Nozawa Onsen Summer

April Snow Holiday Japan Almost a winters day in April for Nozawa. 5cm of fresh snow reported overnight and -2 degrees up top. No T- Shirts today. Early April is always an interesting time in Nozawa as Spring is doing its best to come out and Winter keeps knocking it on the head with days like today. It was cold up there today and with the fresh dusting we got the snow conditions were terrific. Cold and fast on the groomers and even a bit of fun in  the layer of powder on the sides. April Snow Holiday Japan Even though it was a Sunday it was very quiet up there. Not completely dead like the weekdays but just enough […]

Share Space Nozawa Onsen Something different for Nozawa this season  If you have to combine some business with pleasure while on your trip to Nozawa here is a great option for those visiting Nozawa this season  Searching for a nice quiet space to type up that report, crunch some numbers or finish a project then there is a new Co-working Space on the Main Street in Nozawa. Kono san and his family have been running the unique stationary shop in town called Marumiya for decades now. It is an amazing shop many have probably been there, it has just about everything you could ever dream off and more in the way of Stationary, bric a brac and toys.  For a […]

Update Nozawa Onsen Japan Getting back on track in Nagano   Just an update on the clean up situation in Iiyama and Nagano in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis which hit the area badly just last weekend. Some great progress has been made but still a lot of work to be done and the local councils are still looking for Volunteers to help. If you can lend some time or want to donate some funds here are some links from the local JET Teachers   https://naganojets.wordpress.com/2019/10/14/call-for-aid-donations-for-disaster-hit-areas/   If you are keen to come up and help great to see you and Lodge Nagano is offering free accommodation to anyone that is willing to volunteer so just drop a mail to […]

Rugby World Cup Japan Getting to the pointy end for the Rugby World Cup and just quietly haven’t the host nation Japan being doing well! The first Asian country rot make it all the way to the Quater Finals. Now facing off with the old nemesis South Africa this weekend. Just 8 teams remain and it is going to be hard to pick a likely winner at this stage Nozawa Onsen is a great place to visit in between the matches or even for the whole time. So come on up and experience Japanese Country Hospitality at its best. There are a few pubs in the village showing the games on big screens and lots of fun activities to enjoy […]

  Typhoon update Nozawa Onsen Nagano Japan The Power of Mother Nature Things are returning to normal in Nozawa, there was some flooding in the basements of some houses and lodges but we were pretty lucky. Due to Nozawa’s elevation most of the water ran down the hills into the valley. Sadly the residents of Iiyama and Nagano were not so lucky and there has been some serious flooding there from the banks of the Chikuma River breaking. Looking at this video from Nishiotaki Dam just below Nozawa Onsen on Sunday it is humbling to see the power of the water flowing down the river. Typhoon Hagibis Nozawa Onsen Japan Still drizzly in Nozawa today but forecast is for Sunshine […]

Craft Beer Festival Nozawa Onsen Japan Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in Japan believe it or not with locals consuming more off the Amber Ale than even the more historic drink Sake. The market has been dominated by 3 big players for many years Kirin, Asahi and Sapporo all terrific beers on their own and also gaining popularity abroad. When I first arrived in Japan almost 30 years ago I was having a few quiet beers at a small pub in a little town called Tsunami. The bar man shared with me his story of how Beer came to Japan in the Edo Period Centuries ago. I am yet to find out if this is factual but it […]