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…
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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,
It’s another picture perfect morning in Nozawa. Light winds, clear skies and still plenty of fresh snow on offer. Great day for a ski or board!
Best riding will be had on the upper slopes where continual below freezing temperatures have maintained excellent snow quality, with the odd powder stash. Groomed runs will be silky smooth and remain that way as the day draws on. Lower pistes will be firm and fast early, becoming slushy around lunch.
Reports suggest that the spectacular cherry blossoms are coming out in Tokyo at the moment, a sight well worth checking out. Spring is a great time to visit Japan with great skiing right up till May in Nozawa Onsen and other resorts. Afterwards some great hikes, climbs to craggy peaks and steaming volcanoes open up.
Yesterday was a superb day, perhaps one of the best this March, or at least the past few weeks. Excellent windblown powder stashes that were deep at times in the gullies were on offer. Extremely low crowd levels combined with cold temperatures ensured the powder remained in excellent condition and provided fresh tracks well after lunchtime.
An improved forecast will keep the powder hound happy and hunting. We expect further snow to fall overnight tonight and again on Monday; continuing into Tuesday. In the mix well also expect some cool sunny weather on Sunday. It’s nice to have a prolonged period of cool weather forecast after the warmth we’ve experience during March so far.
What an awesome morning it is! We have had a moderate dump of fresh Japan powder overnight with 5cm at Yamabiko, 8cm at Uenotaira. However reports from the mountain suggest more than a few much deeper light dry windblown stashes with many areas about knee deep, especially in the higher elevation gullies.
Light snowfalls are continuing at present and extremely low crowd levels will ensure fresh tracks will be easily found all day long. The gondola line was maybe 15 people waiting at opening. On a powder day this is a testament to how uncrowded the slopes are. For those with the means, get out there and enjoy!
Yesterday was a fine day. The snow remained slushy but did not get too slow. Best areas were the top half of the mountain as well as the challenge area. We had cloud last most of the day however thankfully forecast rainfalls did not eventuate.
Looking ahead, cold conditions should last the rest of today with occasional snow showers passing through. Tomorrow should be warmer than today and we expect some sun to make an appearance. Light snow showers are a possibility tomorrow night so we may have some more powder come Saturday morning. We are set for another cold spell Monday Tuesday next week with some decent snowfalls expected.
The night sky above Nozawa Onsen. Lights of Nagano in the distance.
Base up top: 290cm Temp Top; +2 Degrees
Base at bottom: 115cm
New Snow since close: 0cm
It’s an overcast morning today in Nozawa Onsen. Winds are light across the resort and the mountain is very uncrowded indeed. Snow conditions today will be forgiving and slushy with positive temperatures measured from top to bottom.
Like yesterday the groomed runs will offer the best turns, especially those found in the Yamabiko area. It’s an excellent day to practice in the park and the mogul runs are also in fine form.
Off piste runs are very dangerous at the moment with numerous wet, heavy slides on the steeper pitches. Massive horizontal cracks, mostly unseen from above, have formed exposing the vegetation and soil below. Not something you want to fall into.
Yesterday was good considering the conditions. The slushy groomed runs remained fast all day although there was some debris on the snow from the winds the day before. It was sunny in the morning before some heavy mist and clouds moved over around lunchtime. Visibility was obscured above about 1000 meters, but below that remained good.
At the moment the forecast looks quite nice. After some showers this afternoon we should experience some moderate snow and very cold temperatures overnight. With a bit of luck there will be some deep powder on offer tomorrow. Looking further ahead, more light snow is predicted on Saturday.
A skier takes in the spectacular views at Yamabiko.
Base up top: 295cm Temp Top; -1 Degrees
Base at bottom: 125cm
New Snow since close: 0cm
What a wild day it was yesterday! Some of the strongest winds of the season forced closure of the entire top half of the mountain. Only the lower pistes remained open in slushy and very warm conditions.
Fortunately we didn’t receive as much rainfall as originally expected with the majority falling overnight in combination with colder temps. However, there was not new snow to report overnight.
We have a much better day today. The sun is out, the strong winds have abated and the rain has moved on. Snow conditions will be slushy top to bottom from the outset today. Stick to the well groomed pistes for the fastest conditions as the off piste areas will be sticky from the rain. Again, it is an excellent day for park skiing.
The amount of weekday skiers is remarkably low at the moment with the feeling you are at your own private resort when riding the pistes.
Looking at what’s expected over the next week, we should see much improved riding from Wednesday, when a cold front expected. Snow is forecast out of this system continuing into Thursday. Friday should be clear but remain coolish. Further snowfalls are expected into Saturday.
It’s a windy one in Nozawa this morning. The Nagasaka gondola is currently on wind hold but the Hikage gondola is still running. Temperatures are extremely warm as predicted but crowds are very light.
Today’s snow will be slushy from the outset, slow in places. The pick today will be the groomers and park which will be fun and forgiving considering the snow conditions. Off piste runs will be best avoided today unless you are up for a real challenge turning.
Likewise yesterday was also extremely warm but the sunny conditions made for some very nice spring skiing. Up top in the Yamabiko area offered the best turns as did the terrain park and various mogul runs. Yesterday was pretty uncrowded considering it was a Sunday.
Looking at the forecast ahead we should see some improved snow conditions by Thursday when a cold front and snow looks possible. Until then mostly very warm conditions with rain or overcast skies is likely. In the long range, more snowfalls are expected on Saturday.
