Nozawa Onsen Guide & Information

Nozawa Onsen Village is located just one hour’s drive from Nagano City in the northern part of Nagano Prefecture – a charming hot spring village located at the foot of Kenashi-yama Mountain which is home to around 4,000 people. The village is said to date back to 8th century but has been renowned for it’s hot springs and traditional inns since the Edo period. More recently Nozawa has also gained popularity as a ski area that features a great variety of terrain and amazing snow that’s hard to match.

There is nothing like combining light Japanese powder snow with a rich cultural experience and a deep soaking onsen. This quaint onsen village caters to this perfectly with a wide range of accommodation including ryokan & traditional innsbudget accommodation options, minshukupension, ski lodgeshotels, inns or self-contained apartment lodgings. Click here to check & book online!

Lodge Nagano

Lodge Nagano provides comfortable accommodation at great prices.

Villa Nozawa

Villa Nozawa is one of the most popular Ski Lodges in Nozawa Onsen.

Nozawa Central

Nozawa Central Apartments is a hub with everything you need in Nozawa.

Nozawa Cottage

Nozawa Cottage is a self-contained, right by the main gondola.

Search Nozawa Hotels with our valued partners – get instant confirmation!

Nozawa Onsen accommodation

Nozawa Village has more to offer

Nozawa Village offers more than just a ski trip though – experience not only the culture, food, famous hot springs and the renowned fire festival – but also the ambience and great après ski which sets Nozawa apart from other areas. The village features some amazing traditional architecture with temples, shrines, hot spring establishments, traditional ryokan and free foot baths along many of it’s streets.

Even though the village is small there can be over 100 restaurants and bars open during ski season – from well known western-style bars to small hole in the wall shokudo. Any visitors fortunate enough to be in town early in the New Year (January 15th) should not miss the Dosoujiin Fire Festival, one of the most famous and exciting fire festivals in Japan. See this and some other videos in Nozawa here.

Nozawa Village Weather/Snow Forecast

Click here to find out what’s happening in Nozawa Village

Nozawa Weather Forecast: 7 Day Outlook (from Meteoblue)


Nozawa Onsen Ski Info

Nozawa Village is located at the foot of the Nozawa ski resort, which spans across three main areas. The ski resort is a large ski area that opened over seventy years ago. There is plenty of terrain to explore, offering over fifty kilometres of trails or pistes beginning at an elevation of 1,085 metres with 297 hectares of skiing surface. See more Nozawa Ski Resort information here.

Why Nozawa?

The combination of a traditional village feel and a great ski hill makes Nozawa a good choice for your ski trip to Japan. Start by checking out our wide range of Nozawa accommodation options.

Nozawa Onsen Webcams

Check out weather and snow conditions via our ski resort, village and onsen hotspring webcams in Nozawa Hot Spring Village, Japan.

Things To Do In Nozawa Onsen

Nozawa is not only one of the best ski resort areas in Japan but is also famous for it’s rustic village, food, festivals and public hot springs (onsen). So it’s the perfect place for foreign visitors to enjoy both skiing and traditional Japanese experiences. Here are eleven things you simply shouldn’t miss while you’re in Nozawa.

Nozawa Onsen Hotsprings

Throughout the village there are about thirty different type of hot springs and thirteen public hot spring baths. Whilst the baths are free of charge, there is a box outside each one for visitors to provide a donation for upkeep. You will also need to take your own towel and soap. For Japan onsen etiquette please see here. Among these baths, Oyu, located at the centre of the village, is regarded one of it’s most recognizable landmarks – a beautiful bath house with an atmosphere reminiscent of the Edo period. The other famous hot spring in Nozawa Village is Ogama which is the hottest of the springs in Nozawa with the water temperature reaching about 90 degrees Celsius. This type of hot spring is rare in Japan and thus has been designated as a natural monument of national importance. Ogama has become the “kitchen” of the village as it is used to boil eggs and vegetables.

Getting to Nozawa Onsen

Getting to Nozawa is relatively simple from Tokyo, Haneda or Narita Airports and catching the train to Iiyama Station is the usually the favoured option. Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo (or Ueno) and get off at Iiyama Station. Getting from Iiyama Station to Nozawa by bus is quite straightforward.

Upon arrival at Iiyama take the escalator downstairs to the concourse and look for the Nozawa Onsen Liner bus. Check the Nozawa Liner schedules here. The journey takes about 20 minutes. If you arrive late call the local Nozawa taxi service or pre-arrange a pick up with your hotel. The total cost from Tokyo to Nozawa via train is around 10,000 yen and will take approximately 3-4 hours.

Check here for getting to Nozawa access information

Follow us on social media

On our Nozawa maps page visitors can access and print all the ski piste guides, trail maps and village maps for Nozawa Onsen. Or click on the map below for a comprehensive Nozawa Google Maps guide

Thanks for checking out our local guide to all things Nozawa, thanks to Nozawa Holidays.