Nozawa Onsen Accommodation, Nagano, The Alps Japan
Nestled in the Japan Alps is a magical place steeped in culture and with some terrific skiing and boarding. Nagano was home to the Winter Olympics in 1998.
Get in touch if keen to get knee deep in powder or neck deep in a Hot Spring soon…
Video
Check out our video of our 4 main properties below.
Nozawa Onsen is a very traditional town with beautiful hot springs, friendly locals, and awesome snow. Our Lodge gives you amazing value and we have a range of accommodation to suit any budget.
The Lodge is only 100m to the slopes and short stroll to town
Relaxed and comfortable atmosphere
In the centre of Japan’s main Island Honshu easy access from anywhere
You can fly direct to Tokyo and there is a shuttle bus direct to the Lodge
English and Japanese Speaking Staff to help with all your needs
Unique and beautiful place with breathtaking nature and culture
Nozawa Village is also famous for its hot springs, there are many nearby
Lots of terrain, with Gondolas, high speed quads, and long runs – very few lift lines
Thanks Mark – we were first invited to Nozawa years ago and have been enjoyed the skiing, the village and your hospitality ever since. Thanks for helping us enjoy it so much,
Yesterday was amazing. Most people went up on the mountain not expecting too much, but were rewarded with powder with a perfect depth for all areas of the resort. Rain the day before had definitely smoothed out the base and with the knee deep fresh layer out top it was prime for high speed rooster tail sprays, yew! There was no crust layer to speak of indicating a nice gradual transition between rain and snow.
Not to mention the views from the top, which were probably the best i’ve personally seen all season. Ice particles floating in the frozen air, clouds meandering through the valleys with the high peaks emerging and a perfect bluebird sky above. Crowds were literally non-existent, fresh tracks all day long.
Today we have conditions which are warmer, but the north facing slopes will still be nice, at least for the morning. Groomed runs will be good all day, nice fast and smooth with the minimal crowds. We should have blue skies for the morning before some clouds roll over during the afternoon.
Further ahead brief snowfalls are expected tonight with around 10-20cm forecast. Weather tomorrow will be partly cloudy with potentially clear conditions during the afternoon. Thursday a brief spike in temperatures preludes cold temperatures and a moderate dump over Friday.
Its a cold and partly cloudy morning here in Nozawa Onsen this morning. We have had some snowfall activity this morning with occasional isolated snow showers passing over the resort. Winds are light at the summit and conditions are expected to clear to full bluebird by the afternoon.
Off piste the best areas will be the upper mountain where strong winds last night will have displaced and deposited some nice knee deep stashes amongst the trees. Lower down where snowfall accumulation has been less will have a definite crust layer sitting below the fresh powder. Groomed runs will be nice across the mountain but lower runs may become scoured and icy in places by the afternoon.
Yesterday was an interesting day. We experienced rain down low in the morning before it turned to snow at about 11am. After that it dumped on and off throughout the day. Snowfall rates during the afternoon were unexpectedly high and with strong winds in the village it definitely felt like a blizzard.
Looking at the forecast ahead we should have a run of fine weather until tomorrow afternoon when further snow showers are possible. A strong system is probable on Friday but until then there is some massive variance in temperatures. This could cause dangerous avalanche conditions over the next week.
There are marginal conditions across Nozawa Onsen this morning. The freezing level is currently sitting at around 1300m and combined with precipitation, it means that it is raining in the village. However the good news is that snow is falling from mid mountain and above with 5cm of fresh recorded overnight at Yamabiko.
The best skiing will be above mid mountain if you can deal with the fog. Otherwise the lower groomers will provide some fun slushy turns. Avoid heading off piste to stay away from sticky moisture affected snow. We expect the freezing level to drop throughout the day and snow should be falling down to the village by around late morning.
Yesterday we also saw quite warm temperatures and again the best runs were the groomers. Luckily the rain held off so the skiing was still nice, especially on the upper reaches of the mountain. Excellent visibility below the high level clouds meant there were some nice views of the surrounding countryside.
According to the forecast the freezing level will drop back down to sea level later today in combination with around of 10-15cm of fresh snow, which is expected to fall across the mountain. Tomorrow we are set to have a fine bluebird day and more snow showers are expected overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.
Have a good Australia day and remember to drop around to Lodge Nagano or Villa Nozawa for some snags and beers this arvo.
Pictures of a recent epic afternoon photo expedition in Nozawa Onsen. For those seeking professional photographs of themselves skiing the deep and steep tree runs of Nozawa Onsen should look no further. We offer professional action photographic/guiding services for skiers of all levels. Drop into Lodge Nagano or Villa Nozawa to make a booking. 8000 yen per hour or 13 000 for two hours per group.
At the moment in Nozawa Onsen we have some high clouds drifting over the resort preceding the cold front we expect to move across the region later tonight. Temperatures are warm, but not as warm as expected. The whole mountain was below freezing overnight so conditions will be firm and fast, before softening later in the afternoon.
Best runs today will be the groomers and the park will also be worth a look. The remaining areas of in bounds powder became tracked out yesterday. However there are still a few stashes on the north facing slopes in the backcountry. Only those who are well equipped and experienced should head outside the resort.
Yesterday was better than expected. Pefrect bluebird and excellent atmospheric clarity delivered views of the Sea of Japan. Even the Hakuba range was visible in the morning before light afternoon haze moved over. Temperatures warmed during the afternoon but Yamabiko and north facing slopes held up well and delivered great top to bottom powder runs. South facing slopes were roasted in the sun, became heavy before developing a crust layer. Groomed runs were nice as always.
Looking at the forecast ahead we should see cold conditions return overnight in combination with light to moderate snowfalls which are set to continue until tomorrow night. Monday looks like it will be mostly clear before further light to moderate snowfalls pass over on Tuesday.
