It was expensive, but I got to stay at a 300 year old ryokan at Zao Onsen. It's the first time someone has been waiting for me with my name on a card (at the bus terminal) and we didn't tell them what time of day we were arriving! This was part of dinner:
Kaiseki Meal at Takamiya Ryokan by
RobGeraghty, on Flickr
At the top of the ropeway, the trees become so covered in snow and ice, they are being called snow monsters. When I read that the Japanese word was juhyo, I wanted to know if it was some sort of yokai (spirit), but the word simply means an ice covered tree.
Juhyou by
RobGeraghty, on Flickr
Snow Monsters by
RobGeraghty, on Flickr
Even the pylons of the upper ropeway are white with ice and snow, making the photo look like it's infra-red!
Upper Zao Ropeway by
RobGeraghty, on Flickr