Japan's most charming ski village. Ancient onsen town with free public hot spring baths and excellent powder skiing.
Nozawa Onsen is where Japan's ski culture is most purely expressed — an ancient hot spring village of 3,800 residents that has been attracting skiers since the 1920s. The public onsen (soto-yu) dotted around the village are free to use, fed by natural hot springs that locals have bathed in for centuries. The skiing covers 60km and is genuinely good, but the real reason to come is the village: the narrow streets, the sake bars, the yakitori after dark, and the extraordinary communal bathing culture.
Per person per night — prices vary by season and booking lead time.
The Ogama public onsen in the centre of the village is the biggest and hottest — ease in slowly. The water temperature is around 60°C. Don't touch the eggs locals use to hard-boil them in the spring (they're not for tourists).
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