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,
Rolling hillsides as viewed from Yamabiko yesterday evening.
Base at top: 375cm
Temp at Top: -8c
Base at Uenotaira station: 290cm
New snow since close: 1cm
Weather: Clear
Outside today it is sunny, cool but there is no new fresh snow to report. Just an insignificant few flakes resting on the ground since the close of lifts yesterday. Regardless it’ll be a good days riding with numerous pockets of powder left over from yesterday. As the warm sun softens the snow expect spring like conditions on the south facing slopes from around midday onwards although the air temperature will remain relatively cold. North or shaded faces should offer more powder, firmer on piste.
Yesterday was a great bonus day to add to the ongoing season. The fresh snow was deep enough so the firm base layer wasn’t really an issue. Blue skies all day long with some nice sunshine although it didn’t get warm at all with snow lingering in the upper trees. The best part was that crowds were few and far between. Unfortunately I noted a lot of people with limited skills and knowledge ducking ropes and venturing to places where they really shouldn’t be. These people are not making smart choices at all. Just because its clear and following tracks doesn’t make it ok.
Looking at the forecast ahead and although the snow didn’t continue as much as we expected this week there is still some in the forecast. It will remain clear today and for most of tonight. Tomorrow some snow showers are due, moderate falls totalling around 10-20cm over the 24hour period. These will gradually fade into Saturday morning. Sunday will be mostly warm and sunny. Further ahead and it looks possible for more snow next week. With such a deep snow base its going to be a long spring.
A gust of wind signals an approaching snowstorm on Yamabiko.
Base at top: 390+ cm?
Temp at Top: Cold. Winter time cold
Base at Uenotaira station: 300+ cm?
New snow since close: Heaps; been dumping all night 30-50cm?
Weather: A lot of snow
Thick snowflakes dull all sounds. Outside is eerily quiet as attentive listening reveals only the slight patter of snowflakes striking the window pane and the distant rumbling of tractors in an endless effort of removing snow from tarmac. Peaking through the frosted window reveals nothing but a sea of white; a taste of whats to come. Walking towards the elevators of the mountain and the locals are hard at work, moving dumps of snow to be placed in pools of warm volcanic water. The excitement builds as elevation increases, towards a point of release. Momentum of moving downhill, a build of speed and a turn. A waft of crystaline powder engulfs and all is good in the world. This is a powder day in Nozawa Onsen. This is today.
Late yesterday afternoon the snow moved in thick and fast a gust of wind signalling approach. A slight patch of blue sky beforehand giving zero indication of whats to come. With much of the mountain scoured ice snowfalls were sorely needed. A contrast to yesterday, today deep powder abounds.
But thats not all there is much more to come. The week ahead looks ripe with constant falls of frozen water lasting until the end of the week. A brief pause of solar radiation and then its off again as the unreliable long range suggests more of the fresh stuff during the week following.
Fine Japanese architecture in its winter coat this morning.
Base at top: 365 cm
Temp at Top: -4 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 280 cm
New snow since close: 10 cm
Weather: Light snow
The re-return of winter is upon us with 10cm being recorded since last lifts yesterday. Walking around the village this morning the sights and sounds of snow clearing were about, dampened by the falling flakes. Fresh snow makes everything beautiful again, masking the changes we have seen since the start of spring. The mountain will be good today. A firm base underneath will keep riders on their toes but there will be plenty of pockets of pow and with little competition thanks to the quiet time that is March in Nozawa Onsen. Sure makes the onsens hot too!
I think yesterday was one of the quietest days I have seen so far this season. With very little traffic on the slopes the groomed areas remained very smooth during the day. Considering the cloud and warmish temperatures the snow quality was great. Quite firm up at Yamabiko, softening through the mid elevations and slushy down at the bottom. It was interested to observe the rapid transition on runs such as Skyline.
If you had a quick glance at the basic forecast graphs you would be forgiven for thinking we are still in mid winter. Plenty of snow is in the forecast with an ideal wind direction for much of the week. We expect light to moderate falls continuing today, tomorrow, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Breaks of sunshine are also possible at any point during the forecast period. Although the accumulations won’t be anything extreme they will certainly help to keep the mountain topped up with fresh powder.
Isaac skins along a steaming volcanic caldera not far from Nozawa.
Base at top: 355 cm
Temp at Top: 0 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 265 cm
New snow since close: 0 cm
Weather: Overcast
Looks like the sun has vanished overnight and we currently have some overcast hazy skies above the village. The temperatures only just reached freezing at the top of the mountain so expect the snow quality to be mostly slushy, a little firmer up at Yamabiko. There will be some fun turns to be had on piste with very little in the way of crowds as per usual for March.
Yesterday was an awesome spring day. The snow quickly became slushy in the warm sunshine as the smell of defrosting forest wafted around the lower hills creating present aromas. The snow was best on piste with Skyline and Yamabiko particularly fun. Off piste the snow was slow and sticky, definitely a day for the groomed runs.
Todays photo shows a volcanic caldera not far from Nozawa. It is a great touring day trip for sunny spring days. We had attempted to reach this lake on Saturday but turned back due to pure laziness. I absolutely lament this decision. Yesterday some of our friends repeated the trip and came back with this great photo depicting the steaming lake that was in parts bubbling with emitted gases. Thanks for the photo Frederik! Just goes to show how centralised Nozawa Onsen is for exploring the surrounding countryside.
Ahead and the forecast is for snow, snow and more snow. These will kick off later tonight and I wouldn’t be suprised to wake tomorrow with 20-30cm on the ground. These falls will continue tomorrow and Wednesday. On Thursday the weather looks to be a mix of sunshine and isolated snowfalls that will become heavier overnight into Friday. For next weekend, mostly light isolated falls of snow interspersed with sunshine. It looks like a good week is ahead of us.
The flare run as part of the lantern festival last night.
Base at top: 360 cm
Temp at Top: +3 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 270 cm
New snow since close: 0 cm
Weather: Sunny
What a day we have here in Nozawa Onsen today. While the temperatures aren’t exactly cold with positives recorded across the mountain, the beautiful sunshine and blue skies are creating some superb spring skiing opportunities. The snow will be soft and slushy today. Playful and forgiving mountain wide with the top picks being Skyline, Yamabiko and Paradise for the beginners. Worth checking out also are the mid-station area pistes. Get out there and enjoy, this could be the last sunshine in some time before the snow clouds roll over again tomorrow afternoon.
Yesterday was a similar day to today except a little cooler. The snow was firm and fast early on before softening and becoming slushy as the temperatures warmed during the day. Last night we enjoyed a great fireworks display and snaking lantern skiing over on Hikage as part of the Nozawa Onsen lantern festival. It was a nice way to spend the evening after another fun day on the slopes.
By tomorrow night we will again be under the full affect of typical Japanese snowfalls with cold temperatures and accumulations of around 20-30cm by Tuesday morning. These snowfalls will continue most of the week, fluctuating in intensity until around Friday. With such a good forecast ahead it is a reminder to us that winter can return in full force at any point during the spring season like a flick of a switch.
