Nozawa Holidays

https://vimeo.com/40275755 As you head into the weekend, here is a little video of Nozawa Onsen that we did together with the Nagano Tourist board a few years back. Gives a bit of insight into what a ski holiday to Japan could look like and will help you with planning your next adventure. Lots of great snow, good food, warming onsens and ofcourse all roads lead to a Karaoke bar! Have a little look and drop us a mail if keen to get amongst it all this coming winter to stay@nozawaholidays.com  At the peak of skiings popularity in Japan there were over 600 ski resorts to chose from! Since the bubble burst that is probably more like 300 resorts now. So […]

Lodge of the week in Nozawa Onsen “Takagi Lodge” Nozawa Takagiya has just recently opened its doors to overseas guests and both the owners and the guests are really glad they did. Mr and Mrs Mori with their extended family run a beautiful Ski Lodge in the heart of Nozawa Onsen Village. Their son also helps and works at the local JA Bank when not busy in the lodge. Mr Mori is a real local character and although his English is only basic he will quickly strike up a conversation and a glass of Sake in the evenings. Mrs Mori will do everything she can to ensure you have a comfortable and memorable stay. It is a traditional Lodge but […]

                              Get out of that seat in the plane and on to a chair lift as soon as possible! With just 3 months to go until the ski season could be starting in Japan people are busy making plans for their next snow holiday. Hopefully Nozawa is on your radar and if it is you are probably wondering what is the best way to get to our quaint little ski town from the Airport. Here is a useful link that shows you some of the options Getting to Nozawa Onsen Ways to get to Nozawa Onsen from Tokyo Airports both Narita and Haneda. Note if coming […]

With Festivals, noodle eating and the last weekend of the official Summer Green Season program at the resort. The Nagasaka Gondola will now cease for the summer hiking and Mountain biking as will the camp ground and outdoor swimming pool at the Sparena. This signals the start of Autumn and you can almost feel a change in the air. The following sporting fields are still open – Olympic Sports Park and Gym open until early Nov – Golf training field open until mid Nov – Nanbara tennis court open until mid Nov Ofcourse you can still hike and Mountain Bike and it is coming into the optimum time with cooler air and changing of the leaves. All the Onsens including […]

Sometimes there can be too much Powder!   I got this photo from Kubota san at the photo shop on the main street into the village. The photo was taken just outside his store in memory from the 60s. He told me the story that it had snowed in Nozawa every day for a month and then we got hit with some of those huge 100cm dumps and the village basically got completely buried! No one could get in or out and even in the modern 4wd’s of today there was no way you were getting around the town.   Nozawa was declared a natural disaster zone and the National Guard were called in to help the locals clear the […]

Frequent Flyer Points Sale 20% discount on now Qantas and Jetstar are offering 20% off eligible flights with Classic Flight Rewards. So may be a good time to book that ski holiday to Japan you were thinking about! Good if booked with a QF or JQ flight number between 12.01am (AEST) 24 August 2016 and 11.59pm (AEST) 27 August 2016. Travel on Qantas between 27 September 2016 and 12 August 2017 or on Jetstar between 27 September 2016 and 30 June 2017. So a good range of dates so can visit Japan or Nozawa anytime for the next year. If coming up for a ski and want to get the best conditions to suit your needs can see details on […]

Ski Jump Training Nozawa Summer vs Winter – Take the drop! Anytime of year it is a scary view from the top and cannot imagine what goes thru the minds of the athletes as the ski down that run! Lots of excitement in Japan now with the handing over of the Summer Olympics to the new host nation. It will only be Japan’s second time to host the Summer games but Japan has already hosted the Winter Olympics twice once in Sapporo in 1972 and again in Nagano in 1998. Nozawa Onsen hosted the Biathlon event and there was an amazing vibe in the village with all the visiting international teams. Nozawa has one of the highest number of Olympic […]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gd6H4S4CKM Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a special entrance to the Closing Ceremony of the Rio Olympics. Dressed up as Super Mario and there is a cool little story how he is tunnelled in from Japan to make the appearance. As Japan will be the next country to host the Olympics in 2020 they got a short time to show case their country and what is install in Tokyo. Japan last hosted the Summer Olympics in 1964 so has been a while and most are confident that the unique city can put on a great games. Hope to see you there… The Opening Ceremony takes place on the 24th of July 2020 in four short years from now. Accommodation […]

Well-known food journalists Peden and Munk recently visited Japan and made Nozawa Onsen on the top of the list for places to visit. Not just for the Skiing but also for the culture, natural hotsprings and amazing local produce. Check out there beautiful little video. They loved the authenticity of the town and the people living here and the daily rhythm of a rural village in the snow country of Japan. In their write up they said “Nozawa was humble but brimming over with quality”, great to hear such kind words from people who travel for a living. They liked the idea of the simplicity of the Japanese Style Tatami Rooms. With the minimal Japanese feel of the woven straw […]

Time for a “Tree Change” to Nozawa Onsen Come on up and enjoy the fresh mountain air in Nozawa before Summer is over! Magic green season in full flow at the moment, and nice warm days especially in town. If want to escape the heat it is almost 10 degrees cooler up top of the resort at Yamabiko. Lots of people were around the village enjoying the Obon holiday, hiking, mt biking and swimming in the Sparena Pool and streams. Nothing better than after a hike taking a cool dip in a mountain stream then following up with an Onsen. Your body will thank you! Funnily enough the end of August officially is the end of Summer. The Sparena pool […]