Skiing and boarding tomorrow ! Big yeow ! Nozawa Onsen ski resort is opening tomorrow! Tuesday will be the first official day of the season. LIFTS IN OPERATION: Nagasaka Gondola Lift – open from 8:30-15:30 (down line 16:00) Yamabiko No. 2 Four Lift – open from 8:45-15:40 Yamabiko Course D, an intermediate slope will be open. I’d recommend checking the Nozawaski.com website for an updated map of what slopes are open. You can download it onto your phone! A little handy trick to explore the full extent of the mountain. It is early so take it slow and watch out for stones and any bushes or trees protruding from the snow. Please note that operating lifts and operating areas may […]
Latest News from Nozawa Onsen
Get your skis ready
Get your skis ready It has been snowing all day up top in Nozawa. It was too warm to snow down low but the clouds, wrapping like scarves around the surrounding mountain tops, have been delivering a nice soft layer of new snow up at Yamabiko and down to Paradise slope. There should be a total of 15 centimetres by the end of the day. The highest point of Nozawa Onsen is Mt. Kenashi. At 1,650m, it rises from the east side of the Mikuni Mountain range, and slopes toward the Chikuma River. This is the longest river in Japan. The summit of Mt Kenashi is a part of the ski resort. The next snowfall is forecast for Tuesday evening […]
Nozawa snowy Sunday forecast
Nozawa snowy Sunday forecast Another clear bluebird day in Nozawa Onsen has seen us looking longingly up at the surrounding mountains. The tops are covered in a lovely-looking layer of snow but there’s not a lot of cover lower down the mountain just yet. Mt Myoko to the west has a nice-looking winter coat. Tonight temperatures on the upper mountain slopes will be dropping to -7 degrees and the snow will start falling! Hopefully, by Sunday evening, we should have just over 10cm of fresh snow, with at least 2cm falling to 650m. So long as the snow sticks around, we are all looking forward to seeing you on the mountain for opening day on Tuesday! Looking ahead to the […]
Resort Planned Opening Tuesday
Resort Planned Opening Tuesday It was another gorgeous, sunny spring-like day in Nozawa Onsen today. It was a good day trying out a Chouse Bun from Akari House Swiss Bakery, yum! But this weekend should bring a heavy fall of snow to the surrounding mountains. Unfortunately, the previous Sunday forecast of more than 30cm has since dropped to just under 20cm but some snow is better than no snow! At least 4cm of snow should be falling to 600m freezing level on Sunday. The last few days of cool temperatures have seen the snow guns working hard up top. Nozawa Onsen ski resort was hoping to open on Monday but they have just postponed the opening of the field to […]
Nozawa’s nature and wildlife
Nozawa’s nature and wildlife Today the mountain webcams have been in complete whiteout all day… By the end of the day, about 20cm of fresh snow should have fallen down to 900m. Although we’ve only seen rain (and a few rainbows) in Nozawa Onsen Village itself. There was a distinct white line for the snowline just above the village this morning. The weekend forecast is still looking strong. Hopefully, Sunday will bring more than 40cm of snow, including at least 15cm down in the village. All we can do is cross our fingers and be patient. It’s been beautiful seeing the mist wrap around the forests above Nozawa Onsen today. Buna Forests Mount Kenashi and Torogi Toge in the ski […]
Nozawa Onsen Skiing History
Nozawa Onsen Skiing History As the sun sets over the Myoko-Togakushi mountain range to the west, we get another day closer to the beginning of the 22/23 Nozawa Onsen ski season! The forecast for tomorrow looks good with just over 10cm of new snow expected to fall as freezing levels drop below 0 degrees. At the moment, a snowstorm with freezing levels down to 600m should bring in around 30cm of snow on Sunday the 11th of December. Hoping this forecast holds. Nozawa Onsen Skiing History – A blast from the past People have been skiing in Nozawa Onsen since 1923 when the Nozawaonsen Ski Club was first established. A year later, the club started up the Hikage ski field. […]
Patience waiting for snow
Patience waiting for snow The sun is shining and it’s a brilliant bluebird day today. Temperatures are up around 9 degrees currently in the village and it’s the warmest I’ve felt for the past week. I’m actually wearing one too many layers. Obviously, this isn’t great for the snow forecast but it’s all just a lesson in patience. The snow will come. The forecast for up to 25cm of new snow on Sunday is still holding. I noticed a couple of local villagers continuing to harvest cabbage this morning outside my window. We received this stunning photo this morning from 野沢温泉スキー場 at Nozawa Ski Resort. It may look like there’s no snow from down in the village but it’s there! […]
Ski Board Rental Nozawa
Ski Board Rental Nozawa Meet the Team – Nozawa Holidays Leading up to the season will try and introduce you to members of our team and some local legends about Nozawa. First up introducing our man of many talents – Hugo san Hugo is the top dog in charge of both our rental shop and our ski school. Originally from the wine region Rioja in the north of Spain, Hugo is joining us for his 8th consecutive season at Nozawa Onsen. He’s been riding for more than 30 years. Growing up, it was only a 45-minute drive from his hometown to the bottom chairlift of his local field. When Hugo’s not skiing or boarding, you’ll find him on two […]
Onsen Etiquette Nozawa Village
Onsen Etiquette Nozawa Village The mountains today are shrouded in a thick white coating of mist and it’s softly raining in Nozawa Onsen. I saw a rainbow outside of my window this morning. The below-freezing temperatures up top should result in around 10cm of snow today! In the meantime, let’s talk about Onsen etiquette in Nozawa Village. There are 13 free traditional Onsens, formed from natural hot springs. An Onsen, aka. the Japanese version of a hot tub or spa pool is the perfect place to relax each day and defrost from the cold, while we eagerly await the season’s start. Trying out an Onsen for the first time can be an intimidating experience. There are a few rules and […]
Nozawa winter has arrived
Nozawa winter has arrived If you’re in Nozawa Onsen already, I recommend making the most of the glorious sunshine today and heading out for a walk. Nozawa winter has arrived! Although most of yesterday’s snow is melting away, the village is looking picturesque. Water is trickling from rooftops. The sun’s heat is turning the white-sugar dusting of snow on the tree tops into snow glitter falling from the leafy branches. You might be able to manage a ski or board down Hikage, which has a new nice layering of fresh snow. You’ll have to hike to the top of the run though! Yamabiko looks good on the live snow cams with the new snow up top mixing nicely with the […]