Learning Japanese Nozawa Onsen After skiing for several days last week in amongst the clouds, it’s absolutely magic when those clouds and mist lift and we have a day like yesterday – bluebird, where you can see the gorgeous vista far below you. It’s hard not to stop every 10 minutes while riding down the piste to take photos. Today is shaping up to be similar so make sure you get to the top of Yamabiko to try and catch a glimpse of the Sea of Japan to the east. The sun is just poking over Mt Kenashi now and there is not a breathe of wind. Today I wanted to share some tips and tricks and resources for learning […]
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Ski Trick Fun Nozawa
Ski Trick Fun Nozawa Beautiful sunny days on the menu for today and tomorrow in Nozawa Onsen. When I was chatting with Nozawa Holidays ski instructor Coco the other day, he expressed to me how skiing and snowboarding are really all about just having fun! It’s very easy to get caught up in the desire to improve and get better, focusing on the technical side of riding. And of course it’s great to challenge ourselves to learn and grow in our skiing and boarding techniques. But it’s also important to remember that being an expert at skiing or snowboarding doesn’t just mean being able to do expert and black diamond courses! Coco said, how about skiing backwards all the way […]
Sunday Pancakes Nozawa Onsen
Sunday Pancakes Nozawa Onsen Waking up to a snowy Sunday morning here in Nozawa. Not a huge dump but enough to freshen everything up and fat flakes still falling outside my window right now. The sun is supposed to make an appearance later today as the snow fall eases. Another week comes to an end in Nozawa Onsen, we’ve had some EPIC powder days and some glorious sunny bluebird days. This weekend in the village, it’s been lively with visitors from Tokyo. But next week, the resort is quietening down meaning no lift lines and being quickly served at restaurants. It’s the best time of the year to visit! Now it’s time for a treat to celebrate the week’s end […]
Best Morning Coffee Nozawa
Best Morning Coffee Nozawa Every season, we are on the search for the best coffee or “Kohi” in Nozawa Onsen. Unfortunately, Japan isn’t always known for its great coffee… But here in Nozawa, there are some places proving that wrong! Chatter on the street says the new Lift coffee shop at Jonnobi in the old gondola is the best. Nozawa Central above the Nozawa Rental shop also always a favourite open from 8;30am to 10;30am. Drop in grab some gear, have a chat to the Nozawa Holidays team and get your daily brew. I’m a fan of a coffee in Shichirohei at Hikage. Before heading out for line-up of my ski instructing job at 10am, I stop by for a […]
Day Tours Nozawa Skiing
Day Tours Nozawa Skiing Rest And the good snow just keeps on coming… Eleven centimetres of fresh powder is ready and waiting for you to carve fresh tracks into this morning. On days like recent, where the snow is just THAT GOOD, it can be really tempting to keep pushing it. But, powder skiing and riding is tiring. And it’s okay to break up your skiing holiday with some rest days. In fact, Nozawa Onsen is the perfect base for some less intense adventures. Some exciting day trip ideas include: A trip to Nagano City – the prefectural capital city. There is a direct bus from Nozawa to Nagano that leaves around 10am or 4pm each day. In Nagano, there’s […]
The Frenchman can Fly
The Frenchman can Fly Coco stood at the top of the ski jump. He felt scared. He tried not to overthink. Looking down the steep narrow slope, 30 meters high, that would soon send him flying into the air, he took a deep breath and pointed straight… Corentin Cesar aka. Coco a Nozawa Holidays instructor could ski before he could walk. His parents put him on skis when he was just a toddler; three years old. Coco’s home ski field in France is Les Arcs in Bourg-Saint-Maurice. It’s where he grew up. “It’s one of the reasons I came to Nozawa… I didn’t want to travel to the other side of the world to ski in another resort,” he […]
Community and Friendship Nozawa
Community and Friendship Nozawa Over the past few days we’ve had some of the best powder days of the season… And how good is it to be able to share these moments with the family we’ve travelled with, the new friendships made and the Nozawa village community? Today will be another with almost a magic foot fallen overnight! A Japanese Proverb says; Akarui tokoro o hitori de aruku yori, kurai tokoro o nakama to aruku hō ga ii. Which translates to; Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. There’s something so special about skiing and boarding with friends and family… Bouncing together down the moguls, swerving through the trees, giggling and laughing […]
Stay Safe Powder Nozawa
Stay Safe Powder Nozawa For all the joy and delight of a day out skiing or boarding in powder – a powder day can also be super deadly. This goes not just for skiing off-piste in the backcountry, but inbounds as well. People travel from all over the world for Nozawa Onsen’s epically deep powder… But many of us have never experienced such deep snow. The dark side of this life-changing powder is that it also takes lives – avalanches and people suffocating in the snow. The light, fluffy snow can turn holes, valleys, depressions and moats around trees into death traps. When you fall into a hole or moat, the loose snow can act like quicksand, pulling you down […]
Ski Camp Nozawa Japan
Ski Camp Nozawa Japan Rippa of a day in Nozawa Rippa is actually a Japanese word and means much the same as does in English – awesome. Yesterday was certainly all that and more. It started with lofting fat snow flakes in the morning. Then the sun came out at about 11am and conditions were amazing. Not so many people about either now School Holidays and Chinese New Year are finished. Today is looking like another beautiful day with the pink sunrise raising its head above the surrounding peaks. Last night was super clear could see lots of stars and a bright moon. It was cold, my ears were stinging walking back from the Onsen. This morning my thermometer is […]
Cheap Lift Passes Nozawa
Cheap Lift Passes Nozawa Still Snowing in Nozawa Onsen It’s surely shaping up as being the week of the season with another significant snowfall since the close of lifts yesterday. Waking to the sound of snow sliding off roofs and the lawnmower hum of snowblowers is always a good sign. Walking around the village huge pillows adorn cars, gigantic mushrooms threaten to bury buildings and fresh powder festoons the visible mountainsides. I feel that today will be another epic day. If looking to buy lift passes in Nozawa click on this link for some great value multi day passes; https://www.nozawaholidays.com/lift-pass-prices-nozawa-japan/ We’ve had another 25 cm recorded up on the summit and about 20 cm at the mountains base so the […]