Nozawa Onsen
Ski & hot springs resort
This lovely hot springs and ski village in Nagano Prefecture features 13 traditional public baths (soto-yu) that are scattered about town. They have been maintained by the local community since the Edo Period and are open to the public year-round. Do the rounds and try as many as you can!
Winter sports kick in from early December at the excellent Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort, one of Japan’s top ski destinations - both the town and ski resort are foreigner friendly with English maps, signs and pamphlets available.
Nozawa Onsen hosted the biathlon events during the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.