughing together.
And the spark is almost always Saburo-san.
Around him, people gather regardless of age or where they’re from—connected by just one thing: a love of snow.
Even with someone you’ve just met, you somehow end up feeling like teammates before you know it.
And then, almost without realizing, you find yourself meeting again—same season, same place.
That kind of warm connection is alive in this mountain.
“Snow brings people together,” he says with a smile.
Saburo-san’s words feel like they carry the very air of Yudonosan itself.
Hot springs you’ll want to stop by on the way back from Yudonosan.
After a full day of playing in the snow, you’ll want to warm your body up slowly.
In that case, a great option is a day-use hot spring about a 20-minute drive from Yudonosan Ski Resort,
“Obako no Sato Komagi”
A spacious indoor bath and an open-air bath with views of the surrounding mountains.
The water is a gentle sodium chloride spring with a smooth feel on the skin, warming you slowly all the way to your chilled fingertips and toes.
It’s also a relaxing spot where locals casually gather, and for travelers, it’s a hot spring where you can really feel everyday life in Shonai.
Since it’s conveniently located along the route back from Yudonosan to downtown Tsuruoka, it completes the ideal winter plan: “ski → soak → stay the night.”
A place to rest your mind after the snow.
As the sun goes down, you come down from the mountain and head into Tsuruoka.
After about a 40-minute drive from Yudonosan, you arrive amid an old townscape,静かなたたずまいの宿 「watausagi」がある。
This is a place where travelers and skiers can “stay as if they live here,” and rest their bodies for tomorrow.
We are happy to offer clean and safe accommodations at an affordable price.
During this period, the entire house can be rented exclusively for groups of 8 to 20 people.
It is also used by ski and snowboard training camps.
Please feel free to contact us for inquiries.
Access notes
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Yudonosan Ski Resort (104 Rokujurigiyama, Tamugimata, Tsuruoka City)
About a 40-minute drive from Tsuruoka Station -
Guesthouse Watausagi (6-57 Sengokucho, Tsuruoka City)
Located in the city center · Free parking available · Popular with female travelers
❄️ Ending
The snow of Yudonosan isn’t just white.
In every single flake, time has quietly accumulated—time shaped by nature and by people living alongside it.
Saburo Watanabe’s skiing, Jun Maruyama’s R Tengoku, and the warmth waiting for you in the town of Tsuruoka as well.
All of it connects, coming together as a single expression of Tsuruoka’s winter charm.
A trip that begins as a journey to meet the snow quietly turns into a journey to meet people.
That, I think, is the true charm of Yudonosan.
That's all for today's article.
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