Nozawa Onsen

Nozawaonsen, nestled in the northeastern mountains of Nagano Prefecture, occupies nearly 58 square kilometers of varied terrain. The village’s population stood at 3,653 across 1,395 households as of April 1, 2019, yielding a density of 63 residents per square kilometer. Such figures reveal the deliberate pace of life here, where space for forests, rice terraces and winding lanes prevails over dense development.

Situated roughly an hour’s drive from Nagano City, Nozawaonsen lies between peaks that rise to 1,650 meters at Mount Kenashi and river valleys descending to about 300 meters above sea level. To the south, the ridge of Kenashi frames the horizon, while the Chikuma River––Japan’s longest river––carves the western boundary. Beyond that waterway lies the city of Iiyama, its urban outline visible only when the valley air clears. To the north and east, the village meets Sakae, another community shaped by steep slopes and deep winter snows. Within these borders, microclimates emerge, tempering summer warmth with afternoon breezes and ushering in heavy snowfall from December through April.

The climate classification of Nozawaonsen is humid continental (Köppen Dfa), marked by summer humidity and cold winter months. Average annual temperatures hover at 10.4°C, climbing to roughly 23.3°C in August and dipping to −1.6°C in January. Annual precipitation approaches 1,782 millimeters, with January typically the wettest month and snowfall building the village’s famed white mantle. This confluence of altitude and precipitation supports both rice cultivation in the valley bottoms and extensive coniferous forests higher up.

Evidence of human settlement in Nozawaonsen extends back to its place within the ancient province of Shinano. Mid-Kamakura period texts record a settlement called Yuyama, literally “hot spring mountain village,” reflecting the geothermal pools that define local life. Legend credits the 8th-century monk Gyŋki with first uncovering these springs, an association that endows them with a gentle aura of sanctity. By 1870, 24 inns catered to nearly 25,000 visitors seeking curative soaks, a testament to the long-standing reputation of these mineral waters.

Administratively, the modern village evolved through a series of mergers and reclassifications. In April 1889, Toyosato emerged under Japan’s new municipal system. Three years later, it united with Takano to form Zuiho, only for part of that village to join Iiyama in 1954. The remainder, reorganized on April 1, 1955, took the name Nozawaonsen, binding administrative identity to the hot springs that shape local culture and economy.

Agriculture and tourism constitute the twin pillars of Nozawaonsen’s livelihood. Steep fields cling to hillsides where mountain rice, vegetables and soba thrive under careful stewardship. Meanwhile, seasonal tourism surges each winter, thanks to one of Japan’s oldest ski resorts. Opened more than 70 years ago, the ski area encompasses 297 hectares across trails beginning at 1,650 meters and descending through forests alive with powdery drifts. Over fifty kilometers of groomed pistes range from gentle beginner slopes to challenging black runs. Twenty-three chair lifts and two gondolas shuttle skiers upward, and the longest descent stretches ten kilometers, affording glimpses of the Japanese Alps and, on clear days, the Sea of Japan.

Off-piste opportunities draw experienced skiers into deeper snowfields, though the village advises hiring a local guide. A terrain park offers jumps, rails and an eighty-meter pipe for snowboarders seeking controlled thrills. In town, the Nozawa Onsen Arena, established in 1993, pairs an ice rink with sauna and solarium facilities. A community-run health center, formerly known as Kurhaus, provides steam boxes and open-air baths.

Yet the village’s defining attraction remains its network of hot springs. Thirty individual mineral sources feed thirteen public baths or ryokan; every basin offers distinct mineral compositions, temperatures and rituals. Free public houses—among them O-yu, Matsuba No-yu, Taki No-yu and ten others—stand alongside fee-based establishments such as Furusato Onsen and the family-oriented Sparena. Visitors often traverse narrow, cobbled lanes to sample multiple baths in a single day, appreciating how each pool’s iron-tinged or sulfur-scented waters evoke subtly different sensations and reputed health benefits.

Cultural heritage thrives in Nozawaonsen’s eighteen designated treasures. One intangible treasure, the Fire Festival, is recognized nationally as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. The remaining seventeen, including a 300-year-old cedar at the village shrine, bear local designations.

The Fire Festival, held annually on January 15, is both communal rite and spectacle. Men aged forty, forty-one and forty-two—the ages deemed most in need of spiritual cleansing—and those aged twenty-five, gather to construct a three-story wooden shrine called a shadan. Built silently and without metal fasteners, the shrine rises ten meters high and eight meters wide. Totem poles, known as hatsuakarikago, prepared by families whose sons were born in the previous year, accompany the shadan; these poles stand nine to ten meters tall, festooned with wind chimes, paper talismans and family crests.

On January 13, master carpenters guide the yakudoshi in hauling a twenty-meter Japanese beech trunk down from Hikage Ski Area. The following day, the shadan takes shape in the village square. At 7 p.m. on the fifteenth, a flint passed down through generations ignites the first torch. Participants sing tradition-laden songs, pour sake for onlookers and form a torchlit procession to the grounds. There, the structure is besieged by men wielding torches; younger villagers attempt to ignite the shrine’s base, shielded by the twenty-five-year-olds, while forty-two-year-olds ride atop, symbolizing the intersection of youth and middle age.

After one and a half to two hours, the shrine collapses into flame, the fire’s glow illuminating the deep January night. Organizers maintain strict safety: guardians oversee the twenty-five-year-olds, and those engaged in heavy lifting abstain from alcohol. Attendance often reaches capacity, and lodgings sell out months in advance.

Dosojin statues—wooden carvings of a male and female deity—dot the village. Painted and placed at doorways, these figures represent marriage’s humble hopes: two individuals of modest appearance who found happiness in union. They reinforce the festival’s themes of community, fertility and protective guardianship.

Accessibility to Nozawaonsen emphasizes both remoteness and connection. While no passenger railway passes directly through the village, five stations on the Iiyama Line lie within a kilometer of its borders. Togari-Nozawaonsen and Kamisakai stations bring travelers closest to the center. For those arriving by shinkansen, Iiyama Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line links the village to Tokyo in roughly two hours. A village-run bus aligns with the shinkansen timetable, ensuring seamless transfers.

Paths for snowshoeing and hiking crisscross the surrounding mountains once snowcover permits. Daytime excursions reveal hidden waterfalls, cedar groves and sweeping views that underscore the interplay of mountain and valley. Within the village, narrow lanes host an array of traditional inns, hostels, eateries specializing in local soba and sake, souvenir shops and street vendors.

Nozawaonsen’s charm lies in its blending of rustic perseverance and refined hospitality. Fields, forests and springs persist alongside modern lifts and international visitors. Winter’s hush gives way to lantern-lit festivals, and summer’s verdure softens the edges of steep trails. Here, the slow drip of mineral waters and the hammer of skis against crusted snow define rhythms of life shaped by seasons, tradition and the enduring comfort of geothermal warmth.