Mt Fuji has put on its winter coat and looks amazing! That area of Japan in Shizuoka received some good snow with that last fall. Mt Fuji is located just 100km to the west of Tokyo and can be seen from Tokyo on a clear day. The peak is 3776 meters above sea level and the highest point in Japan so is very cold in winter and receives its fair share of snow. But great to see snow all the way to the base at this time of year! Mt Fuji Climbing Season The climbing season is well and truly officially over for the year. They like to close it early so no one gets caught in a snow storm […]
Nagano Ski Resort Open tomorrow 27th of November
The First Nagano Ski Resort to open tomorrow! Good news nearby Ryuoo Ski Park will open tomorrow the 27th of November! They have been working hard with the snow making and grooming and with the recent snow fall have a nice cover and will have the lifts turning tomorrow Sunday. Ryuoo Park resort is just 24km from Nozawa Onsen so an easy drive over for a ski until we open the lifts in Nozawa. Here are some stats on the set up there; First Tracks taken in Nozawa Onsen
Tokyo Snow November? Chilly in Nozawa and Tokyo
Tokyo Snow today! Cold start to the morning in Nozawa and even Tokyo is a chilly 3 degrees. They are expecting some snow there and across many parts of Japan today! If happens will be the first November snow fall in Tokyo in 54 years. They are advising locals to carry chains! Could be some chaos if it eventuates… Will it snow in Tokyo Today? It is pretty rare to get snow in Tokyo even in the dead of Winter little lone Tokyo Snow in November. A few years back when we had the huge dumps in Nozawa Tokyo got about 25cm from memory and the place was in Chaos, people sliding out all over the roads, train delays ( […]
Early Snow expected. December Deals!
Could this be a December remember Nozawa with early snow expected. This photo was taken December 7th 2 seasons ago after a 70cm dump overnight! We were expecting 20cm. Just a little update from Nozawa on the snow expected. Looks like the temps will plummet tonight and freezing temps set to hit the lowest so far this season going down to 0 degrees in the village. We are all safe and sound too by the way thanks for anyone asking. Good snow falls expected over the next few days then looking at the 9 Day Forecast plenty of red snow marks ahead right into next week with a big dump next Monday as well. Anyway the charts can change a […]
Snow November on the way for Nozawa
Snow November on the way for the coming week in Nozawa Pretty wet and foggy in Nozawa today, and freezing level also a bit high, but next week is looking good! Temps are set to drop from Tuesday night and should snow all day Wednesday and Thursday with over 30cm expected to fall. Freezing level will go below 1000m and even down in Tokyo was getting cold yesterday. Could this be the start of winter real? Bit too early to say and depends what comes in behind this, there are a few low-pressure systems hovering over Japan still and think it will be unstable for a while yet. The big question is will this fall be enough for the resort […]
Mountain Biking Japan and Nozawa Onsen
Mountain Biking Japan and Nozawa Onsen A couple of professional Mountain Bikers recently visited Nozawa Onsen to discover the potential of the mountains with out the snow. They had been to Japan before to ski and had a feeling that the mountains would also be ripe for green season pursuits and they were right! They chose to come in October for the Autumn feel of leaves changing colours , cooler temperatures and no crowds at all. It is a beautiful time to visit Nozawa Onsen as don’t over heat on the bike and have the many free Onsens in the village to warm up and soothe the aching muscles after the ride. Check out some of the amazing photos of […]
Train Nozawa Onsen and around Japan
Train Nozawa. Trains, more trains and no automobiles to Nozawa The train system in Japan is so good it is almost hard to think of using any other form of transport. But for sure they all have their advantages and disadvantages. Nozawa is pretty small and we get so much snow a car is not really necessary and a hassle to park and dig out! Today we are talking trains and the JR or Japan Rail System. Japan is a relatively compact country with a dense population particularly in the large cities so it makes it beneficial to set up rail networks. However they have some major obstacles, mountains being a big one with 73% of Japan being mountainous. As […]
Last Minute Deals Nozawa – Get amongst the Powder
Last minute deals Nozawa With the winter ski season quickly approaching you may be getting excited and wished you had booked a winter snow escape already to Nozawa. Peak times are getting busy from December 29th to January 25th is the most popular time by far. Especially around the 15th of January with the famous Fire Festival and over the New Years with the big Japanese National Holidays. We still have some availability though here are there in the village and some good ones even for peak times. Here are a couple of great lodgings both self contained and lodge style with some terrific last minute deals Nozawa. Accommodation; Kamoshika Lodge One of the prime positions in the village, being […]
Hikage Ski Lift Nozawa Onsen almost ready to roll!
New Hikage Ski Lift Nozawa Onsen almost ready to roll! Just a quick update on the improvements to the Hikage lifts. As can see for the pics it is pretty much finished and ready to go when the snow hits. There is a team from the French Lift Company in town at the moment helping with the finishing touches of the installation. As can see the access to on load is going to be much better without that little hill you used to have to side step up. So can come down the home trail jump on that lift Hikage 2nd currently M on the map and then ski across the other lift Hikage L on the map and down […]
Vegetarian Food Japan and in Nozawa Onsen
Being Vego in Japan. Vegetarian Food Japan With increasing concern about our health and the environment we live in, more and more people are ditching the meat in favour of a vegetarian diet. Many countries are pretty used to catering for all the increased dietary requests. Japan is also starting to feed the needs of our vego friends. Over the years many have at times surprisingly struggled a little bit. It is not hard to avoid Dairy and Meat but fish is such a major part of the Japanese diet it can be a challenge to totally restrict that from the menu. Vegetarian food as such is a relatively new concept in Japan where most locals will eat anything but […]