Car Parking Nozawa Onsen
Leave your car at home if coming to Nozawa
During winter as many know Nozawa gets an incredible amount of snow. It is not uncommon to get up to 1 meter of fresh snow cover the village overnight. This combined with narrow roads and a lack of parking make Nozawa a much better town to explore on foot than by car. The beauty of Nozawa Onsen compared to many other ski resorts is that it is very compact and ski lifts, restaurants, onsens and everything are within easy walking distance. With the introduction of the Bullet Train to Iiyama just down the road a few years back and the Snow shuttle bus, public transport to Nozawa is a breeze. The amazing Japanese Black Cat courier service makes things even easier.
For these reasons we strongly suggest guests visiting Nozawa over peak snow season to leave your car at home. You don’t need it when in Nozawa and it can be troublesome and dangerous. If you still definitely need to bring your car here are a few suggestions;
- Make sure your car is 4WD and has winter tyres on it. In winter you won’t get far in a normal car
- Ensure you have parking organised in advance either with the resort or your accommodation but note it is limited. Here is a link to parking at the resort; https://en.nozawaski.com/access/coming-by-car/
- Bring a shovel, brush and your shovelling arms. If staying for a while and we have a few dumps your car will literally disappear and can take you hours to dig it out. Better to be riding the powder than shovelling it
- Drive very slowly and carefully around the village and on the way up. We see cars in accidents and trouble daily during the season.
- Remember the Train from Tokyo takes just 2 hours whereas to drive can be between 4-6 hours, longer if heavy snow and traffic.
Another option if like to visit other resorts or towns around Nozawa when staying is to rent a car from Iiyama. There are a number of rental car companies just near the station including Nissan Car rental. Iiyama still gets lots of snow but roads are wider and easier to navigate. If staying with Nozawa Holidays we have parking at some of our accommodations and a large carpark at Villa Nozawa. There is talk of making parts of Nozawa including the Main Street Oyu Dori car free like Zermatt in Switzerland. Personally think it is great idea but like to hear your thoughts on it and your driving experiences in Nozawa.
Photo of car crash near the gondola @damienfordphotography Arigatou Gozaimasu
