Japan 2025 - Part 2 - Nozawa Onsen

Nozawa Onsen is a very different ski resort to Hakuba. It’s centred around a small, traditional village, with most of the bars, restaurants, and shops running along one main street. Everything feels more compact, more local, and a bit more authentic.

We stayed at Tokiwaya Ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn — and genuinely one of the best places we’ve ever stayed. Before even stepping inside, we were handed slippers and asked to leave our shoes at the entrance. From that point on, no outdoor shoes were allowed anywhere in the building.

Our room was fully traditional, with tatami-matted floors, sliding doors, and a futon laid out on the floor for sleeping. There was a low table with legless chairs, and walking into the room felt like stepping back in time. It even had an old corded telephone, which added to the charm — although everything else was modern, spotless, and incredibly well maintained. The toilet, of course, was a classic high-tech Japanese one, with more features than you could ever need.

It struck a really nice balance — traditional in style and experience, but without sacrificing comfort.

And then… the snow.

We woke up to 65cm of fresh powder on our first day skiing.

Safe to say, that set the tone.

Skiing in Nozawa Onsen felt very different to Hakuba. The resort is built directly into the village, so instead of buses and planning, you can pretty much walk everywhere — from your hotel to the lifts, from the slopes back into town, and straight into a bar if needed. It made everything feel much more relaxed and spontaneous.

The mountain itself is large, with a good mix of long cruising runs and plenty of off-piste areas to explore (or accidentally end up in). The conditions were unreal — deep, light powder everywhere. It snowed constantly while we were there, so every run felt fresh, and every slight detour off the piste turned into an adventure.

That said, skiing in that much powder is not as easy as it looks. There were multiple moments of confidence followed by immediate regret — getting stuck, losing skis, and attempting to dig ourselves out while trying to look like we knew what we were doing. Standard.

One of the best things about Nozawa was how the mountain flows back into the village. You can ski right down into town, which makes stopping for lunch or a mid-afternoon beer dangerously convenient. There are a number of mountain restaurants and cafés, but we found ourselves drawn to the smaller, more local spots rather than the bigger, busier ones.

Back in the village, life revolves around a mix of skiing, eating, and onsen.

The onsens are everywhere — small, traditional hot spring baths dotted throughout the village, many of them free to use. After a full day skiing in freezing temperatures, there is nothing better than sitting in a boiling hot outdoor bath while snow falls around you. It takes a bit of getting used to (mainly how hot they are), but once you’re in, it’s hard to leave.

The village itself is full of narrow streets, traditional wooden buildings, and small shops. It feels much more Japanese and less international than Hakuba. Even just wandering around in the evening was part of the experience — popping into little bars, finding somewhere for dinner, and warming up between stops.

Food was a highlight here as well. Lots of small, local restaurants serving ramen, sushi, grilled meats, and various dishes we didn’t fully understand but ordered anyway. Like Hakuba, reservations were useful, but the smaller size of the village made it a bit easier to find somewhere if you were willing to wait or try a few places.

Evenings were a mix of low-key drinks and slightly less low-key ones, depending on how the day had gone. The vibe was more relaxed than Hakuba — less of a party scene, more of a slow, steady build over the evening.

Overall, Nozawa Onsen felt like a much more traditional ski experience, with the added bonus of incredible snow and the onsen culture woven into daily life. Less about the chaos, more about the rhythm — ski, soak, eat, repeat.