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,
Base at top: 375 cm
Temp at Top: -4 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 290 cm
New snow since close: 0 cm
Weather: Clear
What a morning! The sun is shining and there is still plentiful fresh snow on offer from yesterdays falls. But its best to hit it early as the sun is expected to make a strong impact by the afternoon, rapidly warming the atmosphere. The northern aspects will offer the best quality today in addition with the Yamabiko area. Skyline might be worth a look for a sustained thigh burning descent. During the afternoon the slopes will become slushier and it’ll be best on piste. Don’t forget the camera todays as the views will be awesome.
Yesterday we saw light snow showers continue during the morning adding another 8cm to the base. By midday the clouds were beginning to clear and we experienced a partly cloudy afternoon topped off with a nice sunset. The snow wasn’t the classic powder we are used to but it was still good, just a bit heavier and wetter than normal. Off piste stability was extremely low with numerous wet slab avalanches on all aspects.
According to the forecast it’ll be clear again tomorrow morning before some clouds move over later in the afternoon. The temperatures will be a touch warmer than today as warm air flows in from the south. Further ahead and next week is shaping up very well with a sustained run of snowfalls and cold temperatures. Snow will fall from Monday until Thursday or Friday with the heaviest falls occurring at the start of the week. Over this time the winds will be generally light from the west to north west.
Base at top: 370 cm
Temp at Top: -5 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 275 cm
New snow since close: 20 cm
Weather: Snow
A good overnight dump of snow has affected Nozawa Onsen with 20cm accumulating at upper elevations since last lifts, more than expected. Out the window right now there are some huge flakes continuing to fall with mostly cloudy skies and occasional gusts of wind. The snow will be wet and heavy at the lower elevations however up high we should notice much better quality. Therefore it can be expected that the best skiing and boarding will be had on the upper half of the mountain for today. Snowfalls are expected to continue for the rest of the day.
Yesterday was a fun days skiing especially on the lower mountain. The snow was firm up high and slushy yet fast across the lower half. Skyline was especially fun top to bottom and offered a nice appreciation as to how the snow can vary across altitudes. As usual for the spring season the crowds were so non-existent that it felt like skiing in a private resort of some kind.
After todays snowfalls the skies will clear and it’ll be mostly sunny tomorrow with light winds. Sunday will be a little warmer with clouds building during the day. By Monday afternoon more snowfalls will set in and these will continue for much of the week, probably producing an excellent period of almost mid winter like conditions.
Some amazing and dangerous alpine terrain not far from Nozawa Onsen
Base at top: 350 cm
Temp at Top: -2 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 260 cm
New snow since close: 0 cm
Weather: Overcast
During the afternoon yesterday bands of high clouds began to pass over Nozawa Onsen and these have thickened overnight indicating a change in the weather is on the way. By late this afternoon snow showers will fall about the peaks lowering to village level by tomorrow morning. But for today the snow will be fairly soft and fast flowing. With clouds blocking the sun the snow wont become too slushy even down low. Like yesterday, it can be expected that the best skiing will be had on piste.
Yesterday it was sunny in the morning and consequently the snow became spring like with the southern faces turning to slush. Northern faces fared better and were firmer and fast underfoot. By late afternoon some clouds moved over firming up conditions once more. All in all a pretty good first day of spring with good skiing mountain wide.
Looking at the forecast ahead there will be some snow showers tonight and tomorrow perhaps totalling 20cm or so. Then it will be a mostly fine weekend with a few clouds predicted to drift over late Saturday. Next week is looking quite nice now with an extended run of light to moderate snow from Tuesday until around Friday.
Base at top: 355 cm
Temp at Top: -5 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 265 cm
New snow since close: 0 cm
Weather: Sunny
Welcome to spring 2017! In this season the sun shines more frequently and over a deep snow base thanks to an on par winter of accumulation. This season has really rocketed though and it seems like only yesterday we were on the edge of the epic mid January storm. But for now time moves on and we have a warm sunny spring day on the slopes today. Cool, clear skies overnight will have firmed up the snowpack and this will gradually soften through the morning, becoming slushy by the afternoon. I expect on piste areas to offer great skiing today as they did yesterday. The Yamabiko natural halfpipes indeed were extremely fun and I can highly recommend this area for today.
The photo accompanying todays report shows a spectacular view from our recent tour to Mt Hiuchi. There is one thing that certainly suprised me the first time I witnessed the backcountry night in Japan and that is the starscapes. In such a populous country you would expect extreme light pollution even in the more remote areas. In fact the night sky was much darker than expected, about on par with regional areas in places such as Australia. On this clear moonless night it was significantly warmer laying on the snow than standing and so I lay back and enjoyed the view with planes, satellites and shooting stars busying the sky above. This is one of my favourite photos from the trip. Japan is a country with endless opportunities for the outdoor adventurer!
Scoping the forecast and we can see two seperate snow events on less certain than the other. The first will kick off tomorrow night as a wind change to the NW gives us some nice lake effect snowfalls as temperatures decline towards the winter norm. Im expecting totals in the region of 20-30cm for the 24hour period up to Saturday morning. From here on the forecasts are currently suggesting a mostly fine weekend. Further ahead and we have more snow showers for the middle of next week but the exact timing remains uncertain.
Pavel ascends towards the northern saddle of Mt Hiuchi through blowing snow and -20c windchill
Base at top: 360 cm
Temp at Top: -7 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 270 cm
New snow since close: 0 cm
Weather: Sunny
The last day of winter and the change of the seasons is becoming apparent. Although some heavy snowfalls are incoming for the weekend, the general trend is towards a greater proportion of sunny days, spring like snow and less cold influxes of NW wind and snow. Such as today where we have warm sunshine and light winds greeting skiers and boarders over a deep and full snowpack. It will be good riding today with excellent on piste conditions that will softened through the day. Off piste will have a similar if not more variable behaviour, but this is by no means a call to let your guard down.
Yesterday was also very spring like except with slightly cooler temperatures allowing snow laden trees to remain towards the top of the mountain. As a result the snow was a little firmer than many might have expected, even with the warming sun. It was extremely quiet on the mountain, a general characteristic of March onwards. It is a good time to ski and board here if you dislike crowds.
For the next few days we will continue to experience these spring like conditions. It isn’t until Thursday night that temperatures will drop with a NW wind blowing in some snowfalls, probably to the amount of around 20cm. These should last into Friday before clearing during the weekend. Further ahead and the forecast isn’t certain with a mix of rambling high and low pressures moving over Honshu.
