TERRAIN PARK NOZAWA ONSEN Another bluebird! Get those dark lenses out and some sunscreen on. With the clouds clearing first thing this morning, we are set for another bluebird day. Yesterday was a gorgeous day on the hill and the snow was terrific under foot on top of the mountain. Up at Yamabiko the temps remained cool keeping the snow in great condition. Down lower it did get slushy as the day went on. Sunshine and no lift lines made for a great day. Winds are light and variable from the W for majority of the day. Temperatures on top of the mountain are balmy, sitting in the positives. The light winds this morning are chopping the wind chill into […]
Day Trips from Nozawa Onsen: OBUSE
Whether you’re a skier, snowboarder, or non-snow-person in Nozawa Onsen, taking a day trip to Obuse is well worth your time! Home to the Hokusai-kan Museum, Kozan Takai Memorial Museum, Nihonnoakari Museum (Japanese Lantern Museum), groves of grape and apple trees and famed for the perfect acidic soil to grow delicious chestnuts, you will be overwhelmed with things to do. Follow me along on my day trip to Obuse! Getting to Obuse from Nozawa Onsen Starting the day early, we caught the Nozawa Onsen Liner at 08:20 for just ￥600 each to Iiyama. A brief 25 minute ride later, we arrived at the newly constructed Iiyama Train Station. Instead of taking a local train or Shinkansen, we caught a connecting […]
MARCH SEASON PASS NOZAWA
MARCH SEASON PASS NOZAWA Ohayo Gozaimasu from Nozawa Onsen This morning the clouds have rolled in and shall linger for majority of the day. Winds are light from the SW staying consistent. Temperatures are keeping in the negatives at a max of -2 and wind chill sitting relative. Visibility on the slopes will be great but clouds may hinder the view of the surrounding mountains. Groomers will be the pick for today. As it’s a weekday the crowds will be a lot less, so if you’re feeling like a long peaceful ride try out skyline first thing this morning with some fresh corduroy underneath the skis or board. Here in Nozawa Onsen, March has been awesome so far. Less crowds, […]
REST AND SUNSHINE NOZAWA
REST AND SUNSHINE NOZAWA Oh what a night! Last night was awesome! There were fireworks, sake, Naski came out to say hi and we saw a beautiful display of lights across the slope. A super special evening for those in Nozawa. Today we are in for much of the same as yesterday. With partial clear skies and scattered clouds rolling over throughout the day. We are set to see the sun shine through majority of the day giving us glorious spring conditions. On top of the mountain temps will sit around -2 for most of the day. Winds are light from the S, with visibility being optimal. The groomers will be the pick today with great conditions for carving, if […]
SATURDAY FUN NOZAWA ONSEN
SATURDAY FUN NOZAWA ONSEN Lantern Festival Tonight on the Hikage slopes Yesterday was glorious! The sun was out and the new snowfall left in between the trees the perfect place to explore! After all that new snow the groomers were working hard and today is shaping up to be another awesome day for shredding the groomed runs. With partial clear skies, carving is on the cards. There will be cloud cover today with the sun showing its face occasionally throughout the day. Winds are light and variable from the NW for majority of the day, strongest in the morning and easing in the afternoon. Temps on top of the mountain are in the negatives, steady at -5, and wind chill […]
MARCH POWDER NOZAWA ONSEN
MARCH POWDER NOZAWA ONSEN The Powder and the Glory! Waking up to blue skies and fresh snow is pretty exciting for March. With less crowds on the mountain, there will be plenty of stashes of powder to ride throughout the day, and with this sunshine, the day couldn’t get any better. As the day progressed yesterday snowflakes got bigger and more of them came down. It was dumping late in the afternoon. With 20cm fallen since close of lifts yesterday, putting the base level back over the 3 metre mark. A Spring powder day for us all! To check out the awesome conditions head to the live web cams of the slopes in Nozawa; https://nozawa-onsen.com/nozawa-webcams/ With the sun coming out […]
BUDGET TRAVEL NOZAWA ONSEN
BUDGET TRAVEL NOZAWA ONSEN Powder in March?! On top of the mountain today we could see 20cm+ fall throughout the day. Low hanging cloud this morning in town obscuring the top of mountain meaning the cold front has arrived. Today will be a great day on the slopes as the day progresses. With heavier snow fall expected in the afternoon. Winds will intensify from the NW as the day goes on pushing temps and wind chill into the negatives and wind chill of -19, on top of the mountain. Snow fall should fill in tracks as the day goes on so best conditions will be in the afternoon if you want some powder but groomers early on will be awesome […]
SLOW LIFE NOZAWA ONSEN
SLOW LIFE NOZAWA ONSEN Life moves at a slower pace in March in Nozawa Beautiful sunny days, long lunches on the slopes, no lift lines and eating at your favourite restaurant every night. There’s no better place to be in the spring than Nozawa Onsen. With the first day of spring upon us today we are in for a cracker, and snowfall on the cards for tomorrow! With the base sitting at 290cm, we still have many awesome days of carving ahead of us and today is set to be one. SLOW LIFE NOZAWA ONSEN Today is looking great, with light variable winds for majority of the day blowing SW, pushing the Okinawa winds north. These winds blow warmer air […]
CROSS COUNTRY SKIING NOZAWA
CROSS COUNTRY SKIING NOZAWA Cross-country (Nordic) skiing is a different way to enjoy winter here in Nozawa Onsen. The resort, boasting both on snow Nordic courses and official courses of the Ski Association of Japan, has a strong Nordic influence. Nozawa Onsen hosted the Nordic Biathlon event in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, and the official Olympic tracks are still skied on today. The Minamihara Cross Country Course, on the right of the Karasawa chair, bears both a 5KM and 7.5KM Nordic courses. The start and finish points of the courses are 80m x 120m flatground, making it an ideal training area for beginners. The course is open from late December through to late March. The Uenotaira Cross Country Course, […]
FESTIVALS IN NOZAWA ONSEN
FESTIVALS IN NOZAWA ONSEN Farewell Winter and Hello Spring We are finishing the last days of February in true style with yesterday being a truly sublime day on the mountain. All the elements lined up with fresh snow, sunshine and very little wind for such an awesome day. Who was up there? This morning still an impressive base of 300cm up top, so there is still plenty of snow to ride throughout March and April. We have had an awesome winter so far here in Nozawa and are excited about Spring skiing and the beautiful days it brings. Today is set to be another bluebird day with light variable winds, and seeing temperatures creep into the low positives on top […]