Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort is one of Japan's largest ski resorts, and has among others been listed by Powerhounds as one of Japan's best ski resorts based on things like infrastructure, snow and overall value. I've been in Nagano a couple of times for skiing, both in Hakuba and Shiga-Kogen, and this time it was finally time to take a trip to check out the slopes in Nozawa. Part of the 1998 Winter Olympics were held in Nozawa, and thanks to the games you can find up-to-date infrastructure all there to make your skiing as smooth as possible.

The Bell of Happiness and the main slope in the Goryu ski resort

Japan is well-known for its many great skiing destinations. Among the best places you can visit is the prefecture Nagano, which also was the site of the 1998 Winter Olympics. This weekend Yuma and I went to Hakuba, a small village in the Nagano prefecture where many of the Olympic events were held back in 1998. We took a night bus from Shinjuku and arrived in Hakuba early in the morning. The place was totally packed with people, so we had to wait for quite a while until we could rent the necessary equipment.