Nozawa Onsen Farming Nozawa Onsen Farming Every day is a Rice Day in Nozawa Next to tourism over the winters, Farming is the biggest industry in Nozawa and especially rice farming. Many locals that work in the ski business in winter quickly migrate to the rice fields after the snow begins to melt. Rice from this region is quite sort after around Japan known for its great taste due to all the fresh mountain water and rich soil. Lots of the rice ends up in the delicious dishes and refreshing Sake you enjoy on your Ski Holiday. In this photo you can see one of the Rice Planting machines at work and to the left a bunch of school kids […]
Nozawa Onsen history
Every Season Different Nozawa
Every Season Different Nozawa 2014 March Vs Now These two photos taken at Uenotaira the top station of the Hikage Gondola 9 years apart almost to the day. The first one was 22nd of March 2014 the other just a few days ago. On that day in 2014 we had a base of 385cm and got a 40cm dump overnight. Every season plays out differently. If missing these scenes and have not booked for next season now is the time. Head to the site for a quote; https://www.nozawaholidays.com/bookings/ Link in Bio Yesterday we had our warmest day this winter with the village over 20 degrees. It was super slushy up on the slopes but still fun when I did a […]
More Snowstorms Coming Nozawa
More Snowstorms Coming Nozawa WHAT A DAY yesterday was. One of the BEST powder days of the season. The powder smiles on the slopes are as big as the spray! This is why we travel to Japan from all corners of the world – for Nozawa’s epic powder production factory! You should have been here yesterday but honestly, today could be even better. The snow gods are working overtime with another “Magic Foot,” or 32cm of fresh powder overnight for Nozawa. Today offers a slight relief from the consistent puking of snow we’ve had over the last few days. We’ve still woken up to fresh snow in the village and it’s continuing to fall right now as I write this while […]
Happy Valentines Day Nozawa
Happy Valentines Day Nozawa Love is in the air in Nozawa Onsen Photo @mountain_swell. Be sure to follow their adventures around the ski resorts of Japan. After a weekend of waking up to bluebird days, we’ve woken up to FRESH SNOW. The perfect gift for Valentines Day. I also woke up to the sound of diggers clearing snow at 5.30am in the morning, that’s never a bad thing as, of course, it means there’s been a heap of new snow overnight. In fact, 20cm of fresh snow. The gifts don’t end there with free Chocolate Fondue on the slopes at Hikage from 10;30am It’s going to be a great few days ahead. Our village turning back into the winter wonderland […]
St Anton Village Nozawa
St Anton Village Nozawa Life in the “Snow Globe” continues here in Nozawa Onsen. It literally snowed all day yesterday, not huge amounts but consistent and made everything very pretty. 12cm reported up top overnight lying over everything we got yesterday. Think we may have been hit with a little rain down low early this morning as can see the snow line hovering above the village. But is sure to be a great day up top. Snowing lightly in the village now. When you’ve been wandering the streets of Nozawa Onsen, have you noticed the links to Austria? Have you skied down the Schneider slope? It’s a black run which you can float and fly down on a powder day […]
Snow Monkeys Nozawa Onsen
Snow Monkeys Nozawa Onsen We were expecting to wake up to light snow this morning but the sun us still winning at this stage. Have a feeling the snow will kick in soon though and will get heavier throughout the day. One of the most special sites to see in Nagano, our prefecture, are the snow monkeys. Just over the hill in Yudanaka National Park, you can find the furry creatures relaxing, playing and bathing in the warm natural spring waters. There’s also an Onsen you can relax in yourself and the monkeys may come and join you! The Jigokudani Monkey Park (Jigokudani Yaen Koen, 地獄谷野猿公苑) was created in 1964, as a conservation area to protect the Japanese macaques who […]
Learning Japanese Nozawa Onsen
Learning Japanese Nozawa Onsen After skiing for several days last week in amongst the clouds, it’s absolutely magic when those clouds and mist lift and we have a day like yesterday – bluebird, where you can see the gorgeous vista far below you. It’s hard not to stop every 10 minutes while riding down the piste to take photos. Today is shaping up to be similar so make sure you get to the top of Yamabiko to try and catch a glimpse of the Sea of Japan to the east. The sun is just poking over Mt Kenashi now and there is not a breathe of wind. Today I wanted to share some tips and tricks and resources for learning […]
Another Dump Nozawa Onsen
Another Dump Nozawa Onsen Another day another amazing dump of fresh snow in Nozawa. The powder tap has turned on and seems to be flowing hard. Late yesterday afternoon, the snowfalls began to ease and I suspected we’d get another big overnight dump as forecast. At about 8.30pm last night, the telltale signs were there as the first flakes began wafting past the village light posts. Overnight, we had thick heavy flakes falling down here in the village. Early this morning, it looks like the skies are clearing for a perfect bluebird day ahead. A rinse and repeat of yesterday? The overnight figures certainly suggests so; Yamabiko 20cm, Uenotaira 33cm. How many best days of the season can we have […]
Nozawa’s nature and wildlife
Nozawa’s nature and wildlife Today the mountain webcams have been in complete whiteout all day… By the end of the day, about 20cm of fresh snow should have fallen down to 900m. Although we’ve only seen rain (and a few rainbows) in Nozawa Onsen Village itself. There was a distinct white line for the snowline just above the village this morning. The weekend forecast is still looking strong. Hopefully, Sunday will bring more than 40cm of snow, including at least 15cm down in the village. All we can do is cross our fingers and be patient. It’s been beautiful seeing the mist wrap around the forests above Nozawa Onsen today. Buna Forests Mount Kenashi and Torogi Toge in the ski […]
Nozawa Onsen Skiing History
Nozawa Onsen Skiing History As the sun sets over the Myoko-Togakushi mountain range to the west, we get another day closer to the beginning of the 22/23 Nozawa Onsen ski season! The forecast for tomorrow looks good with just over 10cm of new snow expected to fall as freezing levels drop below 0 degrees. At the moment, a snowstorm with freezing levels down to 600m should bring in around 30cm of snow on Sunday the 11th of December. Hoping this forecast holds. Nozawa Onsen Skiing History – A blast from the past People have been skiing in Nozawa Onsen since 1923 when the Nozawaonsen Ski Club was first established. A year later, the club started up the Hikage ski field. […]