Nozawa Holidays

So we are in to October! Will soon be a different kind of ride in Nozawa.  Things are starting to cool but nothing too serious yet. The rain has been on going which as many locals suspect could mean a big snow season when the precipitation continues like this and temps drop will eventually lead to snow on the hills. The forecast is showing a pattern change later in the week and the North West winds will blow with temps dropping and reckon we may get into single digits, definitely for the top of the resort at least. The farmers are still busy bringing in the rice harvest and it is an interesting time to be in the village. Great […]

If you are wanting to stay in the center of the village you cannot get much more central than Home Run Apartments on Oyu Dori the main street of Nozawa Onsen. Home Run was a Pachinko Parlour in the boom times in Nozawa. Pachinko is a form of gambling where you have little steel balls kind of like pinball. It was popular in Nozawa in the 90’s but closed many years ago. The building now houses; The Stay Bar, rental shop and a Sukiyaki Restaurant, then the top two floors are newly renovated apartments. Tatsumi san from Heaven Bar just around the corner took over the building last year and renovated the apartments. The one on the 3rd floor is […]

Discover the Japanese Alps before the snow hits! It doesn’t seem like that long ago that many people from overseas were unaware that Japan gets great snow. For many years I skied in Nozawa and was rare to see anyone from overseas on the slopes. Well the secret of Japan’s powder is well and truly out now but the beauty of the Japanese Alps for hiking and climbing is maybe yet to be fully discovered. Almost 75% of this island nation is mountainous and we are talking some serious peaks too. With lots of 3000m plus mountains and huge national parks just begging to be explored. Nagano is one of the hubs for mountain enthusiasts and together with surrounding prefectures […]

As autumn starts to set in, some of the locals in Nozawa Onsen start to head to the mountain in search of a local delicacy: wild mushrooms! There are a few hundred species of fungi that can be found on the mountains here, ranging from rare and expensive types to the famous “Shimeji” – long thought to be responsible for numerous health benefits. As Nagano prefecture is now the longest lived area in the world, it can’t be doing any harm! When searching for specific edible mushrooms you need to factor weather, rainfall, and mainly which area of the mountain you will visit as different species require different fallen trees to grow from. A word of warning though – make […]

New bus announced linking Nozawa all the way to Myoko via Madarao. Hot of the press have heard thru the grape vine that there will be a new bus route between Madarao and Myoko starting this season. It is set to kick off from 23rd of December to the 5th of March 2017. It is expected to run daily and will be a great service for anyone wanting to hit up a few resorts in the area as will link Nozawa Onsen, Iiyama Station, Madarao and Myoko together. Will be the same No-to-ma bus that already connects Nozawa to Madarao via our neighbouring resort Togari, also not to be overlooked with some amazing side country no crowds, cheap tickets and […]

The rice harvest (Inakari) has just started here in Nozawa Onsen. Some of you may already know – rice farming here in the valley has a history that far outreaches the snow sports industry! In fact you could almost say it is the main way of life for most villagers here in town. Nagano and Niigata prefectures are said to produce the best quality rice – with all of that fresh water flowing down the mountain through our fields and the clean country air we have here – you can see why! Traditionally, rice was planted and harvested by hand. It is then hung to dry and mature for a few weeks, before being removed from the grass and milled […]

As the mercury starts to rise down south and many are beginning their school holidays you may be already thinking how can we escape this heat! This photo was taken at Ogama the cooking onsens in Nozawa a few Christmas’s ago. Give the sweltering Christmas a swerve this year and consider a snowy White Christmas in Nozawa this coming December. Still have good availability at many of the lodges and can do a package starting for as little as $965 for Adults and Kids $615 White Christmas Week in Nozawa 7 Nights Stay based on Japanese Style Tatami Room with Share Bathroom Healthy Breakfast Included Daily 5 Days Lift Passes Use of all the Village Hot springs All just 70,500 […]

  As the weather starts to cool in Nozawa there is no better place to be than in an Onsen ( Hot spring) We have 13 free ones around the village and it is a daily ritual for the locals to meet and bathe in the geothermal hot waters. All housed in traditional bath houses they are a very relaxing way to start the day or soothe the aches and pains at the end of the day. Even more special in the snowy months, as you get a warm buzz to the core of your body that lasts for a few hours. If you are not familiar with the Onsen etiquette and just want a few little pointers on how […]

You can feel the change starting to roll over the mountains in Nozawa. Have had a few foggy days about town and always pretty to see the clouds sitting in the Valley. This photo is taken from Villa Nozawa and won’t be long now until the scenery takes on a snowy change! Quite a lot of rain in Nozawa at the moment too which has cooled things down and find you need a long sleeve in the nights now, which is kind of nice. Most locals are talking about good snowfall this year. Mainly because last year was a bit light on and was a 1 in 50 year like situation so this year Nozawa should be back to its […]

Konnichiwa looks like a few deals available for our friends from Melbourne Some of you may have been waiting for this, so looks like time to Jump in. At a quick glance some sales on offer appear to be; • Melbourne to Osaka from 6th of Feb to 23rd of March from $466 Return • Melbourne to Narita from 21st of March to 27th of March from $436 Return Sale ends 21st of September So looks like into Osaka is for good dates for the season. Osaka to Nozawa is a little further but you get the chance to visit the old capital Kyoto which is an amazing part of any trip. Osaka is also an exciting city with delicious […]