An icy winter has transformed the tall trees of the Zao mountain range into wonderous snow sculptures, known as “juhyo,” or “snow monsters,” and conditions are now perfect to see them.

At Zao Onsen Ski Resort in the city of Yamagata, ice trees conveying a feeling of winter are at their best. Ice trees are ...

“Juhyo” ice monsters ... on Mount Kaminodake, aka Kitanomatadake, in Toyama Prefecture in 1923. It is one of the oldest known photos of juhyo, second only to the one shot on the Zao mountain ...