A Two-Day Road Trip with Zao Fox Village — and a Night in a 100-Year-Old House
Most people see Zao Fox Village in a rushed day trip. With a rental car and one night in southern Miyagi, you can see it unhurried and still have an evening that feels like more than a hotel room. Here are two ways to do it, using our house in Kakuda — about 50 minutes from the village — as the base.
Plan A: foxes first, then a late check-in
Best if you fly into Sendai or come up by Shinkansen in the morning.
Day 1
- 10:30Pick up a rental car at Sendai Airport or Sendai Station.
- 12:00Lunch in Shiroishi — the town is known for umen, short, thin noodles. Shiroishi Castle, rebuilt in wood, is close by.
- 13:30Zao Fox Village, about 20–30 minutes from central Shiroishi. Allow 1–1.5 hours. In winter, last entry is 15:30.
- 15:30Drive about 50 minutes to Kakuda. Stop at a supermarket on the way for dinner and breakfast.
- 16:30Let yourselves in with the key box. Cook together, sit on the engawa, then a film on the 100-inch screen.
Day 2
- MorningA slow breakfast. The Marusen storehouse, said to be home to zashiki-warashi child spirits, is a one-minute walk away; Daikoyama Park, with a full-size H-II rocket model, is a short drive.
- 10:00Check out and drive on — Sendai Airport is about 45 minutes, or continue south into Fukushima.
Plan B: arrive late, be at the gate when it opens
Best if you spend day 1 in Sendai or Matsushima, or have a long drive in. The fox village is quietest in the first hour, and from Kakuda you can be there for it.
Day 1
- DaytimeSightseeing elsewhere — Sendai, Matsushima, the coast.
- By 23:00Arrive in Kakuda and check yourselves in. There is no front desk waiting for you, so you can take your time getting here.
Day 2
- 8:00Leave the key in the box and set off. Early departures are fine — there is no checkout desk.
- 9:00Zao Fox Village as it opens.
- 10:30Continue up the mountain to the Okama crater lake via the Zao Echo Line (open about late April to early November), or to Shiroishi Castle and lunch.
Driving tips
- Licence: bring an International Driving Permit (1949 Geneva Convention) or, if your country requires it, an official Japanese translation of your licence. Check with your rental company.
- Tolls: the route from Kakuda to the fox village uses local roads, so there are no tolls.
- Parking: the house has free parking for 3 cars.
- Winter: from December to March make sure your rental car has winter tyres; the road up to the village can be snowy. See our winter guide.
- Save money: renting a car for 2+ days and staying in Miyagi between 1 October 2026 and 15 February 2027 qualifies for the Miyagi Drive & Stay campaign — ¥5,000 in e-money per car, or an alternative reward for overseas residents. Apply online by the day before check-in.
More ideas nearby
For full two-day courses in every season — cherry blossoms and a samurai castle in spring, rockets and the crater lake in summer, snow monsters and winter strawberries in winter — see our seasonal courses. For the fox village itself, start with the practical guide.
