Lake Nojiri Nozawa Onsen A Day at the Lake Lake Nojri or Nojiriko is a good size lake only 45 minutes drive from Nozawa or we often ride and takes about 2 hours then you really feel like a swim when get there. It is a great little day trip from Nozawa year round and especially good in Summer when you can enjoy all the water sports. The lake has a bit of a feel of a mountain resort lake with Holiday homes and little cafes dotted around the shores of the lakes. Personal favourite is Funagoya Italian with magic views across the lake and delicious Gnocchi. The Lamp is also a pretty cool set up and can rent Sups […]
Accommodation Nozawa Onsen
Nozawa Onsen Rich History
Nozawa Onsen Rich History Throwback Thursday to the Ogama the Cooking Onsen in Nozawa. If you have been to Nozawa no doubt you have walked around this area known as Ogama and soaked in the atmosphere. Now imagine back to the early 1900’s and what it was like then. Still an amazing location and still locals cooking up fresh vegetables in the boiling hot spring waters. Since those days it has been renovated and a fence put around it. Probably a good thing as if you dipped your toe in unknowingly, you could end up with some boiled extremities. Who enjoys walking around this area when you visit Nozawa?
Farming Nozawa Onsen Japan
Farming Nozawa Onsen Japan Farming the fields in Nozawa – Farming Nozawa Onsen Japan Farming is still one of the biggest industries/ pass times in Nozawa over the Green Season. As soon as the snow starts to melt the local farmers get busy planting Rice and all sorts of vegetables. With the rich volcanic soil and abundance of fresh mountain water things grow like crazy. My neighbours are constantly pulling out a wide range of fresh vegetables from the ground and we are often lucky enough to get some direct from the farmer. You can also buy them at Rainbow Supermarket, the morning markets or from many little shops in town and the Michi No Eki stores on the main roads […]
Best Eats Nozawa Onsen
Best Eats Nozawa Onsen Friday Night Fever in Nozawa Time to go make stories for Monday! Many ski resorts in Japan are known for not having any nightlife. Nozawa for me anyway is just the right amount. Not too crazy but a good blend of food, bars and Onsens to keep most people happy and still be able to get up for a ski or hike the next day. What makes up your favourite night in Nozawa? For a small town we are big on food and there are over 50 places to get a bite to eat in the village, around 20 places to get a drink, 13 places to have a free onsen and let’s not forget about […]
Japan Open Overseas Tourists
Japan Open Overseas Tourists The question is when, not if any more, after 2 years of basically closed borders Japan is getting ready to welcome back all the amazing overseas tourists to its shores. The question remains when and that is a $37 Billion question. Apparently the amount tourists were pumping into the economy before the start of the Corona Pandemic. So you can bet the government and many of the businesses that rely on that income are keen to see the welcome gates flung open again. Note the following thoughts are my own research. Japan Open Overseas Tourists Japan on Friday resumed visa procedures to accept foreign tourists, taking the first step toward increasing inbound tourism after two years […]
Food Festival Japan Nozawa
Food Festival Japan Nozawa Night Markets on the streets of Nozawa from tomorrow The popular Take No Ko Matsuri or Bamboo Shoot Festival is back and starts tomorrow June the 13th and runs for 2 weeks. The little laneway beside the Chemist below Kaze no Ko Italian and opposite Oyu Onsen literally comes to life. It is a pretty quiet lane usually and you have probably walked past it many times and barely even noticed it. From tomorrow it will be lined with Food Stalls and friendly locals selling their wares. The main theme being the bamboos shoots that everyone has just recently picked from the mountains surrounding Nozawa. Food Festival Japan Nozawa Lots of tasty healthy options and you can […]
Mountain Climbing Mecca Japan
Mountain Climbing Mecca Japan Still snow in Japan if you go high enough. Kamikochi is a Mecca for hikers and mountain lovers in Japan. Have been meaning to get there for a while and luckily managed to get there this week. With the Spring season in full swing it is the perfect time to visit. The valley floor is green and fresh mountain water runs deep through its veins. Above 1700m there is still plenty of snow so need to be prepared with crampons and mountain gear if venturing up high. Kamikochi is just over a 2 hour drive from Nozawa via Matsumoto. Public transport will take a fair bit longer and either way you need to take the Alpico […]
Summer Holiday Nozawa Japan
Summer Holiday Nozawa Japan After the lifts stop rolling in Nozawa Firstly a huge Arigatou gozaimasu to everyone that visited Nozawa Onsen this season. It was a pleasure having you and hope you really enjoyed all the amazing snow this winter. It was a big one, one of the biggest and best for snow in over a decade. Very encouraging in these times of global warming that we can still have so much snow. There were days when we thought it was never going to stop falling. There was lots of action on the slopes and on the shovels in town to keep ahead of the amazing onslaught from Mother Nature. Summer Holiday Nozawa Japan The Corona affect naturally still […]
Last Week Season Nozawa
Last Week Season Nozawa The Last week of the Ski Season in Nozawa Fun time to be in Nozawa at the moment, the streets starting to buzz with Golden Week guests. It has been constant but not flat out yet. However think tomorrow all that is going to change with most guest houses in town saying they are pretty full tomorrow night. Probably will be a few busy days then pretty quiet to see in the end of the season. It has been pretty cool too. In town is nice when the sun is out but at night has been Jacket weather for sure. Single digits up on the slopes too. These cold temps have helped to preserve the base […]
May Ski Nozawa Japan
May Ski Nozawa Japan Welcome to Nozawa Golden Week Beautiful start to the holidays today with plenty of sunshine in Nozawa, We even got a few centimetres of snow up top overnight. A good amount of people enjoying the outdoors up on the slopes and around town. Even a bit of a lift line up the top at Yamabiko, have not seen that for a while. All the lifts up top operational with the Skyline connector, Uenotaira and Paradise lifts also rolling today. The snow is naturally slushy and slow on the flats but there are pockets of fun to be enjoyed including the natural half pipes up top. May Ski Nozawa Japan Temps at a respectable 7 degrees above […]