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December 2020, I set out on my first trip in almost two years to the ski resort town, Nozawa Onsen, in Nagano, Japan. The resort is famous for hosting the 1998 Olympics. With so many tourists flocking to the slopes every winter season, the town is easily accessible by shuttle bus from nearby Iiyama Station.
With a diversity of people flooding in every year, there’s no lack of food options for people with dietary restrictions either. Most restaurant menus include detailed explanations of the ingredients.
The easiest way to get to Nagano is from Tokyo - for JR pass holders.
It’s as simple as a ride on the bullet train to Iiyama station, and taking a shuttle bus.
My friends and I took a highway bus from Okayama to Osaka, spent a day exploring the metropolis, and rendezvoused with three of our friends to take a night bus the rest of the way.
The bus departed at 11pm from Osaka Station, and arrived at JR Nagano Station at 6am.
Buses are actually my favorite way to travel long distances. It gives me the perfect opportunity to sit, relax for a few hours, and see the scenery of the country around me with minimal effort.
There are two ways to get from Nagano to Iiyama: bullet train and local train.
The bullet train, covered by the JR pass, is the quickest way. It’s an easy ride, taking under 10 minutes.
Local trains depart about once every two hours and take around an hour to arrive. One way tickets cost approximately 500 yen, or 4.6 USD~.
I personally recommend the local train over the bullet train. The bullet train has many perks, but what you save on time and comfort, you miss being opened up to the most stunning winter wonderland you'll ever see.
Gin no Sekai - 銀の世界 - translated into English literally means silver world.
The entire town of Nozawa Onsen is easily walkable, with free shuttles that take tourists directly to the base of the slope.
We rented Casa 38, an entire house, for six of us to stay in. The owner was gracious, accommodating, and speaks fluent English and Japanese. He even came by a few times to refill the kerosene heater in the garage where we dried our clothes.
We chose to cook dinner for two days, getting supplies from the one small grocery store - Food center Uoyasu - run by one grandma who seemed like she’d been in the town her entire life. The store was basics, but was full enough for us to be able to make a good few meals.
My personal favorite was the stall selling steamed buns directly across from the grocery store. Try the famous Nozawana (mountain vegetables) steamed buns over the next few days. For only about 1 USD per bun, steamed fresh in front of me and made with local ingredients, it was one of the cheapest and best meals I’ve had in Japan.
The next day we all enjoyed a feast at the local Genki Burger.
From loaded fries, actually overflowing with toppings, to vegan and gluten free burger baskets, there was something everyone could enjoy. We all left feeling full and refreshed.
The hot springs in Nozawa Onsen, the town’s namesake, are plentiful. All are free and open to the public, with a box for donations stationed out front.
Be warned, the water is scalding hot.
A local taught us that the easiest way to adjust was to take a bucket and splash some of the hot water on our bodies to slowly warm up.
It was an entirely different experience submerging in it. Again we turned to the locals for help. I slowly lowered myself in and did not move once seated. The second I moved an inch there were sharp pin pricks of pain from the heat.
Sitting perfectly still, though, was tolerable - even relaxing - for a few minutes before it became unbearable.
These hot springs are not for the faint of heart - some sources reporting that in they can reach up to 90 degrees Celsius .
But, to the grandmas around us who had been bathing like this their entire life, it was a walk in the park.
Even so, these baths are a part of the unique charm of Nozawa Onsen. It’s absolutely worth it to try once for the benefits to your skin thanks to the sulfur in the water.
There’s no shortage of gear rental shops in Nozawa Onsen, but the prices vary from place to place, so doing your research is important! Googling “Nozawa Onsen Gear Rental” brings up hundreds of results.
We rented our gear from a quaint little mom and pop shop only a five minute walk from the lifts. The owners were attentive and let us store our items in the lockers for free. We could return our gear at the end of the day to spare us the struggle of lugging it back to Casa 38.
The prices were lower than most other rental places, it seemed. For me, I was able to rent all the gear and wear for two days for under $120 USD.
Lift passes are available on the top floor of the main ski center. All prices can be found here
Nozawa boasts some of the longest courses in Japan. Not all were open when we were there, but there were still a plethora of options for all levels.
Ski and snowboarding lessons are also available - which one of my friends attended the second day.
After our trip we had almost a full day to spend in Nagano city waiting for our night bus.
This would have been the perfect opportunity to see the Iiyama Kamakura Village or the famous Nagano snow monkeys in Jigoku-dani (hell valley).
If you’ve ever spent time in Japan during the holidays, you’ll know that New Year’s is a period where most businesses shut down.
We followed the crowd of Japanese people on their way to Hatsumode - the first shrine visit of the year - to Nagano’s famous Zenkoji Temple.
The streets were lined with food stalls like I hadn’t seen in years, and I, of course, had to indulge in the New Year’s Day traditional food of age-mochi and amazake - fried rice cake and sweet rice wine (non alcoholic).
It was a day full of beauty, cold, and surprise reunions.
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