Hijacking the thread a little ... have any of you ski'ied in Zao Onsen before by any chance?
Thinking of doing a late-Feb short trip there because (partially) of the Zao snow monsters and proximity to the Zao Fox Village.
Google/TripAdvisor seems to suggest that the ski infrastructure / equipment rental there is old and limited? For comparison I've only ever ski'ed in Nozawa Onsen in Japan.