Big Snow Little Town Japan – A huge season on the snow front. Last Snow Season in Nozawa Onsen will go down as a “good season”. There was something for everyone, there was plenty of snow without being too crazy and we reached a peak of 370cm base on February 19th. The season before 2017 our peak was 435cm on March 28th and the big 2015 season we hit a huge 470cm base on February 16th. If want to read a bit more about the season can do here Nozawa Onsen Stats 2017/18 Season While Nozawa was having what we call a pretty normal season on the snow front some parts of Japan a little further South were having the most […]
Latest News from Nozawa Onsen
Japan Experience Snow Tour
Japan Experience Snow Tour Looking to explore the mountains of Japan for the first time or if a seasoned campaigner then come and discover Nozawa Onsen and nearby Madarao with the team that have been doing it for almost 30 Years. Nozawa Holidays has put together an exclusive 1 week Tour of the area and made it very easy to get involved and experience this beautiful part of Japan. Indulge in the amazing powder snow, soak in the hot springs, enjoy delicious local Japanese food and have the support of bilingual staff to help with anything you need along the way. The tour is based in the majestic Ski town of Nozawa Onsen, often described as the Kyoto of Ski […]
Summer Music Festival near Nozawa Onsen
Summer Music Festival near Nozawa Onsen Iiyama Sawagosa Music Festival Big weekend coming up in nearby Togari. At the base of the ski resort there is cool little festival taking place on Sat 25/8 and Sun 26/8. Think of Fuji Rock but much more intimate lots of locals and cool acts having a great time. Just 3500 Yen entry and free on the Sunday Here is a link for more details http://sawagosa.com/2017/ Rock On….
First Snow Japan
First Snow Japan We are not even out of one of the hottest Summers in Japan and this morning the First snow has hit Hokkaido Northern Japan! Maybe some Climate Change at work? The temperature there this morning was 0 degrees. At Daisetsuyama at Kurodake, which is often the first place to record snow in Japan. The first snow last year was on September 28. Could we be in for an Early Ski Season? Way too early to tell but why not get a little excited! This is the earliest snow that has been recorded there since they started to take records in 1974! The elevation is at 1900m above sea level. Nozawa Onsen started to get snow Falls in […]
Hiking Nozawa Onsen Japan
Hike Japan | The Shin-Etsu Trail, Nozawa Onsen The mountains of Japan are amazing for skiing in the Winter months and are now well known across the globe. Those amazing alps believe it or not are still there all year round and are just as Spectacular in the “Green Seaason”. In the vicinity of Nozawa Onsen there are many amazing little hikes and day trips you can set out on from the Village but if you are a bit more of a serious hiker you may want to consider the Shin-etsu Trail. Hiking Nozawa Onsen Japan The Shin-etsu Trail runs for and amazing 80 kilometers along the border between Nagano and Niigata Prefectures, following the path of the Sekida Mountain […]
Mountain Day in Nozawa Onsen
What is Mountain Day? August 11 is Mountain Day; Japan’s newest public holiday. Many say that because Japanese workers often don’t get to take their full allotment of annual leave, the government throws a few extra public holidays their way. Most will tell you this is to stimulate the economy a little. Some might even suggest it’s to get people to stay home and work on growing the country’s flagging population. Other people just love mountains. We love mountains. One in particular. Made a legal thing in 2014 and then eventually put into action for the first time in 2016, Mountain Day is officially about providing people with “opportunities to get familiar with mountains and appreciate blessings from mountains”. Where […]
2-Night Nozawa Onsen Mountain Escape to Experience the Famous Lantern Festival
Take a Nozawa Onsen Mountain Escape to Experience the Lantern Festival! Each year, on the 8th and 9th of September, Nozawa Onsen comes alive for the amazing Lantern Festival. In 2018, those dates happen to fall upon a Saturday and Sunday which creates a great opportunity for those in Japan to escape to the mountains for a memorable weekend! Festivals are something that Nozawa Onsen village does well and while January’s Fire Festival may get all the hype due to coinciding with plenty of powder snow, September’s Lantern Festival is a bit of a favourite. Saturday, 8th During the early evening of Saturday 8th, Oyu Dori (Nozawa’s main street) springs to life with street vendors and a parade featuring drums, […]
Onsen Therapy in Nozawa Onsen
Onsen Therapy? Onsen therapy in Nozawa Onsen? Long before locals in Nozawa Onsen ever heard of skiing people were visiting the village for the onsens themselves. For hundreds of years, Japanese people have been aware of the healing and regenerative powers of natural hot springs. Much more recently, the western world is starting to take notice. So, when we heard of an Australian doing some research (and just started a Facebook page to collect all the info in one place) into Japanese onsens being used as therapy, we had a few questions… Teresa McEleney Lymphoedema MLD Therapist Remedial Massage Therapist NH: Why onsens? Teresa: For years, I’ve had an interest in water therapy, especially cold and hot immersion therapy for […]
Qantas Sale Ski Japan
Qantas Sale Ski Japan Jetstar and the no frills carriers have always got good deals going to Japan it appears and now Qantas is also doing some awesome fares to Japan for various times of the year including Ski Season! With One Way Economy from as little as $349. Dates been advertised Departing Sydney include the following Depart betweenTue 29 Jan 2019–Wed 13 Feb 2019 – This is Peak Snow Time in Nozawa with almost always awesome snow! Depart betweenTue 16 Apr 2019–Fri 3 May 2019 – This is Spring time but can still Ski in Nozawa until May 6 and catch the Cherry Blossoms and some amazing deals with Accommodation heavily discounted. Great for the kids over Easter School […]
Nozawa Onsen Locals Guide – In the Powder
Nozawa Onsen Locals Guide – In the Powder Nozawa is a small farming community of only 3600 people most of the year, It swells a bit over the Snow Season with guests flowing in from all over the world to enjoy the amazing powder snow and soak in the traditional atmosphere and onsen baths. Leading up to the season we will be running our “In the Powder” series and try and give you the inside scoop on things to see and do with some valuable tips from long term staff, guests and residents of Nozawa. They have thier favourite restaurants, bars, ski runs and more and will share a bit of the knowledge with you to help you get to […]