Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort: Opens 28 Nov 2026, ¥7,800 a Day
The resort sits above Nozawa Onsen, a hot spring village in the north of Nagano Prefecture. The Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort season pass page lists the 2026-27 dates and adds a warning: weather and snow can change what runs. Some lifts, such as the Utopia and Challenge pair lifts, also have days off.
The 7,800 yen price covers the busiest part of the winter. Before 19 December and after 28 March the resort sells separate early-season and spring tickets, so check the period before you buy. This guide covers dates, lift pass prices, snow, the trip from Tokyo, the free baths and the January crowds.
2026-27 Nozawa Onsen ski season dates
The Nozawa Onsen ski season has three price periods. The regular period runs from Saturday 19 December 2026 to Sunday 28 March 2027. Opening day on 28 November starts the early season, and the days after 28 March make up the spring season up to 5 May.
The table below puts every confirmed date in one place. It includes the season pass sales windows, because they open before the lifts do.
| Date | What happens | Lift pass |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Nov 2026 | Season pass sales open by post and bank transfer | All-season pass |
| 28 Nov 2026 | Season opens; season pass sales start at Nagasaka Center House | Early-season tickets |
| 19 Dec 2026 | Regular period starts | Adult 1-day 7,800 yen |
| 1 Feb 2027 | Sales start for the March-onward season pass | March-onward pass |
| 20 Feb 2027 | Last day to apply for the all-season pass | All-season pass |
| 1 Mar 2027 | March-onward season pass starts working | March-onward pass |
| 28 Mar 2027 | Regular period ends | Adult 1-day 7,800 yen |
| 5 May 2027 | Last day of the season | Spring tickets |
Season pass sales open on Sunday 1 November 2026 by post and bank transfer. The all-season pass is on sale until Saturday 20 February 2027. A cheaper pass for March onward goes on sale on Monday 1 February 2027 and works from 1 March to 5 May.
At the resort, you can buy a season pass only at the ticket centre in the Nagasaka Center House, from 28 November. No other ticket counter sells it. Bring photo ID, such as a driving licence, because staff ask to see it. If the opening is delayed, counter sales move back to the new opening day.
The photo shows the kind of snow-covered runs that open from late November. Mid-season, the regular period lines up with the months of heaviest snow, which the climate section below shows month by month.
Nozawa Onsen lift pass prices for 2026-27
A Nozawa Onsen lift pass for one adult costs 7,800 yen a day in the regular period. The Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort lift and gondola prices page sets three rates: adult, child and senior. Children means junior high school age or younger. Seniors are 60 or older and must show an ID with their age, such as a driving licence or health insurance card.
| Ticket | Adult | Child | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-day pass | 7,800 yen | 4,700 yen | 6,300 yen |
| 2-day pass | 14,500 yen | 8,700 yen | 11,650 yen |
| 3-day pass | 21,200 yen | 12,700 yen | 17,000 yen |
| 4-hour pass | 6,700 yen | 4,000 yen | 5,350 yen |
| Night pass | 2,850 yen | 1,700 yen | – |
| Nagasaka gondola, one ride | 3,750 yen | 2,750 yen | – |
The table shows the regular-period prices from 19 December 2026 to 28 March 2027. A 2-day pass costs 14,500 yen for adults and a 3-day pass 21,200 yen. Both run on consecutive days from the day you buy them. A 4-hour pass costs 6,700 yen and starts when you first pass the gate.
None of the 1-day, 2-day, 3-day or 4-hour passes covers night skiing. A night pass costs 2,850 yen for adults and 1,700 yen for children on nights when the resort runs night skiing.
IC card deposit and free tickets for small children
Many tickets come on an IC card with a 500 yen deposit. You get the 500 yen back when you return the card.
Preschool children ride free, one per paying adult. The child gets no ticket and goes through the gate together with the adult.
At the counter, you can point at the price board and say 「1日券、おとな1枚」 (ichinichi-ken, otona ichi-mai), meaning one adult 1-day pass.
Gondola, point and pet tickets
Non-skiers can ride up on point tickets. One ski lift ride costs 750 yen for adults and 550 yen for children. The Nagasaka gondola costs 3,750 yen for adults, and the Hikage gondola costs 2,250 yen. Riding either gondola down is free.
Dogs can ride the Nagasaka gondola for 700 yen per pet, on a lead or in a cage. They cannot ride any other gondola or lift.
Families with small children can use the kids park and its moving walkway for 1,500 yen for 2 hours or 3,000 yen for a day. The Nasky-go ride from Hikage to Nagasaka costs 750 yen one way.
Discounts for disabled visitors
Visitors with a disability certificate pay 5,450 yen for an adult 1-day pass in the regular period. The same ticket costs 3,900 yen in the early season and 4,250 yen in spring. One carer gets the same price. Show the certificate itself, or the Mirairo app, at the counter.
Season passes and extras
An adult all-season pass costs 102,500 yen, or 103,000 yen with the IC card deposit. A child pass costs 62,000 yen and a senior pass 83,000 yen. Season pass holders can ski at night and get a few extras.
- Parking: free at the resort’s No. 1 car park, except on the day you buy the pass.
- Nearby resorts: 1,000 yen off a 1-day pass at Togari Onsen, Madarao Kogen and Kijimadaira, from 19 December to 28 March.
- Japan Ski Museum: adults pay 240 yen instead of 300 yen.
For a ski trip across Japan, our guide to the Japan ski season 2026-27 compares opening days and lift tickets at other big resorts.
When Nozawa Onsen has the most snow
January brings the most fresh snow to Nozawa Onsen, and February has the deepest base. The Japan Meteorological Agency Nozawa Onsen climate normals give 30-year averages from 1991 to 2020 for the village weather station.
The screenshot shows that Japan Meteorological Agency page in Japanese. Each row is a month, and the last two columns give total snowfall and the deepest snow in centimetres.
| Month | Total snowfall | Deepest snow | Average temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| November | 16 cm | 8 cm | 6.4°C |
| December | 223 cm | 88 cm | 0.9°C |
| January | 366 cm | 171 cm | -1.6°C |
| February | 282 cm | 199 cm | -1.3°C |
| March | 170 cm | 164 cm | 1.9°C |
| April | 35 cm | 77 cm | 8.0°C |
Over a full year the station records 1,087 cm of snowfall on average. Late November usually has little snow on the ground, with 16 cm of snowfall in the month. December adds 223 cm, and January adds another 366 cm.
February is the coldest month for early starts. The average daily low is -4.9°C, against -4.7°C in January. In March the base still averages 164 cm at its deepest, while the average temperature rises to 1.9°C.
Search interest follows the snow. Last year, searches for “nozawa onsen ski” rose from 14,800 in October 2025 to 49,500 in January 2026, 3.3 times as many. December 2025 already had 33,100.
| Month | Searches |
|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 12,100 |
| Oct 2025 | 14,800 |
| Nov 2025 | 18,100 |
| Dec 2025 | 33,100 |
| Jan 2026 | 49,500 |
| Feb 2026 | 40,500 |
| Mar 2026 | 18,100 |
| Apr 2026 | 8100 |
| May 2026 | 6600 |
| Jun 2026 | 6600 |
| Jul 2026 | 8100 |
| Aug 2026 | 9900 |
The chart shows the climb from 18,100 searches in November to the January peak, then a fall to 18,100 in March. If you plan to ski in January, book rooms in the village now, before that rise starts.
Getting to Nozawa Onsen from Tokyo and Narita
From Tokyo, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen. The fastest train to Nagano is the Kagayaki: 1 h 17 min from Tokyo Station for 8,450 yen with a reserved seat. Our Tokyo to Nagano route page has the full timetable. The first train leaves Tokyo Station at 06:16 and the last at 22:08.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen in the photo runs on to Iiyama, the station for Nozawa Onsen. At Iiyama you change to a bus up to the village.
The illustration shows the four legs of the trip. You ride the Shinkansen to Iiyama, then take the Nozawa Onsen Liner bus to the village. Inside the village, free shuttle buses run to the slopes in the main season. The Yu-road moving walkway takes you up to the Hikage base area.
Rail passes for the trip
The JR EAST PASS covers all JR East lines, including the Shinkansen. It costs 35,000 yen for 5 days, and children pay 17,500 yen. It replaced the JR EAST PASS (Nagano, Niigata area), whose sales ended on 13 March 2026.
The Hokuriku Arch Pass costs 35,000 yen for 7 days and covers the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Tsuruga. It suits a trip that goes on to Kanazawa after skiing.
From Narita and Haneda
If you land at Narita Airport, head to Tokyo Station first, using our guide to Narita Airport to Tokyo Station, and change to the Hokuriku Shinkansen there.
If you fly with skis, pack them in checked baggage. Our page on skis and snowboards explains the rule: only short skis of 60 cm or less can go in the cabin. Ski poles can go in the cabin only if they fold to 60 cm or less and have no pointed metal tip. Solid wax is fine in both bags, and our ski wax page covers liquids and sprays.
The 13 free sotoyu baths after skiing
Nozawa Onsen has 13 sotoyu, or public bathhouses, spread across the village, and all of them are free. The Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort hot spring and sotoyu guide lists the hours. From December to March the baths open 6:00 to 23:00, and from April to November 5:00 to 23:00.
Each bath has a saisen-bako, a donation box, where you leave what you want. The villagers run the baths through a system called yu-nakama. Neighbours share the power and water bills and clean the baths every day on a rota.
The water comes from more than 30 hot springs, at 40°C to 90°C. One local story says the monk Gyoki found the springs between 724 and 748. The baths have no parking, so walk from your inn.
The photo shows Oyu, the big wooden bathhouse in the middle of the village. It is the best-known of the 13 baths, and its water is a simple sulphur spring.
| Place | Oyu public bath (sotoyu), Nozawa Onsen |
|---|---|
| Price | Free; leave a donation in the box |
| Hours | December to March 6:00-23:00; April to November 5:00-23:00 |
| Access | In the centre of the onsen village; no parking, so walk from your inn |
| Official site | Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort hot spring and sotoyu guide |
Other baths have their own character. Nakao no Yu has the largest wooden bathhouse. At Taki no Yu the source runs at 78°C, so expect hot water. Kumanoteara no Yu takes its name from a legend that a bear found the spring.
The checklist covers the house rules. Bring your own towel and soap, because the baths have none. Wash your body before you get in, and keep your towel and hair out of the water. If you have tattoos, read our guide to tattoo-friendly onsen in Japan first.
Furusato no Yu, a larger day spa
For a bigger bath, go to Furusato no Yu in Ogama Onsen Park. It has hot and warm indoor baths, an outdoor bath and 9 shower booths. Entry costs 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for primary school children.
Ask your inn for a guest discount ticket, which lowers the price to 400 yen and 200 yen. Furusato no Yu opens from 10:00 to 20:00, with last entry at 19:30. It closes on Thursdays, or the next day when Thursday is a public holiday.
| Place | Furusato no Yu day-use onsen |
|---|---|
| Price | Adults 500 yen, primary school children 300 yen; 400 yen and 200 yen with a guest discount ticket |
| Hours | 10:00-20:00, last entry 19:30; closed Thursdays (the next day if Thursday is a holiday) |
| Access | In Ogama Onsen Park in the village; no parking |
| Official site | Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort hot spring and sotoyu guide |
January crowds, New Year and the Dosojin Fire Festival
January is the peak month for both snow and searches in Nozawa Onsen. The New Year break and the Dosojin Fire Festival both fall in it.
Dosojin Fire Festival
The Dosojin Matsuri is the village’s best-known winter festival. Daytime events in the village are open to everyone. The fire ceremony at night is a different matter. For safety, only village residents and guests staying in Nozawa Onsen can enter, with an admission ticket, and numbers are limited.
To see this part, book a room inside the village and ask your inn about the ticket.
The illustration splits the festival in two. Anyone can join the daytime events, but the night fire ceremony is only for residents and village guests. For other events around the prefecture that month, see Nagano in January.
New Year 2026-27
Japan’s New Year break fills trains and inns. Our New Year 2026-27 holiday page sets out the dates. Government offices close from Tuesday 29 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, and banks close from 31 December to 3 January. New Year’s Day falls on Friday 1 January 2027.
Taking Monday 28 December off makes a break of up to 9 days in a row from Saturday 26 December, so trains out of Tokyo fill up early. On Sunday 4 January 2026, the busiest day last winter, 350,000 passengers headed back to Tokyo.
Check Japan’s January holidays before you fix your dates, since long weekends also bring crowds. For other winter trips nearby, compare Hakuba Happoone Winter Resort or the snow monkeys at Jigokudani Monkey Park.
FAQ
When does Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort open for the 2026-27 season?
The resort opens on Saturday 28 November 2026 and runs to Wednesday 5 May 2027, or until the season ends. The regular price period runs from 19 December 2026 to 28 March 2027. Weather and snow can change the opening day.
How much is a lift pass at Nozawa Onsen?
In the regular period, an adult 1-day pass costs 7,800 yen, a child pass 4,700 yen and a senior pass 6,300 yen. A 4-hour adult pass costs 6,700 yen. Add a 500 yen IC card deposit, which you get back when you return the card.
How do you get to Nozawa Onsen from Tokyo?
Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station toward Nagano and Iiyama. The fastest Kagayaki reaches Nagano in 1 h 17 min for 8,450 yen with a reserved seat. From Iiyama Station, the Nozawa Onsen Liner bus runs to the village.
Can day visitors see the Nozawa Onsen fire festival?
Day visitors can join the daytime events of the Dosojin Fire Festival. The night fire ceremony is only for village residents and guests staying in Nozawa Onsen, with an admission ticket. Book a room in the village if you want to see it.
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