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,
There is heavy snow about the village of Nozawa Onsen this morning. We have had 20cm fall overnight across the mountain and cold temperatures will ensure the fresh accumulations will be of high quality, especially up high. Strong wind about the peaks yesterday will have formed quite a few wind features to hit.
We saw extremely cold windchill factors yesterday lingering around -20 to -30C so it’s safe to say yesterday was cold, very cold. This didn’t seem to keep the weekend crowds away. However those who braved the conditions were rewarded with perfect knee deep powder amongst the trees.
Looking at the forecast snow showers and cold temperatures should continue for the next two days before possible warm temperatures move in around Thursday.
Be careful in the backcountry as avalanche conditions are extreme at the moment. Do not ride alone and always have the necessary equipment and training.
It’s always good to wake to the sound of snow sliding off the roof and the machines clearing the road in the morning. This was the case in Nozawa Onsen earlier. It’s currently dumping consistent thick flakes and really looks to have set in. Finally this long awaited system has begun to deliver which is good as the lack of substantial snowfalls yesterday was starting to make my forecasting look bad!
Today is Australia Day and there is a real party mood in the lodges this morning. With the good snow on offer, it should be a good day for all in Nozawa.
Yesterday looked promising at day break with a heavy snow shower passing through, delivering about 10cm to the resort. However after that the sky cleared and it remained partly cloudy for the rest of the day.
It was still a fun day on the mountain with small crowds. Kandahar remained undiscovered during the day and fresh tracks were still on offer even in the afternoon. Up high in the trees around Yamabiko was very fun thanks to the morning snowfalls. Some of the groomed runs became very icy in the afternoon and made it a real challenge to hold an edge.
The forecast looks good for snow to continue for the rest of the day becoming heavier later tonight. Following that snow showers should persist tomorrow, Monday and maybe Tuesday before clearing to sunny skies.
Passing heavy snow showers are producing the goods in Nozawa Onsen this morning. A particularly heavy one passed through between 7 and 8am delivering around 10cm to the lodge railing. Its not snowing at the moment but looking west we have some more dark clouds looming on the horizon that look very promising.
Yesterday saw beautiful conditions. Clear weather remained for most of the day with some interestingly shaped high clouds moving over during the afternoon. The skiing was fast and icy on the groomed runs- perfect for practicing carving technique at speed. The off piste areas even offered a few nice lines up high. It was a very good day for photos as well with even the Sea of Japan visible in the distance.
The wind looks like it will remain moderately strong for the remainder of the day before increasing in intensity tomorrow. Forecast to be blowing at 60km/h, don’t be surprised if some of the top lifts are on wind hold. The heaviest snowfalls are expected to occur tomorrow night and temperatures will be very cold.
Keep in mind the avalanche conditions will be extreme over the next couple of days. Heavy snowfalls on top of an icy base will make the snowpack very unstable. Always take avalanche gear, dont ride alone and have the necessary training before skiing off piste.
ECMWF is an excellent forecasting resource. Here we can see a low forming over the northern Sea of Japan delivering an intense NW flow aimed squarely at Nozawa Onsen. This should produce heavy snowfalls.
Base up top: 305cm Temp Top; -1 Degrees
Base at bottom: 160cm
New Snow since close: 0cm
Weather; Perfect blue sky
It’s a perfect clear blue sky day here in Nozawa Onsen, the best clear day of the month so far. Not a cloud in the sky. Bring the cameras up as there will be some pretty special views to take in.
Today looks like it will remain clear till the afternoon when some high cloud should move through preceding the much talked about frontal system. It’s warm up there at the moment, temperatures should reach above freezing across the whole mountain. The snow will be slushy and fun, especially on the groomers.
Yesterday saw fast conditions across the mountain (some say icy) which was excellent for laying down a few high speed carves as long as moguls were absent. Off piste offered a few quality lines early with the dusting of snow the night before.
Everyone in Nozawa at the moment should be very happy as the forecast looks very impressive indeed. We should see snow showers commence tonight before becoming heavy tomorrow and maintaining intensity till early Sunday morning. A good sized dump is more than likely. Afterwards isolated snow showers and cold temps should persist till Tuesday morning.
It is an atmospheric day here in Nozawa Onsen this morning. We woke to some fog and low lying cloud enveloping the village. When that cleared, a clean atmosphere and passing mist on the opposing mountains afforded a very nice view.
We have had a dusting of fresh snow up high overnight refreshing the mountain. Groomed runs should be the pick again today and will be fast and fun. There are challenging conditions off piste as crust layer has formed, so fresh snow is needed there.
Even up high yesterday the snow was very heavy going and so off piste conditions were poor. However the groomed runs were fast and firm all day which made for very fun opportunities to practice carving technique. Moist conditions down low persisted for the majority of the day before the temperatures dropped below freezing around dusk.
The forecast continues to impress. Friday and Saturday are looking like they are going to be sensational days if you don’t mind a bit of wind. Temperatures will be low and snowfalls heavy. Up top on Friday night, during the peak of snowfall intensity, temperatures should be around -17 so snow quality will be extremely good on Saturday morning.
Tomorrow we should expect some sunny partly cloudy conditions.
