Elizabeth Nozawa Onsen

Attractions

We love living in this region, and there’s so much to do!
There is no one “best time to visit”: it’s always special.

Winter Activities

Winter Activities

Many of our guests come for the snow country experience.
Everyone can enjoy themselves, whether you want to make your first ever snowman, find the deepest powder before anyone else, ski easily with the family, or just watch the winter wonderland. Nozawa Onsen is an Olympic-standard ski resort, including an all-season slope. There are cross-country ski routes, backcountry routes, and (our favorite) lots of snow-shoe trails.
As you can tell from the village’s name, Nozawa Onsen is rightly proud of its onsen.
There are 13 free public onsen dotted around the village, and several more that you can pay a small fee to enter. Every one has a different mineral composition with different physiological benefits, and they range from hot, to very hot! Perfect at the end of an active day, or even a not-so-active day.
Unlike most snow resorts, Nozawa Onsen is a real mountain village, with 3,600 residents.
Just walking round the village, absorbing the atmosphere and culture of the place is a joy in itself.

summer-activities

Summer Activities

Nozawa Onsen is a year-round destination, stunningly beautiful at all times of the year, and there’s always plenty to do, in and around the village, or within easy driving distance.
During the summer there are many easy (2-5km) hiking courses laid out at the top of the mountain, as well as pretty walks through the village. There are longer, full-day or multi-day hikes close by.
Mountain biking is the most popular sport locally, in the green season. There’s good equipment rental, and trails laid down the mountain.
Road cyclists will find alpine challenges on quiet roads, as well as picturesque rolling rides through the valleys. For the same reasons, car and motorbike enthusiasts will find the sort of roads and scenery you usually only find in magazine advertisements.
As you can tell from the village’s name, Nozawa Onsen is rightly proud of its onsen, natural hot springs. There are 13 free public onsen dotted around the village, and several more that you can pay a small fee to enter. Every one has a different mineral composition with different physiological benefits, and they range from hot, to very hot! Perfect at the end of an active day, or even a not-so-active day.

Gourmet

Gourmet

“KitaShinshu”, this area of northern Nagano, is an agricultural region, famous for fruit, vegetables, and rice.
Staying in Nozawa Onsen as your touring base, you’ll find plenty of memorable restaurants, from the classic to the experimental, at all price points, all using the best of local produce. We eat local, and we eat well.
Down in the valley it’s all about row crops – apples, pears, and grapes. And that means not only delicious fruit… but wineries!
Just below the village, you’ll see rice fields. The local rice is excellent and forms the base for most meals. Combined with the pure mountain water, that also makes for award-winning sake.
There’s also a nationally-renowned craft brewery. AJB, right in the middle of the village.
Around the village every family has a vegetable garden. Whatever time of year, there’ll be something in season.
And up on the mountain there are wild vegetables and mushrooms depending on the season.
Let us put together a gourmet tour to showcase it all for you.