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…
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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: 370 cm
Temp at Top: -11 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 270 cm
New snow since close: 25+ cm
Weather: Light snow
A good morning to all our readers. Last night it dumped again decorating the mountain with even more fresh japow. I think its going to be an epic day on the hill. With less winds snowfall accumulations would have been much more homogeneous and less compacted. Furthermore the potential for patches of clear weather later is a real possibility. Waste no time in bed this morning!
Yesterday we experienced some good windblown powder snow across the resort of Nozawa Onsen. A very brief patch of sunshine greeted us in the morning only to be quickly replaced by further snow showers that intensified through the day. It seems we are having an overall trend of windier conditions this season in comparison to normal. I think this can be attributed to numerous small low pressure systems moving easterly off the Asian continent and crossing over the Sea of Japan, where they intensify before passing overall central Honshu. In a normal pattern these lows develop far further North, or not at all. It can also explain the small spikes of temperature as the low pressures make their approach. Regardless this hasn’t seem to have affected snowfall amounts with the base accumulation sitting at about average so far.
For tomorrow the wind is predicted to swing southerly again as a developing low pressure approaches creating warming conditions and with the freezing point topping out at around 900m above sea level during the afternoon. However this trend will be short lived as the low passes to our east dragging with it cold air and heavy snow including a solid overnight dump for Friday. From then on snowfalls will ease to moderate levels during Friday, continuing at this rate over the weekend. Temperatures will remain cold hovering between -7c and -10c at the summit of Mt Kenashi. Further ahead falls will become isolated Monday with stretches of clear weather more likely than not.
Base at top: 350 cm
Temp at Top: -9 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 245 cm
New snow since close: 30 cm
Weather: Snow
Strong winds blasted the township of Nozawa Onsen overnight and reports of heavy falls across the region are filtering in. Here we have received no less than 30cm on the upper mountain and 15cm down in the village. The fact that it was windy decreases the accuracy of measurements however one thing is for sure, there will be some very deep powder across the resort today. The areas which would hold the deepest snow are those that are protected from the wind. Zones such as Challange, Yamabiko four and Kandahar. Other areas on the more exposed ridglines, Skyline for example will hold far shallower snow if any at all. Use this information to your benefit for a great day.
The snowfalls yesterday never really got to any intense levels but remained consistent enough to collect 8cm from first to last lifts. It was extremely cold and windblown on the mountain, noticeably quiet as most took a day of rest. Piste conditions were not icy with the heavy fresh snowfalls adhering to and graduating temperature differentials in the snowpack. Therefore the skiing and boarding was much smoother than expected. Off piste, the appearance of frozen balls of ice, death cookies as they are called, made for tricky navigation through the trees.
Throughout today we are expecting snowfalls to continue at moderate levels but there is some potential for very short breaks of clear weather. Again tomorrow light falls are forecast with even a greater potential for periods of clear weather. Later in the week a return to big totals as a typical winter NW flow establishes itself over Honshu. Winds will be lighter than the past few days and the heaviest snowfalls are currently suggested for Thursday and Sunday night.
Base at top: 325 cm
Temp at Top: -3 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 230 cm
New snow since close: 5 cm
Weather: Windy, light snow
Some semi wild conditions about the peaks today. As of about 7am it was still lightly raining down here in the village and by 8am the snow line had reduced to around 800m as wet flakes began falling in the village. Since then it has become colder still and a brisk wind has increased as a slow moving low pressure passes to our east. Expect moderate snowfalls to increase in intensity today, becoming heavy overnight. The snow today will be fresh and fairly wet across the mountain but quality will likely improve later as the temperature drops. When skiing and boarding take it easy today. Select a moderate to slow speed as the icy base and fog will take no prisoners when it comes to potential injuries.
Yesterday we had fog, high temperatures and humidity affect the snowpack. It was fast flowing and neither soft nor hard with good skiing on piste. Better than expected. The rain held off almost all day with no precipitation until the evening.
After todays snowfalls temperatures will drop further still tomorrow and light snow showers with strong winds are set to continue. By Wednesday the weather will moderate as snow showers ease and potential clear spells break up the clouds. I expect a decent sunset this day. On Thursday another cold flow makes an appearance with light to moderate snowfalls continuing into the future. With temperatures remaining cold all week some excellent skiing and boarding will be on offer at Nozawa Onsen.
Pavel blasts through untouched powder at a resort near Nozawa Onsen
Base at top: 330 cm
Temp at Top: 0 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 240 cm
New snow since close: 0 cm
Weather: Overcast
It was a quality sunrise this morning. Across the valley a pink alpenglow lit up the Myoko Stratovolcano with a band of high cloud displaying a similar reflectance. Right now we are soaked in with thick mid level cloud, probably won’t be seeing the sun for a while. The skiing today will be decent with fast conditions early that will becoming slushy later with rising temperatures and possible rain later this afternoon. A large low pressure system is developing to our west and dragging warm moist air up from the south. As the low passes to our east at some point tonight the temperatures will drop dramatically as a NW flow establishes accompanied by heavy snow. Expect fairly crowded conditions this morning, becoming quieter later in the day.
Yesterday we saw some perfect weather and just about as perfect snow as you can get here with sunshine at the same time (at these latitudes the snow becomes sun affected fast). Considering it was the weekend and sunny it was pretty crowded with a long morning gondola line. But it was worth the wait with fresh stashes of powder, goggle tans and grand views.
To the all important forecast. Heavy snow and strong winds for tomorrow with snow conditions improving as the day goes on. Its probable an icy layer will still have effect for much of the day. Consistent snowfalls will hopefully burry this layer by Tuesday with a consequential decrease in stability. On Tuesday snowfalls will continue, ramping up again later in the afternoon and evening. By Wednesday winds will ease and we may even have the occasional sunny break. On Thursday night or Friday a very strong snowfall is predicted. All in all it looks to be a very decent week ahead.
Base at top: 330 cm
Temp at Top: -7 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 245 cm
New snow since close: 1 cm
Weather: Clear
No wind and no cloud will make for a good day’s skiing here in Nozawa Onsen. We only received a very light dusting last night down here in the village and 1cm was recorded up top at Yamabiko. Seems like we are well and truely into the rhythm of the season with weekly dumps of snow followed by some fine weather at the end. It will be busier today with the regular weekend tourists visiting from cities afar but the crowds can easily be beaten if you know where to go. Don’t forget the free mountain tour is on today at 11am from the Mt Dock gondola cafe. My recommendations are the mid station area for cruising and Kandahar Raceway for fast carving. All lifts are running.
Yesterday we saw snow flurries continue for much of the morning, easing into the afternoon. We had quite a few breaks of sunshine followed by a nice sunset. Quality skiing was had with windblown powder coating the resort.
Today is the day to get your sunshine fix as there is nothing but snow in the forecast. Tomorrow we are expecting rain and overcast conditions but by tomorrow night cold air and snowfalls will return. Then until next Sunday we are expecting snowfalls to fluctuate between light and heavy with some small glimpses of blue sky perhaps on Wednesday or Thursday. The heaviest snowfalls look to occur on Monday night and Friday at this stage.
