At Zao Onsen Ski Resort in the city of Yamagata, ice trees conveying a feeling of winter are at their best. Ice trees are formed when snow and ice repeatedly stick to Maries' fir trees on Mount Jizo, which is 1,736 meters high. Standing over 4 meters tall, they are called "ice monsters." Until February 23, people can enjoy the ice trees lit up in the evenings from Friday to Monday.

Note: The ice trees at Zao Onsen Ski Resort, known as juhyo in Japanese, are also often referred to as "snow monsters" in English.

Japanese original

Easy Japanese news is taken from the Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun, a newspaper for children. This is perfect material for anyone studying Japanese who has learned hiragana and katakana. We encourage beginners to read the article in English followed by Japanese, or vice versa, to test their comprehension.

A fresh set will be published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 p.m., Japan time. Click/tap here for past installments.

Intermediate learners who do not need English assistance can directly access the Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun site here. Furigana (hiragana) is added to all kanji in the text.