Tips Living Nozawa Winter
Winter in Nozawa can be full on with temperatures dropping rapidly on Sunday in the village followed by heavy snowfalls. We will be in typical Nozawa type winter conditions very soon. For many the snow life is second nature but for any newbies to Nozawa here are some handy tips to help enjoy the season;
- Stay Genki – Be sure to get plenty of rest and eat well. Burning the candles at both ends is a sure way to get sick. You can’t stay up all night, ride the pow and work all at the same time so try to get to bed early. Drink lots of water even though it is cold you need it! Take vitamins too
- Get into the Onsens a natural and healthy way to warm up and the steam is good for clearing the sinuses
- Keep your rooms and home clean. Very important! Roll up your futons during the day and air them or they will grow mould. Open windows on a sunny day to get rid of the stale air. Work out a cleaning roster between you and your share mates please.
- Turn off heaters and lights whenever the space is not being used to ensure we don’t contribute to Global Warming unnecessarily and keep your utility costs down. Please vacuum the filters on your heaters regularly or they will stop working.
- Close blinds and curtains at night and make sure all windows are closed too to keep the heat in. Doors also they are just big holes to let the cold air in so don’t leave them open. More on working in Nozawa here; https://www.nozawaholidays.com/jobs/
- Shovel the snow away from your house. This is something everyone in Nozawa has to do so please do so too on your own time. It is part of the snow life and the price we all have to pay to live in the snow country. Work with repeat staff to learn the tricks. Use the right shovel and the water to help melt the snow. – Red or Yellow plastic shovels only for powder, big green metal dumps for moving lots of snow, steel shovels for ice and heavy snow.
- Using hot water bottles to warm up is also an efficient way to keep yourself warm. You can either order them online or buy them from department store or home centre in Iiyama. We have some too. Fill them up at the Onsen and put in your bed at night, very cosy
- Drying your clothes; most of you should have racks and hangers in your room. Rather than using the dryer just hang up in your room overnight and should dry. It also helps to get some moisture in the room. If need more racks let your Manager know.
- Driving in the snow; Please be very careful. The roads are narrow and we get a lot of snow. All our vehicles are 4wd and snow tyres which are a necessity.
Most importantly please take care of yourselves and each other. If see someone struggling then support them and check on them. Also if walking around and see any of the oldies in town having a hard time to clear the snow please lend a hand. Nozawa Holidays Staff are well known around town for helping the locals out. Yoroshiku Onegashismasu and let’s have a great season ahead.