Ice monsters provide the chills at Zao ski resort in Yamagata

YAMAGATA--The “juhyo” ice monsters spawned by a convergence of weather conditions are now at their ferocious best on trees at the Zao Onsen ski resort here.

The enormous, glittering trees covered in hoarfrost and ice stand against the deep blue sky near the ropeway’s Jizo Sancho Station, 1,661 meters above sea level.

A 26-year-old woman from Saitama Prefecture on her first visit to the ski resort said she was deeply impressed with the scenery.

“It is so beautiful that I have forgotten about the cold. I feel so refreshed,” she said.

The spooky-looking white juhyo emerge when weather conditions cause snow to cover every part of a conifer tree.

There are concerns that global warming could affect the growth of the monsters, but the number of visitors to the resort has been increasing, particularly among Taiwanese tourists.

Source: Asahi Shinbun (http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201902030028.html)

Source: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201902030028.html