Nozawa Central

01/01/2020

Beautiful start to the New Year in Nozawa Onsen
Was a magical night around the village yesterday to bring in the new year and a new decade!
Lots of people lining the streets and making their way to the temple or the fireworks. Was almost majestic as the villagers rang the bell 108 times and the snow lofted silently in the background.

Snow Report 1st of January 2020
Temp at the top;-9degrees
New snow since close; 20cm
Base at the top; 80cm
Snow conditions; Great conditions with some fresh
Weather; Cloudy with light winds

The snow fell most of yesterday and into the night, not heavy but nice and fluffy. Will make for some great conditions on the slopes today. The forecast is looking good with snow almost everyday this week on the mountain. If keen to visit Nozawa this year just click here to book
https://www.nozawaholidays.com/bookings/

We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone all the best for 2020. Thanks to everyone for visiting us in Nozawa and we look forward to seeing you again soon. Akemash*te Omedetou Gozaimasu 明けましておめでとうございます

23/12/2019

Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort Opens Today!

Great news out of Nozawa Onsen this morning. Santa has arrived early delivering snow and blessing us with enough to open the Ski Resort today.
The resort will open from 11am once the groomers have gone in and done their thing.
Just up at Yamabiko at this stage with courses C and D opening up for today. More may open tomorrow and definitely Saturday with a huge snow storm expected Friday where we should see more than 50cm fall across the resort.
Lift Passes today are discounted to 2000 Yen for Adults and 1500 Yen for kids. Regular prices and full day opening should return tomorrow.

The Forecast going forward looks really good with lots of Snow and cold temps expected thru into the New Year.
So looks like Winter proper has finally arrived to Nozawa Onsen, apologies for the wait :)
We would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas from all of us here and we look forward to welcoming you soon
If still keen to come up this season please jump on the site and make a booking https://www.nozawaholidays.com
We look forward to a great season ahead. Arigatou Gozaimash*ta

06/12/2019

Welcome to Winter in Nozawa Onsen

We went to bed waiting for this dump to arrive, walking back from the Onsen and the skies were clear.
Waking up this morning to this was a very welcome surprise. It probably started in the early hours of this morning and has just ramped up with some big flakes lofting down now.
Nice cold temps in the village at the moment and forecast to stay cold with more snow the next few days ahead of some sunshine.
Will it be enough for the resort to open tomorrow? Will keep you posted but not overly confident yet
At this stage the forecast is expecting another good dump next weekend so keep your fingers crossed.
Some of our guests have been heading to Shiga Kogen and Ryuoo Park which are both open and having a lot of fun on the runs there. Conditions there will have only improved with this fall. For now enjoy these flakes and keep them coming.
If keen to get in on the action this winter head to the site and request a quote for a great Ski Holiday in Nozawa Onsen https://www.nozawaholidays.com/

22/11/2019

Nearby Kumanoyu Ski Resort has opened today!
In some pretty marginal conditions Kumanoyu resort at Shiga Kogen has started their lifts and have one run open to slide on.
Kumanoyu is one of the highest resorts in the region with the top at 1950m above Sea Level
They also use snow making facilities so most years are the first to open.
Think they may have been pushing it a little to open in November this year but if you are keen to get the legs moving and get in your first run head on up.
Here is some more info on the resort which is about 1 hour drive from Nozawa
https://www.nozawaholidays.com/news/early-snow-near-nozawa-kumanoyu-ski-resort-shiga-kogen/

02/10/2019

The Shin-Etsu Trail, which is literally on the door step of Nozawa Onsen was just recently named as one of the most stunning walking trails in Japan.

Regarded as the best woodland trail in Japan, this 80-kilometre route traces a line similar to that taken by traders and samurai warriors as far back as AD 710. It incorporates a string of 16 picturesque passes from Mount Madarao to Lake Nojiri, reaching an elevation of just over 1000 metres at its highest point as it straddles the Nagano and Niigata prefectures. Scenery spans the volcanic landscapes of mounts Hakama and Kenashi, as well as lush forests of ghostly beech trees standing tall and defiant in this alpine environment.

Now is the perfect time to be in the Mountains to hike with cooling temperatures and the leaves changing colours. We are running hiking tours of the Shin-Etsu trail and you can stay in the comfort of one of our Mountain Lodges or Apartments in Nozawa Onsen and relax in a hotspring at the end of a day hiking. Here is a link to look and book

https://www.nozawaholidays.com/shin-etsu-trail-hike/

https://www.qantas.com/travelinsider/en/experiences/adventure/best-hiking-trails-routes-walks-nakasendo-japan.html?fbclid=IwAR3VE3VzldwoQoMkNmYREvjSpBZd86WuyDyQS5F9n2mlsY_btZ98o08jC0k

Experience Japan’s natural beauty on its best walking and hiking trails – including the Nakasendō, Shikoku Pilgrimage and Kumano Kodo.

21/08/2019

Mountain Bike Nozawa Onsen
The hills have been alive with the sound of two wheels churning thru the dirt over the Green Season in Nozawa. The Gondola Summer Season finishes up this weekend, but in actual fact with the cooler Autumn weather arriving we are coming in to the best time if year to Hike and Bike in Nozawa and surrounds. If two wheels on the mountain is of interest to you check out this little clip we put together on Mountain Biking in Nozawa

A big arigatou to Daigo san, Yuta san and all the team at Compass House Bike Shop. Be sure to drop in and see them for all your bike needs in Nozawa
If want to come up and stay and enjoy a ride check this link for more details https://www.nozawaholidays.com/mountain-biking/

Merci to Edwige and Antoine for the Edit :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NFliaZ-4aU

Japan is now firmly on the international stage for Skiing in the Winter, those same beautiful mountains remain after all the snow is gone. What better way to...

29/07/2019

New Gondola for Nozawa Onsen

The main Nagasaka Gondola was originally built in 1979 and was a 4 person ride. It was then rebuilt to its current state in 1990 in time for the Interski of 1995 and the Olympics in 1998. The resort is currently working on a new faster, bigger gondola to replace it and set to open for the 2020/21 Season.

With the decline of the number of ski resorts across Japan and not many investing in the infrastructure it is a great sign to see Nozawa moving ahead with this new Gondola. Check out some more info here :)

New Gondola Nozawa Onsen Japan   In the Bubble era in Japan there were over 600 Ski Resort scattered across the country. Large ones, small ones and plenty of in between ones! Skiing was booming across the land and so was the Japanese Economy. The Royal Family was skiing all the time and so were the...

09/07/2019

Trail Running Event in Nozawa this Weekend

The Salomon 4100 D Trail Run an annual event takes place in and around Nozawa this weekend and is a terrific race thru the streets and mountains of the area

There are 3 lengths to choose from
65 km, 23km, 14 km

Also a teams option to share the pain :)
Entries are now closed but remember for next year you need to enter by June 23rd and we can assist with entry and accommodation for this unique event.

If running is your game there is still plenty ahead with the Run Bike Weekend on the 28th of July and the Half Marathon on the 22nd of September
Entries are still open for that event and will be a great weekend in Nozawa and great time to be in Japan with the Rugby World Cup. Get your running shoes on!

While a lot of the energy exertion gets done during the colder months, it's during the Green Season when Nozawa hosts its running events.

30/06/2019

Getting your Rental Gear sorted for your Ski Holiday

You may have already booked your accommodation to Nozawa Onsen for next season. Now you are thinking about what else you need. Rental gear, ski, boards, boots and everything else is an important part of the whole Ski Trip experience.
Luckily Nozawa Onsen has some awesome rental shops and a wide range of gear to suit all levels and any conditions the snow gods may throw at you. With 50-100cm of snow falling overnight not a rare thing you will be glad you can easily grab a pair of powder skis or the latest board and make the most of the awesome conditions.
Here are some good reasons to rent, get great gear and professional advice from the guys at Nozawa Central Rentals on your next trip to Nozawa.

Nozawa Onsen Equipment Rental. 12 Reasons to Hire from Nozawa Holidays Rentals - free delivery, free swaps, free storage close to the gondola.

25/06/2019

We get some Snow in Nozawa!
Nozawa gets so much snow that many of the roads in the Village are actually heated. We can get up to 1 meter a night at times and with the narrow roads and close proximity of houses there is literally no where to put it. If we did not heat the roads they would simply become unusable and the village would come to a stand still. A bit like this other photo from the 60s before the road heating when we had so much snow the village was declared a Natural Disaster zone and the National Guard were called in to assist.
Even these days after the big dumps the road heating struggles to keep up. The cost of the road heating is shared by the residents as is the job of snow clearing the roofs of the Onsens. Getting up on those steep roofs is always a risky time. Anyway all this snow makes for some great skiing and we look forward to welcoming you back next season to Nozawa.
Click here to look and book; https://www.nozawaholidays.com/