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,
Iain enjoying the deep fresh even on the pistes in nearby Madarao.
Base up top: 250 cm Temp Top; -9 Degrees
Base at bottom; 130 cm
New Snow since close: 5 cm
Weather; Snow showers
After an insane day yesterday the snowfalls have abated and at the moment we have some interesting oceanic weather conditions. Highly isolated light snow showers mixed with clouds and sunny breaks. The temperatures are pretty cold, especially up top where -9C is the current reading.
The fresh powder is deep and plentiful across all areas of the resort. Its hard to go wrong anywhere really. Groomers are fast and soft, trees and off piste has vast tracts of deep powder. Areas that were too deep yesterday should be just right as the snow will have consolidated since yesterday. There are dangerous conditions in the backcountry, be careful please.
Too speak of which, yesterday was a real surprise. While moderate snowfalls were expected all day we were actually greeted with stunning bluebird conditions. A perfect combination for any skier or boarding when combined with the half meter of fresh from the night before.
Looking at the predicted forecast we should experience isolated snow showers for the rest of today. Tomorrow snowfalls are set to increase in intensity peaking overnight. Light snowfalls are expected to continue until tuesday when we expect a clearing trend. Wednesday should be fine and sunny at this point in time.
Good news, its dumping in Nozawa Onsen! The snow started to fall earlier than expected just after dark last night and after a brief respite during the early hours of the morning began to fall at heavier levels around 3am this morning. Temperatures are still rather moderate sitting around 0 in the village and -4C up top, although we expected this to drop later in the day.
Best snow conditions will be found on the upper half of the mountain this morning which received the most amount of fresh overnight and suffered the least in yesterdays warmth. Seek shelter and improved visibility by skiing in or close to the tree lined runs. Yamabiko will be nice with all the new snow. For beginners today, best to stick to the lower runs which will have better visibility and less wind.
Yesterday was ok in the morning up high with nice fast conditions, however became slushy during the afternoon. Luckily the expected rain held off and we only had some very light drizzle down in the village.
We have a brilliant week ahead for anyone skiing in Japan. Cold temperatures and continued snowfalls are expected well into next week, probably Wednesday at least. The heaviest falls will occur today, tomorrow night and then again on Sunday night, with moderate falls filling in the gaps.
Expect conditions like this over the next week in Nozawa Onsen.
Liz, Alex and Tim from Canberra enjoying their time in Nozawa Onsen.
Base up top: 200 cm Temp Top; +4 Degrees
Base at bottom; 80 cm
New Snow since close: 0 cm
Weather; Overcast
We have a marginal morning here in Nozawa Onsen. The good news is that high clouds are racing across the skies indicating an approaching cold front expected tonight. But for the time being we have prefrontal warmth with temperatures into the positives. Best areas for skiing today will be the groomed runs which should be slightly wet, especially later in the day.
Yesterday was yet another great day in Nozawa Onsen. Good knee deep off piste conditions remained until the afternoon, when the snow became slightly heavy. The visibility was outstanding, almost as good as it gets with views all the way to Hakuba and the western coastline. It was a great day to burn down the groomers to such views, especially considering the uncrowded slopes.
The expected forecast continues to impress. From tomorrow we should expect a lengthy cold outbreak with sustained moderate snowfalls, becoming heavy at times. The first flakes should fall overnight tonight becoming heavy by early morning and remaining that way for most of tomorrow. From then we expect further snowfalls until at least Monday, probably longer. Temperatures should be very cold (-10 to -15C up top) ensuring the snow quality is as good as it gets. Winds are expected to be moderate for most of the time.
Kelsey rides deep untracked fresh during the heart of the snowstorm yesterday.
Base up top: 210 cm Temp Top; -10 Degrees
Base at bottom; 90 cm
New Snow since close: 1 cm
Weather; Sunny
We have a picture perfect morning in Nozawa Onsen. Crystal clear blue sky with not a cloud in sight, light winds, very cold temperatures and plenty of deep fresh. Atmospheric visibility is top notch so the views from the top will be superb. Look west for views of the Sea of Japan and Sado island offshore.
Today all piste courses will be excellent; fast and smooth and will remain that way well into the afternoon with the light crowds. All upper off piste areas will be outstanding with vast expanses of untracked powder.
Yesterday turned out much better than expected. The morning was very cold and windy and snowfalls increased becoming heavy around lunchtime. The heavy snow quickly filled in tracked areas and the limited vis kept the crowds at bay. Seeking shelter in the trees was the place to be with deep accumulated fresh. By mid afternoon the snowfalls and wind abated providing exceptional winter views across the valley.
Make the most of the sunshine while it lasts as we are about to enter a very snowy period. Tomorrow will be marginal with warm prefrontal temps and possible rain lower down. Heavy snow is forecast to set in Wednesday night and we should expect falls to fluctuate between moderate and heavy until at least Sunday. Temperatures will be very cold with the freezing height falling to about sea level. This is the most impressive and prolonged system we have seen so far this winter.
The light snow just docent seem to stop here in Nozawa Onsen. At the moment we have quite cold temperatures and continued flurries which have lasted the night. Since close of lifts 5cm has been added up top, 8cm mid mountain indication windblown conditions. Conditions will be excellent across the whole mountain. Groomers will be fast and smooth. The trees and off piste will have superb moderately deep powder stashes. Nice!
Since yesterday the crowds have dramatically dropped off as Japanese tourists return home after their holidays. Reports from the mountain indicated plentiful fresh lines well into the afternoon, even in the more frequented haunts.
The current forecast looks even more promising than current conditions. Overnight we have seen an upgrade in the system expected in the second half of this week. The system is quite cold and strong with a classic NW winter airflow which will pick up substantial moisture from the Sea of Japan. We expect the first snow to fall Wednesday night some time building in intensity over Thursday. Friday should be very cold with continued moderate snowfalls and Saturday should see a possible clearing trend. As a bonus the prefrontal warmth expected Wednesday has been slightly downgraded, with cooler conditions predicted. It looks like the week ahead will be very good indeed.
