Day Tours Nozawa Skiing Rest And the good snow just keeps on coming… Eleven centimetres of fresh powder is ready and waiting for you to carve fresh tracks into this morning. On days like recent, where the snow is just THAT GOOD, it can be really tempting to keep pushing it. But, powder skiing and riding is tiring. And it’s okay to break up your skiing holiday with some rest days. In fact, Nozawa Onsen is the perfect base for some less intense adventures. Some exciting day trip ideas include: A trip to Nagano City – the prefectural capital city. There is a direct bus from Nozawa to Nagano that leaves around 10am or 4pm each day. In Nagano, there’s […]
Accommodation Nozawa Onsen
Ski Camp Nozawa Japan
Ski Camp Nozawa Japan Rippa of a day in Nozawa Rippa is actually a Japanese word and means much the same as does in English – awesome. Yesterday was certainly all that and more. It started with lofting fat snow flakes in the morning. Then the sun came out at about 11am and conditions were amazing. Not so many people about either now School Holidays and Chinese New Year are finished. Today is looking like another beautiful day with the pink sunrise raising its head above the surrounding peaks. Last night was super clear could see lots of stars and a bright moon. It was cold, my ears were stinging walking back from the Onsen. This morning my thermometer is […]
Stay Safe Nozawa Onsen
Stay Safe Nozawa Onsen Purple Patch in Nozawa Onsen Ohayou and welcome to another day in paradise. Today is shaping up to be another cracker, albeit without heavy overnight falls for the first day in a while. The resort high point, Yamabiko has recorded cm overnight while down here in the village we’ve had an additional cm fall. We are expecting another beautiful blue sky morning until clouds gradually build into the afternoon so the visibility should remain excellent with spectacular views in all directions. Look out for the Sea of Japan visible from the top lifts- how many places can you ski within sight of the ocean!? Snow conditions should remain good especially up top where cold temperatures have […]
Another Dump Nozawa Onsen
Another Dump Nozawa Onsen Another day another amazing dump of fresh snow in Nozawa. The powder tap has turned on and seems to be flowing hard. Late yesterday afternoon, the snowfalls began to ease and I suspected we’d get another big overnight dump as forecast. At about 8.30pm last night, the telltale signs were there as the first flakes began wafting past the village light posts. Overnight, we had thick heavy flakes falling down here in the village. Early this morning, it looks like the skies are clearing for a perfect bluebird day ahead. A rinse and repeat of yesterday? The overnight figures certainly suggests so; Yamabiko 20cm, Uenotaira 33cm. How many best days of the season can we have […]
50cm Snow Overnight Nozawa
50cm Snow Overnight Nozawa Suki ni ikimashyo! Let’s go skiing! Last night, 50cm of fresh snow fell up top on Yamabiko we were only expecting 30cm so was a real bonus to get 50cm. The base now at 260cm so grade to get over that 2.5 meter mark. It even snowed briefly in Tokyo yesterday and the mercury is dropping below zero Celsius across the country. It’s a strong winter pressure pattern bringing in this influx of cold air and we are not complaining here at Nozawa Onsen! It’s some of the lowest temperatures Japan has seen as a country in a decade. TODAY: Temperature at the top; -10 degrees on Yamabiko and -12 degrees on Uenotaira! New snow since […]
Japan Cold Snap Nozawa
Japan Cold Snap Nozawa Japan is being hit by a once-in-a-decade cold snap and we’re certainly feeling it here in Nozawa Onsen. We’ve again hit our two metre mark for the Yamabiko base! Yesterday we woke up to sunshine but by lunchtime, the clouds had crowded in, the winds picked up and the snow started falling. The base went from 150cm to 230cm in just one day! Temperatures are the coldest they’ve been all season so if you’re out chasing some of that powder today, put on double those usual layers and make sure you’ve got your powder planks if venturing anywhere off the groomers. You know its cold when the road heating just can’t keep up. It’s going to […]
Snow Fall Nozawa Onsen
Snow Fall Nozawa Onsen Today is the beginning of what’s looking to be the snowiest week of the season so far! Perfect timing for all our guests travelling for the Chinese New Year. Nozawa Onsen is known for its excellent snowfall. People travel from all over the world to get a taste of that fresh powder! The best snowfall year Nozawa has ever experienced was in 1986… That season, they received more than 2000cm! The lowest record was in 2016 – where the mountain received just over 500cm… This is still a lot compared to an Australian ski field such as Perisher, which in that same year received just over 350cm. Today we should see around 50cm of snowfall throughout […]
Snow week coming Nozawa
Snow week coming Nozawa One of my favourite things about skiing at Nozawa Onsen, is seeing all the pups and dogs racing across the ski field. Siberian Huskies, Shiba, labradors and retrievers. Every day, I spot at least five furry friends running about in the snow. It’s simply adorable. Even more so if the dog is wearing ski goggles, little booties or a warm coat! Of all the places I’ve skied, I’ve never seen so many dogs! If you or your family member would like to pat the dog, you can ask via the phrase below! It’s always good to introduce yourself to the owner as well! Anata no inu ni sawattemo iidesuka? さわっても いいですか？ This week is looking to […]
Happy Chinese New Year Nozawa
Happy Chinese New Year Nozawa What a weekend in Nozawa Yesterday was a fantastic day on the mountain. The snow just kept coming all day and heavy at times. Was funny as I got on the Gondola after lunch it was sunny down the bottom but 8 minutes later when reached the top the snow was dumping down. Nice cold temps too which kept the slopes in good condition all day. Being the weekend and the start of Chinese New Year there were definitely more people around but didn’t line up much at all yesterday afternoon. Most Tokyo folk will head off at lunch time today so this afternoon should be good too. Todays Japanese word is “Nichiyobi” which means […]
Last Minute Booking Nozawa
Last Minute Booking Nozawa Snowy Winters day in Nozawa Almost the “Magic Foot” of fresh snow overnight for Nozawa and has probably got to 30cm by the time I finish typing this with huge flakes dropping from the sky right now in the village. The snow started just when I was heading to the onsen at about 9pm last night but heavier this morning. Great to see real winter conditions back in town and they look set to continue for a while now. Being the weekend should be a few people around but plenty of fresh tracks up for grabs. Gondola opens soon so get up there and have an awesome day Todays Japanese word is “Yuki” which means Snow. […]