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,
Conditions today in Nozawa Onsen are less than inspiring. The lower half has some liquid snow (rain) falling and with a temperature up the top is at only -1C so whilst it is snowing, it is very wet and heavy. Nevertheless you can still ski in the rain and have a great time. The groomed runs will be the pick today. With the soft conditions, the terrain park and pipe are also worth a look.
Quite a contrast to yesterday which saw blue skies and partly cloudy conditions persist for the most of the day. Groomed runs were fast and firm. Off piste was fun early but became pretty chopped up by the afternoon.
Thankfully there is snow in the forecast. Temperatures are set to drop today delivering snow to the majority of the mountain hopefully by mid afternoon. Looking further ahead, we are still expecting cold temperatures and a good dump of snow commencing Thursday night and lasting Friday, Saturday and possibly longer.
We have a stunning morning here in Nozawa Onsen. After four days of snowy conditions the clouds have parted and we have warm sunshine beaming down on the resort. Make the most of it as clouds are forecast to move in during the afternoon. Temperatures are set to increase into the positives at village level as the day moves on.
Without any significant falls overnight tracks from yesterday will still be present off piste. Cold overnight temperatures mean the groomers will be firm and fast early on, but soften during the day.
Yesterday was a busy day on the mountain. There was quality snow on offer but it became tracked early in most of the well known areas. Clouds and snow showers persisted throughout the day adding to the already respectable base.
At the moment the long range forecast is looking good for some significant snowfalls commencing on the night of the 24th and continuing till at least the 27th, possibly longer. It is possible for a meter or more to fall over this time with a freezing level below sea level.
The short range forecast suggests snowfalls are expected on the 22nd, however relative high temperatures tend to suggest it will not be classic powder, but rather wet in consistency. Have a good day.
Musse lays down the outside rail and gives us a look at his base graphics.
Base up top: 335cm Temp Top; -10 Degrees
Base at bottom: 215cm
New Snow since close: 20cm
Weather; Snow showers
This morning we have woken to passing snow showers and overcast conditions in Nozawa Onsen. These should continue for the rest of day, becoming lighter later on. Out the window there are a few gusts of wind about also.
Since lasts lifts we have had a nice top up of 20cm which should keep the power hounds happy and hunting. Weekend crowds are about so bear in mind it may become tracked earlier than normal.
Yesterday was a great day on the mountain. After Friday’s massive falls the snowpack had compacted which allowed easier access in many areas. It was a blue sky early, however by lunch time clouds and snow had moved in once again to the delight of many. After a bit of a period in early January, snowfalls have really picked up in intensity and frequency.
The forecast looks very interesting. At the moment very heavy snowfalls look possible around the 25th-26th with an intense low developing over Hokkaido and moving east into the Pacific. This should deliver strong and cold NW winds off the tail end of the system. Still a while out, let’s hope it delivers!
In the short-term forecast more snow is expected on the 22nd with a surrounding period of partly cloudy weather.
Well it’s been a massive few days at Nozawa Onsen. Since the start of this past system we have had well over a meter of snowfall. Moderate and at times heavy snow continued to fall yesterday and currently we have overcast conditions, but no snow falling. The forecast tends to suggest we should experience a clearing trend throughout the day, but also indicates the possibility of further snow showers passing over the region this afternoon and tonight.
Reports from the mountain yesterday tend to suggest the snow was too deep to ride for all but a select few who had the equipment, experience and confidence to ride some of the steeper out of bounds terrain. With all the snow we’ve had, most of the inbound terrain was simply not steep enough to maintain forward momentum and many riders became bogged down in the deep powder. This of course, excludes the groomed runs which were great early, but became tracked out and bumpy later in the day.
The weather over the next week looks unpredictable. It seems snow showers, clouds and periods of sun will vary by the hour for the next few days or so. The temperature looks to fluctuate highly each day as well with variations in freezing level between below sea level and 1000m above sea level. I am hesitant to make any hard-and-fast calls regarding the weather over the next few days.
Friends share a run on a classic powder day at Nozawa Onsen.
Base up top: 320cm Temp Top; -14 Degrees
Base at bottom: 175cm
New Snow since close: 50cm
Weather; Snow, heavy at times
It looks like we have another day of fresh Japan powder here in Nozawa Onsen. As the last lifts were spinning yesterday afternoon we had a sudden increase of intense snowfall which lasted most of the night delivering 50cm of fresh to the slopes! Looking out the window; we have heavy snow continuing and deep snow on the balcony. Wind should be stronger today with 40km/h and higher gusts expected later this afternoon.
The powder hounds were in full force yesterday with most of the well known haunts becoming tracked by the end of the day. Snow quality was very good indeed, but visibility was somewhat varied as thick clouds moved about the peaks. Overall, another quality day of riding, a seemingly typical trend recently.
We should see snow continue for the rest of today before a clearing trend later tonight. In the following days we should expect periods of sun, mostly in the mornings, followed by afternoon snow showers. All-in-all, variable weather is expected. The kind of forecast that is never 100%.
The boys from Sweden, here in Nozawa for two months!
