Latest News from Nozawa Onsen

An amazing festival over 3 days held in the forest at the foothills of the Naeba Ski Resort in Yuzawa. Held on the 22,23,24th of July. It is just over an hour drive from Nozawa Onsen and an amazing set up and well run music festival. This years headliner is the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and they will have a big act to follow after the Foo Fighters last year. Other big names include Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Beck, Wilco, Travis and many more great International acts and local Japanese performers. You can pitch a tent and camp on the hills with a fresh mountain stream to cool down. If not keen on roughing it can stay at […]

Koguma Lodge is this weeks “Lodge of the Week” in Nozawa. Ski in Ski out cosy atmosphere with terrific Japanese Hospitality. “Koguma no iie” means Baby bear Lodge and you kind of get that feeling you are walking into a story book with the log cabin entry and amazing on snow location. Ski in Ski out is rare in Nozawa and many of them are a long way from the village so Koguma lodge is pretty rare situated right next to the Karasawa lifts and only 50m to the road into the village. Yoshiko san the owner is the perfect host, always smiling and happy to help with anything you need to make your stay in Nozawa perfect. She doesn’t […]

Keeping warm in Nozawa on your next snow holiday. For many planning your next trip to Nozawa Onsen you are probably wondering how cold does it get? Well we don’t get as cold as some ski resorts on the planet but you will still want to be prepared as it does get a pretty chilly, which is what you want in a ski resort. Generally it is between – 15 degrees Celsius and 0 at the top of the resort and -5 and +5 in the village in real winter. This can vary a bit and wind chill can send it lower but will give you an idea. I like to wear thermals most of the season, just find it […]

This week’s “ Lodge of the week” in Nozawa Onsen is Lodge Nagano, great vibe and location with a super friendly knowledgeable team. Lodge Nagano were the pioneers in introducing Nozawa Onsen to overseas guests in a big way over 10 years ago now. Sure we had the occasional visitor from abroad before that, especially for Interski and the Olympics but it was a pretty rare occurrence to see a non-Japanese skier in the village before Lodge Nagano opened its doors. A big thank you to all those adventurous souls that took a chance on visiting Nozawa in the early days and very grateful to all of you that have come back year after year. Luke the manager was there […]

  Here is a bit of fun if a group of friends want to escape the heat of Tokyo this summer and hit the cool waters and mountain air around Nozawa. These oversized surfboards can fit up to 8 of your mates and can cruise on the lake or take it up a notch in the rapids of Chikuma River! Contact the guys at Green Field if keen to have a go. They are having a special Super Sup Tour this weekend the 9th and 10th of July.  

If you were in Nozawa last season you may have noticed some work going on next to the Tourist office on the road into the village. The council was busy restoring an old “Kura” or traditional storage shed, which is probably a few hundred years old. Here is the result a beautiful renovated building, which will open soon as a Craft Beer Brewery! A terrific result all round. The monument in front is a dedication to the famous Hannes Schneider the Austrian Skier who came to Nozawa in the 1930’s and helped to put Nozawa Onsen firmly on the map as a major ski destination in Japan. Terrific to see some of the old buildings in the village being rejuvenated […]

Great little video on Mountain Biking around Nozawa, Myoko and other nearby areas. As the guy says in the video once the snow melts you are left with Mountains! Japan is well known for its winter pursuits now but the Green season and Mountain biking are still pretty much undiscovered. There is quite and underground swell of young guys in Nozawa and other parts of Japan working with local councils to build trails in ski resorts and other areas. As you can see here some of the terrain is spectacular. Coupled with the amazing food, Onsens and culture it makes for an exciting destination. The Nagasaka Gondola in Nozawa opens next Saturday the 9th of July too and makes life […]

The Lodge of the week is Furusato Lodge – a spacious family run Lodge just near the slopes. Furusato Lodge or Resort House Furusato has been run by the Nishikata family for many years. There are currently 3 generations of the family living and working in the Lodge. It is one of the bigger ones in the Nakao area with 21 rooms and a mix of with and without bathroom. There are some western style but most are beautiful Japanese style Tatami rooms. The lodge is pretty much ski in ski out being only 50m to the Karasawa Chairlifts, which connect you across to the main Nagasaka Gondola or a great little slope at Karasawa to enjoy. A nice flat […]

A few of you may have been looking at the Jetstar sale and thinking what else could it cost me. The sale finishes tomorrow night by the way so get on it. Here is an idea of a what a quote for a week ski trip to Nozawa Onsen could look like Snow Escape to Nozawa Japan 7 Nights Stay Healthy Breakfast Included Daily 6 Days Lift Passes Return Transfers from Tokyo Narita Airport to Nozawa Use of all the Village Hot springs All just 96,000 yen per person Adults ($1330) Kids in same room 55,500 Yen per person ($770) (Approximate cost at current rates and subject to availability) A lot of fun and great memories included! The above is […]

Many of you may have been waiting for this, so looks like time to Jump in. At a quick glance some sales on offer appear to be Sydney to Narita from 19th of Jan to 16th of March from $373 Gold Coast to Narita same dates from $299 Anyway have a look and hope you can grab a bargain! Jetstar Sale to Japan We can help with everything else for a great snow holiday to Nozawa Onsen Accommodation Lift Passes Airport Transfers Lessons Rentals and more Nozawa Snow Holidays