Latest News from Nozawa Onsen

Sunshine Fun Nozawa Onsen And the sunshine just keeps on coming! These bluebird days are a welcome defrost to the bodies after the constant Northern cold fronts blowing through since Christmas. Fresh snow will be on its way again soon though so make the most of the sunshine while you can. This weekend is the famous Fire Festival on Sunday teh 15th of January. But the activities and preparation for it have been starting this week. Today, if you find yourself outside Hikage Information Centre at 1pm keep an eye out for a group of local villages taking part in tree dragging races. While drinking sake the entire time, the 25 year olds and the 42 year olds of the […]

Spring like days Nozawa Oh yesterday, WHAT A DAY! It was one of Nozawa Onsen’s best. A foot of fresh snow. A bluebird day with not a cloud to be seen! My favourite part was skiing down the looping Forest Trail, seeing the horizon guarded by mountains and watching snow fairies twinkle and dance in the sunshine, camouflaged as snow falling from the pine trees. It’s an easy green run but offers some of the best views on the mountain. The “Toru” for the Fire Festival were put up in town yesterday too. They are big decorated umbrella-like shrines and you can check them out behind Nozawa Central or near Oyu opposite Sakaya Ryokan before the famous Fire Festival on […]

Fresh Powder Nozawa Onsen Today is one of THOSE days… One of the BEST days of the year so far. It’s a bluebird day with clear skies, sunshine and a dumping of FRESH powder from the day before… over half a meter of fresh snow in fact. Now, skiing and snowboarding in powder are pretty different from how you’ve been traditionally taught to ride… But when you get it right, and you find yourself floating, riding in powder is one of the best feelings in the world. Here are a few little tricks and tips to help you find your powder legs. For the skiers out there, create a large surface area to float on by bringing your skis close […]

Heavy Snow Nozawa Onsen Make the most of the fresh snow today as a peculiar Spring front is rolling in bringing warmer temperatures and clear days until the weekend! It’s going to be a cold and windy day though so make sure you’re wearing the extra layers if you’re heading up the mountain. Japan is world-renowned for having some of the BEST snow in the world… Why does Japan have such good snow though!? WELL, there just happens to be a perfect combination of cold air from Russia and China, moisture from the Sea of Japan (which you can see from Yamabiko on a clear day), and the lift when the wind hits Japan’s mountains along the west coast. It […]

Practising Japanese Language Nozawa Ohayō gozaimasu! (Good morning!) The sun stayed hidden for most of yesterday with several complete white-outs during the day on the mountain as the mist rolled in and sunk into the valleys. But the sun will be back today! It’s always an instant-pick-me-up to see the blue sky after the mist clears. Checking the cams and it is shaping up to be a magnificent sunny day up in the mountains. I wanted to share with you a few helpful Japanese phrases you can use while skiing, dining, and chatting with the locals. When out skiing ~ Thanking the lifties! Arigatou gozaimasu When out dining ~ Excuse me. Do you have an English menu available? Sumimasen. Eigo […]

Waking up snowy Nozawa Yesterday offered a lovely respite from the constant Snowy winter days we had been experiencing, with gorgeous azure skies and sunshine that defrosted cold bodies. It was so warm it almost felt like a spring skiing day up on the mountain. The day was filled with the echoes of snow sliding off village roofs. From the top of Yamabiko, you could see all the way to the Sea of Japan. But this morning, the clouds have descended and every one in town is waking up to lovely large flakes lofting from the sky. Great vibe in town last night too with the Taiko drums, Ski History Parade and Junken competition. Have not seen so many people […]

Starry night skiing Nozawa It’s the first weekend of 2023! This weekend is a long weekend in Japan with Monday a public holiday celebrating Seijin no hi or Coming of Age day. It is held in order to congratulate and encourage all those who have reached or will reach the age of Maturity which is 20 Years old in Japan and they are officially Adults. Check out the web cams up top here; https://nozawa-onsen.com/nozawa-webcams/ The day dawns with a sunshine and a check of the cams reveals a beautiful day up top. Mist has wrapped itself around the village this morning but it should lift as the day begins, displaying a bright blue sky. It’ll be a nice relief to […]

Perfect Day Nozawa Onsen When most overseas travellers think of skiing in Japan, it’s Niseko in Hokkadio which usually first comes to mind… Nozawa Onsen is often overlooked by travellers and in a way, that’s one of the reason’s this place is so special. It’s only a two hour train and bus ride away from Tokyo, yet remains a hidden gem. The resort itself offers a myriad of challenging, leisurely and picturesque runs. There’s tree skiing within the Yamabiko area. From the top, on a clear sunny day, you can spot the Sea of Japan in the distance, peeking behind Mt Myoko. Then there’s the famous skyline run taking you from the top to the bottom of Mt Kenashi, with […]

Enjoy the now Nozawa Isn’t it wild how we spent December worrying about whether the snow would come! Now we have more than we know what to do with. The snow gods have been blessing us at Nozawa Onsen since Christmas and the snow favours won’t be stopping any time soon with more snow in the forecast. At the year’s beginning, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed about the year to come, feeling anxious concern over the future and regret about what happened the year previous. Nozawa Onsen and its peaceful charm offer a time to enjoy the present. Next time you’re out skiing or boarding up at Nozawa, I encourage you to stop, pause and reflect. Take a […]