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,
After a couple of days of snowfalls, the weather has returned to intense sunshine here in Nozawa Onsen. Looks like a great day for skiing with the perfect visibility.
Many of the well known areas became tracked out when the snowfalls stopped around lunchtime yesterday, however with a bit of exploration you would be sure to still find some untracked Japan powder. Conditions on the groomers will be fast early, but will soften in the afternoon with the warm temperatures forecast.
The weekend crowds began to roll into the resort early this morning. It will be significantly busier than the past week up on the mountain but Nozawa has an efficient lifting system so lines shouldn’t be too bad.
Yesterday was an awesome day on the mountain. Snowfalls persisted for most of the morning before the overcast conditions parted and gave way to some sun, although clouds lingered around the peak for most of the day. South facing slopes in the lower quarter of the resort developed a light crust during the afternoon however areas up high were fine.
We are approaching one of the busier weeks of the season in Nozawa. The world renowned fire festival will occur on the 15th and many people make the trip each year to witness the spectacle. Preparations are already underway with the villagers carrying logs down the mountain to construct the centerpiece tower, which will be attacked with fire on the night of the 15th.
The forecast has improved with the latest updates. We are now expecting a two day bout of warm weather before snowfalls and the cold returns the following days. Significant, quality falls are still looking possible of the 17th.
Unexpectedly moderate snowfalls persisted overnight delivering an excellent surprise this morning. From last lifts till midnight last night we saw about 15-20cm gather on top of railings and by morning 30cm had accumulated in the village, with even more up high. It looks like there should be some outstanding and deep riding on offer today.
A clearing trend is expected during the day, but this is hard to imagine as the snowfalls show no signs of letting up. Like the past week crowds are looking like they will be minimal.
Yesterday there were many happy faces on the mountain with knee-deep snow through the trees and tiny crowds. There were perfect conditions for practicing riding in the powder, as it was still easy to feel the solid base beneath. The trees were really the place to be with the limited visibility and plentiful fresh.
Looking further ahead, the current forecast is very unusual for this time of year. We are expecting some spring-like conditions for at least the next three days. Light snow is possible on Saturday night, but the temperatures are quite warm with a freezing height hovering around 400-800m above sea level. The next chance for a good solid dump is looking like it may occur around the 17th.
Looking out the window in Nozawa this morning it seems the much anticipated fresh snow has arrived. Since last lifts yesterday we have had 15cm up top and 5cm in the village.
There should be fun riding throughout the resort today, but likely there will be a bit of a dust-on-crust phenomenon occurring. The snowfalls will continue till sometime tonight so the riding should improve through the day.
Yesterday was extraordinarily quiet on the mountain, but today looks like it will be busier with noticeably more cars making the way up to the car parks.
Temperatures over the past few days have been warm during the day and even up top the snow was getting heavy. It was foggy down to mid-mountain yesterday so the best riding was the spring-like snow down on the lower runs.
Looking further ahead we have some variable weather on the forecast. Tomorrow there is a chance of morning snow showers and from then on there should be a clearing trend until the next possible snow around the 13th of the month.
A misty and overcast day here in Nozawa Onsen, however the forecast snow has yet to eventuate. It seems this upcoming system has been delayed. This is often the case when forecasting the weather for skiing in Japan. The models are excellent in predicting whether there will be snow or not, but the timing can sometimes be off. Nevertheless there will be some fun riding on the groomed runs today, especially with the minimal crowds.
Yesterday saw an exceptionally uncrowded day on the mountain with no lift lines whatsoever. The tree runs became mostly completely tracked out and the snow got heavy down low with the warm temperatures during the afternoon. Ungroomed piste runs developed into mogul fields but the groomed runs were very smooth all day with the minimal crowds.
We had some interesting weather pass over Nozawa during the afternoon. Mid layer clouds created a very atmospheric feel. Occasionally they lifted for several minutes and offered a spectacular cloud swarming Japanese landscape.
Current forecast suggests snowfalls should commence this evening or tonight and continue all day tomorrow before clearing the following day. Tomorrow, temperatures should be cold with a forecast maximum of -12C up top, warmer down low. So let’s hope this system delivers!
Base up top: 240cm Temp Top; -8 Degrees
Base at bottom: 140cm
New Snow since close: 0cm
Weather; Sunny, increasing clouds
We woke to another clear blue day here in Nozawa Onsen. Again, the sunrise mountain alpenglow provided an impressive spectacle and cloud-free night ensured we have no new snow to speak of.
The groomed runs should be firm and fast today with cold overnight temperatures and it’s still possible to find fresh tracks off-piste with a bit of a search.
Yesterday was an extremely quiet day on the mountain and in the less frequented areas it was possible to have entire runs pretty much to yourself. Today looks like it will be another exceptionally quiet day with seemingly few day trippers making the journey up to Nozawa Onsen.
Its looks like a few clouds should gather around the area this afternoon and a few flurries are not out of the question. Tomorrow should see snow showers and cold temperatures to top up the cover.
