Nozawa Onsen Accommodation Review \| Japan Ski Snowboard Holiday \| Japan Snow Accommodation

Reviews - Nozawa Onsen

Early March 2016

Nozawa Onsen was the second resort we visited with very nice accommodation at Address Nozawa.

Comfortable large rooms with a kitchen area and very friendly helpful staff.

The village was delightful with many places to eat and the feeling of a genuine Japanese village community with a large number of free public Onsen - beware the of the very hot central Onsen - it was too much for us!

Richard Palmer

Early February 2015

We had a fantastic 5 night stay at Address Nozawa. The rooms are self contained with all the wonderful additions that make it like home: Nescafé coffee machine and Apple TV. We stayed in the purple room (standard) which had two amazingly comfortable beds with cozy warm donnas and comfortable pillows. Heaven. The hotel is located in the central part of town near souvenir shops and steamed bun vendors (a daily ritual for us!). It is an easy walk from the Chuo terminal and not too far to the post office ATM. The front desk staff were warm and happy and English was well spoken - we had great help with restaurant bookings and recommendations! Thank you! Other reviewers have mentioned breakfast as being the low-light; we were supplied with adequate eggs, toast, orange juice, ham and sausages and really it was no problem. Of course you're coming to Nozawa for a bit more culture and if you don't want that like home feeling then I would suggest to try their sister ryokan Kawamotoya. We will definitely be staying at Address Nozawa on our next trip!

Regards
Alicia Dear Leacey,

Thank you very much to take your time to give us such a wonderful comment, I am glad to read that our little hotel is matched with your needs and you have enjoyed staying with us. The number of rooms are limited in our hotel, so that we can quite stay closer with our guests, especially with long stay guests during the winter, we also enjoy to get in touch with guests. Thank you again to choose our hotel. We are looking forward to welcoming you for next ski trip to Nozawa.

Warm Regards,

Hisako Horikawa general manager

Mid Deecember 2015

Although X’mas 2015 was not an ideal time for skiing at Nozawa, our chosen accommodation of “Address Nozawa” had made our trip much more memorable. The room is sizable which perfectly suited my family group with two boys. The private onsen at the basement, though small, had given my family a lot of privacy. The orange juice, milk, bread, ham and eggs provided for breakfast were plentiful and more than enough. The only setback I could remember is the slow drying machine at basement which made my laundry time a bit too long.

Simon Chean
Hong Kong

January 2014

Nozawa has a fabulous village atmosphere with loads of restaurants, shops and onsens and has lots of charm There are a lot more western skiers which makes it a bit more crowded & touristy but perhaps that is the price you pay if you want the apres ski activities. Our accommodation at Address Nozawa was great- comfortable, stylish and well equipped. The apartment-style of the rooms, though not particularly big, were much easier for us, especially with children. The breakfast provisions provided by the hotel were great too. The staff were friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed our stay here. The downside was that we had a bit of a walk to get to the slopes, but this was not a big problem as we left our equipment in lockers near the gondola. The skiing was fun though for a stronger skier it could be less rewarding if the snow on the lower slopes was not really good, as this was where a number of the advanced runs finished. When we were there, the weather had been quite warm and the snow quality was best at the top of the mountain, where the green and red runs were. So, in my view, Shiga Kogen was best for the skiing, and Nozawa was best for the all-round experience. Thank you for your assistance in finding suitable accommodation for us. I have attached a few of photographs of my my sons at Nozawa (one on the slopes and the other outside our accommodation). Holiday snaps below...

Regards
Julia Jago

Date

We recently stayed at Address Nozawa in the Red Room. The staff were very friendly and helpful. the room was great and we had fresh bread, eggs and juice for breakfast provided by the hotel every morning. There was free wi-fi and a games room. T he location of Address Nozawa was great close to all the restaurants not far to the ski lift (its a hard up hill slog in the morning but of an afternoon it is all down hill). I would highly recommend staying here.

Veronica Raffaele

Date

We stayed at address nozawa last week of dec and we enjoyed our stay very much. it is located in a side street just off the main road and close to all the food in the centre of town. it is a 5min walk to the moving walkway and it's a good idea to rent the skis from the base of the slopes so you don't have to carry the skis and walk with the boots all the way up hill(you can leave it there overnight as well). we were 2 pax and the rooms are very decent size for japan. there is a small living room area with a kitchenette and the bathroom is sufficient and it's always better to have an attached rather than to have to share. the fridge is stocked every 2-3 days with a breakfast pack with includes eggs, milk, juice, bread, ham, sausages... i'm not big on cooking on my holiday but i think it'll be good for families.

Pham

Late Feb 2019

It was good enjoyed my stay the hotel was very convenient for the bus terminal the accommodation was basic but adequate the breakfasts however were a mixed bag some days for example the good ladies thought that a hard boiled egg and lettuce leaf was sufficient to start hard days skiing other days breakfast was adequate

All other aspects were excellent

Yours sincerely Anthony van der woerd

Late Feb 2017

Hotel was as described. Small and cosy but very comfortable. Location was outstanding. Right in the middle of town. The breakfast each morning was great and the staff were excellent and very helpful with restaurant recommendations. They also run a travel company right next door so very handy for day trips to the surrounding sights Thanks again for all your help.Hopefully we will get back there again soon

Greg Gaupset

Early January 2015

The stay at the Gasthof was really nice, The staff there were super friendly and the rooms were a nice size and comfortable. The rooms have a standard modular on-suite and tea making facilities, the breakfast provided was always nice. There is a little bar area downstairs and a family lounge room upstairs. There was only a small ski locker room but we made do buy using a make shift clothes line in the bedroom:)

The location of the hotel was fantastic, It is right next to the bus stop so really easy to find and it only took 5 mins to walk to the traveling walkway to get to the ski lift!! And there are plenty of On-sens near the hotel to help unwind after a days boarding/skiing There was plenty of nice and traditional food places near bye so eating out was never a problem but we would recomend booking in advance as places fill up quickly, the highlight was eating at the Neo Bar which is ran by a cool guy named Marky. We had the beef hotpot which was amazing!!

To finalize our stay at the Gasthof I would say it is clean and tidy, friendly and close to everything you could need! We would not hesitate in staying there again:) We will definitely be re-visiting there when we can get the time off work again! Thank you so much for the help again with accommodation and we both look forward to using JSA again in the future:)

Shane & Mel

Mid February 2014

We had a great trip to Nozawa Onsen and Gasthof Schi Heil was better than we had hoped! I have already recommended it to people as a perfect option for families in Nozawa. A real treat was the very tasty breakfast every morning and the nice little bar area downstairs for a bit of après ski before dinner. The staff was super helpful and friendly. Mr. Yamaguchi, who was helping out at the Front Desk, was terrific with English and knowledge of the area. Eight thumbs up (we are a family of four)!

Parl Watzlavick

Late Feb 2020

Had the best time in Japan. Loved nozawa onsen but unfortunately not enough days of snow with temperatures being quite warm.

Loved being at maruken Sanso as it is so close to the gondola so only a short walk in the morning especially carrying all your gear. Mamoru ( sorry probably spelt that wrong) was the loveliest guy and his 82 year old mother do a great job of running the place. He did so much to help us and organised the black cat luggage people to take our ski bags to the airport.

The restaurants were great and met some fabulous owners who dished out tasty food. Loved the onsens and went to spa arena which is an outdoor tourist onsen which was different.

Would go there again and stay at maruken Sanso cos my back got quite used to the sleeping on the futons on the floor. Plus breakfast was perfect and kept us going nearly all day.

Thanks Hisae for organising such a great holiday. Next time more snow please!!

Judy Cotterell

Late January 2020

Overall

The trip was fantastic, due to many of the comments below.

Your service

Your service was excellent, as I have said in an email before we left. You are so well organised and helpful that everything was easy. I also appreciated your willingness to contact both of our accommodation places when our flight was delayed and the late opening of the Japan Rail Pass Office meant we had to catch a later train. I have already recommended you to other people and we will definitely use you again.

Japan Rail Pass

This was excellent, but I only found out about it quite late and had to get it delivered to Maruken Sanso. I think it would be good for you to mention it to your customers as something to consider. We treated ourselves to a “Green Car” pass. It was about 30% more expensive, but the seating was like business or first class.

Cash

Japan seems to operate much more on cash compared to Australia’s use of credit cards. It would be helpful to advise customers of that beforehand and even to know where there are International ATMs in the various resorts. For example, there is one in Nozawa Onsen near the Chou Bus Terminal.

Time of year

We chose our dates when we were free, but it worked out very well. The Australian school holidays had just ended, so the crowds were much less. We hardly had to wait for any lifts. If I can, I will always choose to go in February.

Nozawa Onsen

This is a beautiful town and a great resort. There are plenty of runs to suit all abilities. I would like to go back there when my wife can get holidays and join us too.

Maruken Sanso

This was excellent. To me it seemed to be a great example of a genuine small family guest house. Mamoru is a lovely gentle man and was always very friendly and helpful. He uses a voice translator to get between Japanese and English when there are any communication difficulties and we didn’t have any problems. The breakfasts were very traditional Japanese food and were excellent. We had dinner one night, which was also excellent and well-priced. The location is perfect – a short walk uphill to the gondola and a slightly longer walk downhill to the town centre.

Lift Tickets

There was some confusion with Mamoru and he didn’t realise or understand that our lift tickets were pre-purchased. He indicated that he gets a special price for the lift tickets and that we should buy them from him rather than the resort ticket office. (Someone else told us that his family has lived in the area for a long time and that Mamoru is friends with many other locals including the owner of the resort.) He seemed maybe a bit offended that we didn’t buy our tickets from him. Maybe it would be better to avoid any of this confusion in future and either make sure he knows about the pre-purchase or tell customers to buy them from him.

Ski Hire

We used “Mount Dock”, which is next to the place you recommended “Sports Thanx”. Mount Dock was a bit more expensive, but we had the option to switch to Telemark skis if my son wanted to try that. I have and took my own Telemark skis. The “Mount Dock” hire equipment was excellent.

Paul

Mid January 2020

We had a great trip. You made it very easy and relaxed to get our accommodation booked.

We really loved Maruken Sanso. It had a great friendly feel to it and the breakfasts were really good. The location was also great and easy to get to everywhere. Enjoyed staying in the tatami rooms a lot and would not hesitate to do so again. It was a little tighter for room than Chalet Shiga but had more of an X factor in terms of atmosphere.

Really glad that we were able to stay for the night of the fire festival it was a fantastic experience. One of the weirdest cultural experiences ever!

The onsens around town were fabulous - managed to visit quite a few of those. Having the vibrant town as part of the experience made it quite different to Shiga Kogen.

The skiing again was nothing the locals were raving about - but it was still great for us. As a pure skiing experience, I'd rate Shiga Kogen as a better place to go simply because of the wide variety, but I would definitely come back to Nozawa Onsen as well, and I'd definitely stay at Maruken Sanso again.

Thanks again,

Alex and family

Early January 2020

We had a lovely stay at Maruken Sanso. The location is perfect, very close to the gondola lift and a short walk down to the Main Street.

Mamoru (the host) was very nice and friendly. We used google translate a bit to help with any enquiries. He got us our lift passes and also arranged baggage transfer for us.

The breakfast served every morning was great. The room was ideal for a family of four.

Please pass on our thank you, we had a wonderful time and hope to go back soon.

Thanks

Lucille

Mid Jan 2019

Excellent location, close to the Gondola.

Great food and host, nothing was too much trouble.

Tatami floors are a little hard, but nothing another futon wouldn’t fix.

Michael

Late Jan 2018

We had a great time

Photos Breakfast on the way & a special dinner in lodge. Friendly host pick up service and drop off.

Thank you.
Elissa Raptis

Mid Feb 2017

What a great trip. Fantastic snow. All 3 places we stayed at are amazing. Your organizational skills are to be applauded. Maruken Sanso with Mamoru was a great location with service second to none. Bus transfers to each location was very simple. Chuo Taxis are the way to go – amazing service – on time – every time. Cannot wait to book again for next year. Keep up the great work.

Regards Andrew Bolte

Mid January 2017

Yes we had a wonderful stay at Maruken Sanso. The staff were friendly and as helpful and hospitable as can be. The breakfasts were delicious and the company in the lodge was excellent. The onsen was a great place to go at the end of a day's skiing, and the village had a lovely atmosphere, with so many interesting places to eat. Your service was faultless and friendly. Thanks so much.

Ben Underwood

Mid January 2017

We had an amazing snow trip! Thanks for organizing the accommodation. Marukan San was in a fabulous location, close to the gondala and the main street of Nowzawa Onsen. The accommodation was clean and comfortable. The host was extremely courteous and helpful, going out of his way to get ski tickets organized for us every morning. I loved the Japanese breakfast which were plentiful and filling. One of the best part of the accommodation was the in-house hot bath – fantastic after a day on the slope! We had public onsens all around us, all ‘free’ to use. It would be great if there were instructions in the onsens in English so that we could respectfully comply with local traditions. We will definitely be going back to Nowzawa Onsen and hope to stay at the same accommodation!

Warm Regards,
Perri Lim

Late january 2015

Our trip was so good!

It was very easy to check in even though we were arriving in the middle of the night, the host was lovely and told us everything we ended to know about the accommodation. Rooms very neat and tidy and one of our rooms had a great view of the town. The breakfasts we had included were a great mix of Japanese and western style foods + coffee which was great. We also had dinner in house one night, cooked by the hosts which was delicious traditional

food. For most of our group this was our second visit to Nozawa Onsen and the snow was much better than this time so we were all very pleased.

Such a cute little ski village and the accommodation is very close to the lifts (5 min walk). We also made use of the in-house onsen and had it to ourselves most of the time which was great Loved staying here and were grateful for everything the hosts did to help out!

Regards Julie O'Brien

Early January 2016

Thank-you for giving me the opportunity to review on our recent holiday to Japan. We really did book at the last minute, and we're very happy to find such great accomodation. 'Maruken Sanso' proved to be the perfect cultural introduction & our hosts could not do enough to make us feel welcome. The meals were fantastic & the in-house onsen was most welcome after a day on the slopes ! The actual resort & village was very quant. We found the skiing & lift coverage most suitable to our level of expertise. Also, all of the mountain staff were really friendly, most speaking some English. Maruken Sanso was only a 5 minute walk to the gondola. I also would like to thank-you personally, @ 'japansnowaccomodation.com', for assisting us in booking our holiday. Hisae, you returned both my emails & phone calls. Great customer service I have already passed on your contact details to work colleagues & have no hesitation in recommending both your service & Maruken Sanso . All up, a great holiday.

THANK-YOU !
Kate

Late December 2015

We have been travelling mainly on and sometimes off to Japan since 2003. We travelled to Honshu, Nagano area, since we had a brilliant trip the year before skiing Nozawa Onsen and Madarao. We have used Hisae and the team at Japan snow accommodations, which takes a lot of the hard work out of planning the trip. Also we have asked for alternatives and there was a quick answer and good information at all times. The snow conditions weren’t as good as usual but, but this was put down to the El Nino effect in the Pacific area. We stayed at the Maruken Sanso in Nozawa Onsen; we had been there the year before. The family were just as accommodating as the year before and made everyone in the small lodge welcome. This is a very short walk to the main gondola and is good for an early start on a powder morning, not too much walking. They have an onsen bath for the guests and that takes care of the sore muscles. One of the ancient 14 onsen is just down the road, for the old world onsen charm. They have ski storage, hot room for the boots and a workshop for running r repairs. Another cleaver trick is the houses, hotels and accommodations pump the onsen water on the road, the road is never to Icey to walk on.

Rober Hall

Early Feb 2020

I loved the accomodation. The staff were brilliant...lots of useful advice and guidance on where to ski, how to use the Onsen and so on.

The room was great. Lovely traditional style and very comfortable. Everything was spotlessly clean and breakfast was fine.

The boot room was warmed so we had dry gear every day and there was an area to dry gloves and other outerwear.

All said, a great experience.

Thanks, Terry

Late Feb 2017

Your service was great, we had never been to Japan before and explained what type of town we were after and it was exactly what we were after. you communication through the whole booking process was excellent. Kawamotoya Ryokan was a great place to stay, the room had a wonderful view of the valley and was a nice walk to the bottom of the ski hill. The food and staff were also very good, highly recommended.

Leigh

Late December 2016

Our stay has been fantastic and I would recommend our hotel . The rooms are quite big and very confortable; the breakfast and restaurant is very good and provide international food , the hotel public bath is great , and finally : the staff is very nice, polite and helpful . We hope coming back soon :-)

thank you very much
Laure

Late Feb 2017

We had a fantastic time. The hosts at Nakajimaya were really nice, and the breakfast was a great combination of authentic Japanese food with excellent flavor. We also really like Nozawa: the hot springs are a necessary cultural experience for anyone wanting to understand these rural mountain towns, and the resort has the best off piste skiing that we're done in Japan. Overall, great. We'll totally come back in a couple years!

David

Late Feb 2017

Our trip was great, we enjoyed the resort, easy access, hiring the equipment was effortless, the runs were fabulous.The ryokan was good, very welcoming and so helpful. Apart from the breakfast, everything was enjoyable. I suppose we had such wonderful Japanese breakfast everywhere else, we were expecting better than what was served. Thank you for your service, it was perfect.

Regards
Francoise

Mid Jan 2016

Your service is excellent. Whithout you, I would have been unable to find an accomodation in this peak period. The accomodation was great and the owner of the Ryokan very friendly. We loved the village too, and the dosijin worth to be seen, really impressive and interesting (and you can have some sake shots on the slopes !). The ski lift were not too crowded, althought it was the aussie's holiday. This is a really good point. I was disapointed by the snow coverage, a lot of bottom slopes were closed...I'm use to in europ, bad luck in Japan. I'm an expert backcountry skier, Nozawa lacks of steep run, and the space between trees is not sufficient in the forest to ski in (except on the side of Hikage gondola, acess by first station of the other gondola). Some nice runs too from the skyline on both sides. But many trees... Thanks again Hisae, I will certainly take your advice for my next season in Japan !

Jean-Christophe

Mid Jan 2016

Thank you so much for arranging such beautiful, picturesque, cultural and comfortable accommodation at such a good price (at the last minute) in such a fabulous location! The entire town is perfection; beautiful and ancient and culturally rich and an absolute joy to visit. The walk to and from our accommodation each day was always a highlight, we absolutely loved the fire festival, and even though the snow was average it was nonetheless one of the best holidays I've ever been on. The accommodation itself was fantastic, the food was absolutely outstanding, but by far the highlight were the staff. Please send a very special thank you to our hostess (I'm so sorry I've forgotten her name!). Nothing was too much trouble, and all the staff went above and beyond to help us silly Aussies to understand and fully appreciate their town. We have been raving about the trip for months now, recommend the village, the accommodation and of course your services to anyone who will listen, and are already plotting to go back. Thank you Hisae for making our trip wonderful! Kind regards,

Melanie

Early Jan 2016

We had a wonderful trip. Nakajimaya Ryokan was exactly what we wanted. It is a beautifully run, traditional ryokan serving wonderful food. It is clean, comfortable and convenient for skiers moving to and from the peaks of Nozawa Onsen. We hope we can return some time soon.

Best wishes,

Tosca

Late Dec 2015

We loved staying at Nakajimaya Ryokan and experiencing a traditional Japanese Inn. Yukiko, her family and staff were all exceptionally kind and helpful, always giving us good advice and explaining Japanese customs when necessary. Our rooms were both quiet and spacious with plenty of room for the family to relax at the end of the day. It was a real draw card having a private onsen within the ryokan and we made good use of this everyday. Nozawa is a gorgeous village with many restaurants and bars, we were able to find a different place to eat every night and also enjoyed a superb meal at the Nakajimaya Ryokan as well. We will definitely be going back there.

Chrissy

Late January 2015

We loved our holiday in Japan. Thanks you for booking us into Nakajimaya Ryokan. We had an amazing family experience and loved the Ryokan. The family were fantastic hosts and very helpful. We would love to stay there again. Certainly the walk to and from the ski hill through the village streets was enjoyable every day and we liked being a bit out of the busy areas. I have attached a few photos from our stay to show you! So thanks so much for looking after us! Cheers,

The Campbells

Early January 2015

Just wanted to let you know that our Nozawa Onsen trip was a big success and we all had an excellent stay at the Nakajimaya Ryokan. The hosts at the Ryokan were always friendly and helpful and made us feel very welcome. Please pass on our thanks to them. Getting to the snow via Shinkansen, local train and bus was stress free and like everything else in Japan, was on time and schedule. And the skiing was superb. Hopefully we’ll do it again next year. Thanks Attached are the happy customers.

Angus & Melanie

Mid January 2014

We had a wonderful time at Nozawa Onsen thankyou Your service was wonderful , esp finding something so perfect for us at relatively late notice., at a busy time of year. We really loved Nakajimaya Ryokan Loved the traditional nature of it and being exposed to other Japanese travellers and staff as well , rather than the 1st lodge we stayed at for the first 3 days which was great but not especially Japanese. The lady in charge was absolutely beautiful to us and so kind and helpful- she was gorgeous. The food was amazing and we loved the exposure to the traditional dishes and table arrangements . It was nice also to experience the in house onsen without having to go out in the cold to get there. The masseuse across the road was very good after a day of skiing and really enjoyed being able to walk easily to everything in the village esp for the fire festival. Even able to come back to the rooms for a while to watch where the festival was up to , then go out again later on . Rooms very cosy and comfortable. Was not too far a walk to the travellator either to get to the ski fields. The woman in charge of the hotel was very good with making bookings etc for us-very reliable and great service. Absolutely loved the village and the skiing.People friendly . Snow wonderful. Very pretty and long green runs , so enjoyable with children – they loved it . Beautiful and interesting village and so glad we saw the fire festival . Nice to have more a traditional glimpse of everything. Only thing to mention to people is book your restaurant meals ahead as it is a small village and venues get booked out ahead . Thanks for your help Would love to go back

Nici

Late January 2014

My wife and I stayed at Nakajimaya Ryokan, Nozawa Onsen in February 2014. The rooms are large and comfortable, staff are helpful, smiling and courteous always, and the food is amazing. Many other great restaurants are nearby, as well as numerous free public onsens, 1 of which is right outside the front door. When we return to Nozawa, we will be staying at Nakajimaya Ryokan.

Glen

Mid January 2013

This is an excellent traditional ryokan. The family that run it are very friendly and helpful, the rooms are comfortable and well decorated and the food is of a very high quality. I recommend having breakfast here and the dinner is also excellent. we spent a week here before heading off to hokkaido and it was one of the highlights of our trip.

Andrew M

Mid January 2013

Our group of 8 women had a wonderful week. The staff were friendly and attentive. We loved the breakfasts so much that we also had 2 dinners. The snow was superb and the Ryokan onsen was a must after a full day in the pow pow. No hesitation in recommending Nakajimaya to anyone and everyone.

Genevieve

Date

Our trip was amazing and we loved our stay at Nakajimaya Ryokan - the staff were friendly and attentive, the accommodation was very comfortable and we absolutely loved the traditional breakfast each morning! We would happily recommend Nakajimaya to anyone.

Hayley

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