Latest News from Nozawa Onsen

Kids Skiing Nozawa Onsen Japan The pleasure and the pain! Skiing, Snow and the Mountains are an amazing combination in bringing a family together with a mutual passion. We get so many families that come to stay with us in Nozawa year after year, they have, like us fallen in love with Nozawa and the family sport of the downhill slide. Having taught two kids of my own how to ski I am not going to pretend the start can be hard, with tears, tantrums and eventually triumphs and that was just me! I put both kids in a backpack and skied with them not long after they started to walk. They loved it, would gaze at the flakes and […]

  Lodge of the Week Nozawa Onsen – Sei Sen So Traditional Lodge Looking for a good value friendly lodge in the centre of town with its own Onsen? Sei Sen So lodge is a great little option. Owned and operated by Kiku and Yumiko san two well known local identities about town. They also own the long running Stay Bar, Hamacho Sushi and Wanryu Ramen restaurants too. All located just up the road from Sei Sen So Lodge. It is an older style lodge with traditional Japanese style guest rooms and dining rooms but a great location just a stones throw to the main street and also the bus stop and taxi rank. Kiku is also a talented chef […]

Happy Sunday from Nozawa Onsen. Still a few people wandering the streets from Onsen Bath to Onsen in their Summer Yukattas. Always beautiful to see. This is Kawahara Yu one of my favourite little hot springs right in the centre of town. Magnificent wooden traditional feel wth high ceilings but still very cosy. Can get a sneaky draft beer for just 350 yen over the road after at Yamazaki Convenience store or an Ice cream for just 100Yen. The snowy shot was taken very early December quite a few years ago now. We can get those stealth dumps sometimes early in the season and the whole landscape can change overnight. The Onsens in Nozawa are perfect to enjoy all year […]

Happy Monday morning from Nozawa Onsen Hope you had a good weekend. Was a big one in Nozawa with the annual Lantern Festival and a good turn out with nice weather and as it fell on the weekend. Lots of locals and visitors alike flowing out on the streets to celebrate in style. The Festival is held every year on the 8th and 9th of September regardless of which day of the week it is much like the famous Fire Festival which is always on the 15th of January every year. That will also roll around soon enough and is an amazing festival one of the most famous fire festivals in Japan. Here is a link to more information on […]

  Nozawa makes for a great Writers or Artists Retreat With Autumn officially underway in Japan we are coming into some of our best months of the year. The weather is cooling but not cold yet, basically perfect, the textures, colours and aromas of the forest and surrounds are beautiful and it is very peaceful in the village. At this time of year with Summer finished and a few months until winter, there are very few visitors in town. I went for dinner last night to Kaze no iie Italian restaurant that you can barely get a seat in winter, I was the only one there and sat there for over an hour and just one other couple came! There […]

Lodge of the week Yamaguchi Lodge Nozawa Onsen Yamaguchi means literally “ Mountain Mouth” and it is fitting as the lodge is nestled at the base of the mountain. Owned and operated by Kayako and Shoichi san who have been good friends of ours for many years. Shoichi was in the Ski Patrol for many years and widely known back in the day as one of the best skiers on the mountain. Helps growing up with the slopes right by your house. He still works for the resort now so Kayako san does most of the work around the lodge helped sometimes by their two lovely daughters. It is only a small lodge with just 5 guest rooms but that […]

  Domestic Travel Japan from Nozawa Planes instead of Trains in Japan Hard to imagine really in a country that is so famous for its highspeed trains that you would even consider getting on a plane. It is true say to fly form Tokyo to Osaka it is probably quicker to take the train by the time you get out to the airport board the flight and then do the same at the other end. However Japan is a long Island nation and it is streches just over 3000km from North to South so it can save time to jump on a plane escpecially if travelling to one of the outer islands. Plane travel in Japan also used to be […]

  Lodge of the Week Tamanegi Duplex Apartment Nozawa Onsen Tamanegi 4 Bedroom House available in January from the 17th until the 30th of January! Tamanegi means Onion! Strange name for a house maybe but when it was renovated the owners Kyoko and Gab had a row of onions hanging out the front so the name stuck. The house was originally a Sake Shop up to about 20 years ago and was then just used as a storage shed for many years by Kariwa san the local trophy maker. Gab and Kyoko along with a team of local tradesmen got in and did a full renovation on the property a few years ago and it underwent a full transformation from […]

  Places to Stay in Nozawa Onsen Great places to stay in Nozawa with good availability You might have been lucky enough to grab one of the great value flights going at the moment with Qantas, Jetstar and Singapore airlines to Japan in the sales that are ending today. Firstly thanks a lot if have chosen Nozawa Onsen for your ski holidays and we look forward to welcoming you. Nozawa as you know is a unique traditional village and a great choice if you want an all round Japanese ski holiday. There is also a wide range of accommodation options with Japanese Style Ryokans, Minshikus or Ski Lodges, and some new self-contained Apartments and Houses to enjoy your stay in […]