Latest News

  Amazing Autumn in Nozawa We were blessed with a period of fine weather over the last few days, so were able to make a hike to the summit to witness a spectacular sunset/sunrise. The foliage slowly turning to autumn colors made for a beautiful backdrop, you may be able to recognize one of your favorite runs Yamabiko A course! There are plenty of hiking courses on the mountain ranging from small strolls in the forest to full day or overnight treks. Across from us is the famous Shinetsu trail which runs along the border of Niigata and Nagano prefectures, and takes approximately 5 days to finish at a leisurely pace with food and rest houses along the way. Great […]

  Things are taking shape on the Slope of Nozawa! The mountain staff has been busy mowing the runs and clearing the shrubs so all is looking nice and defined. Just need to add the white stuff now! The new lift on Hikage Slope is also taking shape as can see in these photos and should be a nice addition. The overall plan with that Hikage lift is not just about the winter. The Nozawa Onsen Resort also plans to open a summer offering there with artificial ski slopes and Japan’s longest Zip line! Summer Skiing in Nozawa Onsen From my understanding the slope will be a series of plastic cup like brushes with water being constantly sprayed on them […]

Nozawa Central Two Bedroom Apartment now available from 29th of January 2017 for a week! Just had a cancellation in this beautiful and spacious apartment at Nozawa Central. It was fully renovated just before last season and is in an awesome location in the middle of Nozawa Onsen Village. Nozawa Central Apartments are fully self-contained facilities include: Each Apartment has full size kitchens with all the appliances and equipment you need Master Bedroom has Queen Bed and the other bedroom has 2 x Single beds can put an extra person in each room on request Western style toilet and Bathroom with shower and double wash basin and an amazing free standing bath tub Spacious living areas with Mountain views Hair Dryers, […]

The signs are starting to emerge that we could get an early start to the season in Nozawa this year but will have to wait and see. In general the resort tries to open by December 1st each year and most seasons we tend to get there. If it is a little late then it is very rare that we are not strapping on the planks by mid December at the latest. Just two seasons ago in December 2014 we got absolutely dumped on in early December. We had 3 meters of snowfall in just 4 days. Here is a link to reports at that time Nozawa December Early Season We could not keep up with the snow, the base went […]

First snow hits Japan! After just discussing yesterday that it could be an early season the first snow has arrived in Japan! Just a dusting up North in Hokkaido, but still enough to get excited about. At the same time the forecast is heading in the right direction in Nozawa too with the freezing level set to drop by around 2000m from current levels by the end of the week. You have to love Japan not only are the trains on time so is the weather!

                              The Big 2 Shigakogen and Nozawa Onsen Season Pass has just come on sale. It’s a pretty good deal to access a lot of terrain. We used to ski over land between the two resorts and you can see Shiga Kogen from the top of Nozawa so it is not far away. Cost is 75,000 Yen compared to 63,000 Yen for the Nozawa Season Pass so if think you may make it over to Shiga Kogen for at least a few days then it is worthwhile. They limit it to just 1000 passes but I have never heard of it selling out so no real […]

Many customers visiting Nozawa ask me every year what the best sights are in Tokyo and how to go about seeing them. Even if you only have a spare day at the start or end of your trip, you can pack in a huge amount of famous sights on a tiny budget if you’re willing to move those legs! Some Tokyo Tips  1. Get moving nice and early, and start your day with a sunrise visit to the famous Tsukiji fish market for the breakfast of champions – best sushi in the world. 2. Head towards Harajuku station, where you can at one station both step back in time at the incredible Meiji Jingu temple, and witness the chaos of […]

So we are in to October! Will soon be a different kind of ride in Nozawa.  Things are starting to cool but nothing too serious yet. The rain has been on going which as many locals suspect could mean a big snow season when the precipitation continues like this and temps drop will eventually lead to snow on the hills. The forecast is showing a pattern change later in the week and the North West winds will blow with temps dropping and reckon we may get into single digits, definitely for the top of the resort at least. The farmers are still busy bringing in the rice harvest and it is an interesting time to be in the village. Great […]

If you are wanting to stay in the center of the village you cannot get much more central than Home Run Apartments on Oyu Dori the main street of Nozawa Onsen. Home Run was a Pachinko Parlour in the boom times in Nozawa. Pachinko is a form of gambling where you have little steel balls kind of like pinball. It was popular in Nozawa in the 90’s but closed many years ago. The building now houses; The Stay Bar, rental shop and a Sukiyaki Restaurant, then the top two floors are newly renovated apartments. Tatsumi san from Heaven Bar just around the corner took over the building last year and renovated the apartments. The one on the 3rd floor is […]

Discover the Japanese Alps before the snow hits! It doesn’t seem like that long ago that many people from overseas were unaware that Japan gets great snow. For many years I skied in Nozawa and was rare to see anyone from overseas on the slopes. Well the secret of Japan’s powder is well and truly out now but the beauty of the Japanese Alps for hiking and climbing is maybe yet to be fully discovered. Almost 75% of this island nation is mountainous and we are talking some serious peaks too. With lots of 3000m plus mountains and huge national parks just begging to be explored. Nagano is one of the hubs for mountain enthusiasts and together with surrounding prefectures […]