Nozawa Onsen: ski all day, soak for free all night

The skiing

Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort rises straight out of the village. The resort lists 17 lifts and two gondolas, the Nagasaka Gondola and the Hikage Gondola, with family slopes, a snow park and plenty of long cruising runs. It sits in one of the snowiest parts of Nagano, which is why powder skiers come here.

The 2026-27 season is planned for November 28 to May 5, with regular-season prices from December 19 to March 28. Night skiing starts December 26. Opening depends on snow, so check the resort's lift and slope status before you go.

Lift tickets, 2026-27 regular season

One child aged 5 or under skis free with each paying adult. Seniors need ID to buy. The resort doesn't list early and late-season day prices on its price page yet. Buy direct from the official ticket page.

The free village onsen (soto-yu)

Nozawa's 13 public bathhouses are run by local families, the yu-nakama, and they're free. Each has a donation box at the door, and a few hundred yen helps keep them going. They're open all year, 6:00 to 23:00 from December to March and 5:00 to 22:00 from April to November. Shinden-no-yu and Taki-no-yu close at 21:00.

• O-yu: the big wooden bathhouse in the middle of the village. Start here.
• Juodo-no-yu: one of the larger baths. Women bathe on the first floor, men on the second.
• Kawahara-yu: very hot water. Best early in the morning.
• Akiha-no-yu: has its own enclosed changing room, good on snowy days. A May 2026 notice from the village said it was closed for now, so check before you go.
• The rest: Asagama-no-yu, Kamitera-yu, Kumanotearai-yu, Matsuba-no-yu, Nakao-no-yu, Shinden-no-yu, Shin-yu, Taki-no-yu and Yokochi-no-yu.

How to use them

• Bring your own towel, soap and shampoo.
• Wash sitting down before you get in, and keep your towel and hair out of the water.
• No swimsuits.
• The water is usually 45 to 49°C, which is very hot. You can add cold water, but ask the people already in the bath first.
• These are the villagers' own baths. Keep your voice down and leave the place tidy.

Tattoos

The village's official guides don't state a tattoo rule for the soto-yu. A local lodging company wrote in 2018 that tattooed bathers are generally fine and that its own staff bathe there without problems. Be discreet, and if anyone seems uncomfortable, move on to another bath. With 13 of them, there's always another one a few minutes away.

Want soap, showers and towels to buy? Furusato no Yu near Ogama is a paid day-use onsen with all of that. It's sometimes called the unofficial 14th bath.

Where to stay

The whole village is walkable, so the main choice is what you want to be closest to:

• Near O-yu, in the middle of the village: shortest walk to the most baths, restaurants and bars.
• Near a gondola base: shortest walk with skis on. Look at the map before you book and check how far you'd walk to the Nagasaka or Hikage Gondola.

Ask your lodge whether it runs a ski shuttle and whether it has ski storage and a drying room. You can search places to stay and book direct through the Nozawa Onsen tourism association. Our own checked list of English-friendly stays in Nozawa is coming soon.

Getting there from Tokyo

1. Shinkansen to Iiyama. Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station. The Hakutaka trains stop at Iiyama, but not all of them, so check before you board. The fastest takes about 1 hour 39 minutes.
2. Bus to Nozawa Onsen. Leave Iiyama Station by the Chikuma River exit. The Nozawa Onsen Liner leaves from bus stop 4 and takes about 25 minutes. Buy your ticket at the machine next to the stop. The slower local Nagaden bus leaves from stop 2 and takes about 40 minutes.
3. Or a ride-share. From December 11 to March 25, the village runs a ride-share service between Nozawa and the Iiyama Station area, 8:00 to 22:00.

Times and connections are on the resort's train and bus page.

Plan your trip

• How long: 3 or 4 nights gives you 2 or 3 full ski days, plus time to try several baths.
• When: regular season runs December 19 to March 28, and spring skiing carries on into early May. December 31 brings night skiing and countdown fireworks.
• Fire festival: the Dosojin Fire Festival is held every January 15. Only village residents and guests staying in the village get tickets, so ask your lodge. No drinks are allowed on site.
• Book first: sort out your stay before anything else, especially for New Year and the fire festival. Lift tickets can wait until you arrive.
• Pack: a small towel for the baths, a coin purse for donations, and slip-on shoes for walking between baths in the snow.