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,
Lucas dropping what must be one of the gnarliest lines on the mountain.
Base up top: 360 cm Temp Top; +4 Degrees
Base at bottom; 165 cm
New Snow since close: 0 cm
Weather; Clear
Today should pretty much be a carbon copy of conditions we experienced yesterday but with slightly warmer temperatures. We currently have an almost cloudless bluebird sky in combination with light winds. The long weekend crowds have headed back home leaving the resort relatively empty.
Today the best skiing and boarding will be had on the upper half of the mountain with the lower pistes becoming slower in the spring sunshine. Yamabiko will hold excellent quality snow as usual and the best piste runs will be found here. Off piste held good snow in the north facing gullies above 1200m yesterday afternoon and we expect this snow quality line to rise today corresponding with temperatures today. A strong crust layer has formed below that level.
Looking at the forecast ahead we continue to expect a long run of warm spring days with the freezing level stabilising around 2000m for about 5 days. Expect classic spring snow conditions over this time. A spike in temperatures is forecast for Sunday in combination with prefrontal moisture. Snow and cold temperatures will return by Monday.
Bluebird skies, check. Cold overnight temperatures, check. Deep fresh pow, check. All the ingredients are there for an epic day of skiing and boarding here in Nozawa Onsen. We hardly could ask for anything better this March, reaching the peak snow depth of 385cm just yesterday.
For some of that epic japow head to your favourite North facing tree run or gully off piste. Anything South facing was roasted by the spring sun yesterday and subsequently will have formed a crust layer. We expect temperatures to be warmer today so best to go riding earlier rather than later. On piste will be sensational as well with the groomers working hard overnight to lay down some cordaroy.
Yesterday was one of the best days all season. Deep dry pow clung to the north faces all day and although obvious areas became tracked by the weekend crowds top to bottom untracked lines were found even for last runs. Bluebird skies and light winds added to the perfection.
Today marks the start of a gradual warming trend where temperatures will peak and stabilise with a freezing level of around 2000m. Combined with clear skies and light winds this means spring skiing conditions. This will last until around Friday after which temperatures will spike to a freezing level of 3000m on Saturday and prefrontal rain is currently forecast (subject to change). Following that we expect another moderate dump of snow late Sunday into Monday next week.
Conditions are amazing. March is really putting on a show this year with snowfall totals almost matching January and Feburary but with even less crowds. At the moment we have a crystalline bluebird morning, cold temperatures and heaps of fresh pow. Since close of lifts a massive 40cm has fallen. A perfect day for skiing and boarding in Nozawa Onsen.
All areas will be outstanding today; the groomed runs will be soft and silky smooth and the off piste area will hold deep dry japow. On the other hand the steeper off piste pitches were extremely dangerous yesterday, sliding at the drop of a hat. Be mindful of this. Today is a day requiring avalanche gear if going backcountry. Don’t ski or board alone.
It looks like snow showers have cleared off faster than expected. Its possible that a few isolated falls may occur today but it will likely be clear for at least the next few days. Some snow showers are possible Sunday. Conditions will be cool until then, afterwards about 3 or 4 days of spring skiing is to be expected.
Its been absolutely puking all day in Nozawa Onsen. Heavy snow this morning intensified throughout the afternoon refreshing the cover and providing some great deep powder lines for those who braved the cold and windy conditions. Through the trees was very nice with fresh tracks all day long. It was snowing so hard in the afternoon the lines ridden only a few hours earlier had completely filled in. Crowds were minimal, one definite benefit for these late season dumps.
Yesterday was nothing to write home above with rain falling for most of the day. Moving on..
According to the forecast we should see moderate snowfalls continue tonight which should provide an additional 20cm or so to the 50cm that has fallen in the past 24 hours. Snowfalls will continue tomorrow but become isolated as the day wears on. A clearing trend is forecast for Sunday with bluebird conditions expected. Further ahead we should see a number clear days with moderately warm temperatures. Good spring riding conditions.
This morning we have some liquid powder falling in the village, but with a temperature of -1C at the summit this will be falling as snow across the peaks. Therefore the best riding today will be on the upper areas of the mountain, such as the Yamabiko area. That being said, the lower slopes are fast as the rain has washed away the soft surface layer. Groomed runs will be the pick with the off piste areas needing snowfalls to freshen up the cover.
Yesterday offered some nice skiing and boarding on the groomed runs and the park and pipe. Colder temperatures ensured firm conditions across the upper mountain which softened during the day with the spring bluebird weather.
A good snow forecast is expected over the coming couple of days; a cold front is expected overnight tonight. In combination with a dramatic drop in freezing level from 1800 to 400m we expect to see moderate to heavy snowfalls tonight and into tomorrow (about 20-30cm is possible). According to the weather models the heaviest falls will be between midnight and 3am tonight and tomorrow afternoon with moderate falls in between. Strong winds are also expected. Snowfalls should ease over the weekend before clearing completely early next week.
