Nozawa Onsen

Hi,

Late October trip was all planned, Noto, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Okuhida, Kurobe!, Alpine Route, Kiso valley.

Saw an enticing show on Nozawa Onsen last night on local TV. Wow, looks like our kind of "place", and can easily fit in between Kurobe and Kiso, skipping Alpine route. Also, can stay 2 nights, which is appealing versus one night Toyama, one night Murodo, one night Matsumoto.

Yes, I realize it's our interests, etc. But, any thoughts/advice from experts welcomed. Especially in regards to Nozawa non-ski resort ryokans, and Iiyuma city.

Thank you, PH

We stayed there over Xmas some years ago (maybe 10 or 15 years ago?). We're not skiers, but the combination of lots of snow, some mountain views, and loads of public onsens to visit was enough to get us there.

My recollections:
- the bottom of the slopes was a short walk from the village. It was fun to just walk up there and mess around in the snow.
- the choice of ryokans bookable through an English language interface was quite limited at the time (although this was some years ago and the ability to search for places on the net was much less than it is now, so maybe that's changed). Can't remember the name of where we stayed, but it was pretty much opposite the place where people boil their veggies and eggs and stuff in the onsen water. It was a nice place, but we got assigned an American "maid" to serve us which was a shame as we were looking forward to some cultural exchange.
- it's fun to visit as many of the public onsens as you can. IIRC, there are at least a dozen of them all very close to each other. In the main, they are tiny places. Quite atmospheric, although they included some of the hottest water we've ever experienced, so it was nice when there was no one else around and you could add some cold water. In a couple of them, I ended up going in at the same time as a Japanese man and we had a sort of comical situation where - as far as I could work out - we were both uncomfortably hot but neither of us wanted to add cold water while the other one was there.

I visited here during the green season. There might be some Koyo (autumn colors) if you go up high enough which could be potentially beautiful

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-2229

Note that having a car can really open up what is available around here....

can you maybe tell the name of the "local show"... maybe it is available online? i would be interested in watching it too (i love movies about onsen)

Thanks for all the replies

Glimp-I live in Hawaii. We have many locals who enjoy Japan. A local station KIKU airs 2 series, Soko Ga Japan and Kuru Kuru Japan. I tried to look up the program for recaps but they don't list details.

I think it was Kuru Kuru and the episode highlighted Nozawa Onsen in Winter. We are not interested in skiing, but the area looks appealing, especially since it is only a 30 min ride from Kurobe-Unazuki Onsen.

We stayed 2 nights in Yunomine Onsen and loved it; Nozawa looks similar. We are not "into" onsens, but love remote, country areas. We are also not fast "see it all" travelers.

Thanks, PH

We’ve just come back from a night in Yunomine. Loved it.
Nozawa is less rural, busier, bigger. It’s still a small place, but remember that it’s a ski centre, so there’s more nightlife.
I guess a look on google maps will show you the relative size of the two places.
I liked Nozawa- but just don’t expect it to be like Yunomine.
Hope that helps...

Hi,

Thanks, I think we'll stick with original Alpine Route plan, can always visit Nozawa during a Niigata visit.

PH