Testimonials

Visitor Testimonials

“Thanks again for the trip, we had an amazing time and had some awesome snow with great blue skies after snow. Also hats off to Luke, Kim and Kaito san, they were an amazing help and created a fun and relaxed atmosphere for the week.”

Frazer East

“Honestly best stay I have ever had. Mark is an incredible host and does way above he needs to. I am a mid 20′s snowboarder traveling with 5 similar people. Everything was spotless, treated like a 5 star building.”

Kris

Meet The Team

We have a great local and international crew here taking care of our guests.

Luke

Luke has been with us since the start and is a champion.

His parents run hotels and he has worked in the airlines, so has a long and successful history in hospitality.

He receives the most outstanding comments from our guests and his energy, enthusiasm and love of …more

Mariko

Mariko works together with Luke to manage Lodge Nagano and recently they took their relationship to the next level tying the knot this year.

Mariko is a tireless worker and always genki.

She will help you with anything you need from the best places to eat to what time the train leaves to Okinawa …more

Mark

Mark is a laid back Aussie guy who, with his wife Yoshi, manages our properties and he’s very much a hands on sort of guy.

Mark first came to ski Japan in 1992 and worked in the Ski Patrol in Nozawa Onsen for many years.

He’s very knowledgeable on everything to do with Nozawa Onsen and …more

Yoshi

Yoshiko keeps Mark organized and is an important key in running the Lodges with her unflappable manner and style.

Yoshi was born in a country ski area not far from Nozawa Onsen and went to University in Osaka and has lived in Australia off and on for many years.

Her English is perfect maybe even better than Marks ‘…more

Meet the entire team here.

Restaurant & Bar Reviews

Eating out is a joy in Nozawa Onsen, and with the many amazing restaurants being such great value (most around the 800-1000 yen mark – about $12 AUD) you can’t go wrong.

Along with the great restaurants on the mountain there are far too many eating-places and quaint bars in Nozawa to mention here, but we would like to introduce you to a few of our favourites.

Some are on the map and a few we try and keep a bit secret just for our guests, so be sure to ask our staff for their suggestions – we’ll be delighted to share.

Get your free and detailed Nozawa Onsen Restaurant & Bar Guide here (PDF file).

“The restaurants are tiny, but the food is big! Very fresh food, really friendly service and a very enjoyable part of our stay – and the value was outstanding. I came to ski Japan, but found the food ran a very close second!”

Natalie L, Sydney

Onsen Info

Onsen means Hot Spring in Japanese so naturally Nozawa Onsen is an Onsen Mecca and has been for hundreds of years.

Way before Nozawa became famous for skiing it was a popular place with travelers from Tokyo as a Mountain Onsen Retreat.

There are 13 free onsens around town, and more private ones. They’re housed in beautiful traditional Japanese buildings, and are a great way to experience local culture.  A nice hot soak in mineral water is also a great way to soothe away the aches and pains after a day on the mountain.

The local people pay to run and maintain the onsens, and it’s important that we follow local manners and customers when we indulge.

Please read our Onsen guide to ensure you get the most from this unique experience!

Maps

Nozawa Onsen has some amazing traditional architecture with Temples, Hot Spring Houses, and traditional Inns.

Our properties are all well located very close to the snow for incredible skiing, please have a look at the below maps (click for the PDF file) to see the great positions of our properties, lots of great places to eat and local landmarks.