Latest News from Nozawa Onsen

New Hikage lift in Nozawa under construction Work has started to install the new lift running up the length of the Hikage slope replacing the old Hikage 2nd A and B lifts. Should be ready in plenty of time for this coming winter in Nozawa. Looks like will be going in a similar location but will improve the on loading, for any that remember the base of the lift was on a small mound so needed to ski up to get on to it. Will also be a much faster lift to get you to the top of the bowl. Hikage means shade but the slope, which faces fairly west gets a decent amount of sun. It was the original […]

People often ask where is a good place to go as an add on to our ski trip to Nozawa? Kyoto is always hard to beat for an all round Japanese experience but if want something a little closer to home and easier all round Kanazawa is often called a little Kyoto. During the Edo Period Kanazawa was the seat of the Maeda Clan the second most powerful feudal clan in the country in terms of rice production and field area. Thus the town grew to become a town of great cultural history and many of the old town remains such as the Nagamachi Samurai District and the Chaya entertainment area. These days Kanazawa remains a very important city in […]

https://vimeo.com/40275755 As you head into the weekend, here is a little video of Nozawa Onsen that we did together with the Nagano Tourist board a few years back. Gives a bit of insight into what a ski holiday to Japan could look like and will help you with planning your next adventure. Lots of great snow, good food, warming onsens and ofcourse all roads lead to a Karaoke bar! Have a little look and drop us a mail if keen to get amongst it all this coming winter to stay@nozawaholidays.com  At the peak of skiings popularity in Japan there were over 600 ski resorts to chose from! Since the bubble burst that is probably more like 300 resorts now. So […]

Lodge of the week in Nozawa Onsen “Takagi Lodge” Nozawa Takagiya has just recently opened its doors to overseas guests and both the owners and the guests are really glad they did. Mr and Mrs Mori with their extended family run a beautiful Ski Lodge in the heart of Nozawa Onsen Village. Their son also helps and works at the local JA Bank when not busy in the lodge. Mr Mori is a real local character and although his English is only basic he will quickly strike up a conversation and a glass of Sake in the evenings. Mrs Mori will do everything she can to ensure you have a comfortable and memorable stay. It is a traditional Lodge but […]

                              Get out of that seat in the plane and on to a chair lift as soon as possible! With just 3 months to go until the ski season could be starting in Japan people are busy making plans for their next snow holiday. Hopefully Nozawa is on your radar and if it is you are probably wondering what is the best way to get to our quaint little ski town from the Airport. Here is a useful link that shows you some of the options Getting to Nozawa Onsen Ways to get to Nozawa Onsen from Tokyo Airports both Narita and Haneda. Note if coming […]

With Festivals, noodle eating and the last weekend of the official Summer Green Season program at the resort. The Nagasaka Gondola will now cease for the summer hiking and Mountain biking as will the camp ground and outdoor swimming pool at the Sparena. This signals the start of Autumn and you can almost feel a change in the air. The following sporting fields are still open – Olympic Sports Park and Gym open until early Nov – Golf training field open until mid Nov – Nanbara tennis court open until mid Nov Ofcourse you can still hike and Mountain Bike and it is coming into the optimum time with cooler air and changing of the leaves. All the Onsens including […]

Sometimes there can be too much Powder!   I got this photo from Kubota san at the photo shop on the main street into the village. The photo was taken just outside his store in memory from the 60s. He told me the story that it had snowed in Nozawa every day for a month and then we got hit with some of those huge 100cm dumps and the village basically got completely buried! No one could get in or out and even in the modern 4wd’s of today there was no way you were getting around the town.   Nozawa was declared a natural disaster zone and the National Guard were called in to help the locals clear the […]

Frequent Flyer Points Sale 20% discount on now Qantas and Jetstar are offering 20% off eligible flights with Classic Flight Rewards. So may be a good time to book that ski holiday to Japan you were thinking about! Good if booked with a QF or JQ flight number between 12.01am (AEST) 24 August 2016 and 11.59pm (AEST) 27 August 2016. Travel on Qantas between 27 September 2016 and 12 August 2017 or on Jetstar between 27 September 2016 and 30 June 2017. So a good range of dates so can visit Japan or Nozawa anytime for the next year. If coming up for a ski and want to get the best conditions to suit your needs can see details on […]

Ski Jump Training Nozawa Summer vs Winter – Take the drop! Anytime of year it is a scary view from the top and cannot imagine what goes thru the minds of the athletes as the ski down that run! Lots of excitement in Japan now with the handing over of the Summer Olympics to the new host nation. It will only be Japan’s second time to host the Summer games but Japan has already hosted the Winter Olympics twice once in Sapporo in 1972 and again in Nagano in 1998. Nozawa Onsen hosted the Biathlon event and there was an amazing vibe in the village with all the visiting international teams. Nozawa has one of the highest number of Olympic […]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gd6H4S4CKM Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a special entrance to the Closing Ceremony of the Rio Olympics. Dressed up as Super Mario and there is a cool little story how he is tunnelled in from Japan to make the appearance. As Japan will be the next country to host the Olympics in 2020 they got a short time to show case their country and what is install in Tokyo. Japan last hosted the Summer Olympics in 1964 so has been a while and most are confident that the unique city can put on a great games. Hope to see you there… The Opening Ceremony takes place on the 24th of July 2020 in four short years from now. Accommodation […]