Skied it February 2020 (one of the worst seasons they every had). I am an advanced skier and came with my wife who is an intermediate skier. We were lucky enough to get 3+ feet of snow when there so were able to experience both storm and bluebird conditions. The ski area is on the larger side for Japan however is very limited in terms of advanced runs (really only about 4 depending on what was open, all of which are at lower altitude and require offloading on gondola so hard to do efficient laps). The advanced area on the left looking at map (Kandahar) looked good but is essentially always closed because they save it for competitions. Lots of good runs for beginners and intermediates. Lifts are well cared for but clearly dated (look like from the 90s, including 2 gondolas and a couple of "high speed" quads that don't feel super fast.

Snow quality on the groomers was very good, even for their bad season. Powder on the heavier side so unless you were able to find a decent steep (difficult due to overall mild terrain), you tended to just get stuck in waist-deep pow. Upper legal off-piste areas are ok but get tracked out very quickly whenever there was snow. Off piste runs required alot of bushwhacking through trees/bushes, actual clear pow runs up there were good but quite brief. Overall terrain for off-piste (outside of the permitted areas up on top) is challenging in terms of finding clean/easy lines compared to other areas where I have skied: lots of gullies and other natural terrain traps. If not careful can require a very long hike up back to slopes or, in some cases a night in the woods (and from talking with folks, this does happen).

Facilities nice in terms of food options but all bathrooms very basic and COLD, soap only sometimes available. The town is super quaint with lots of good food options, natural hot spring baths (onzens), and bars. Definitely feels like an authentic Japanese mountain town as opposed to a resort. Overall would return for the scenery and unique ski culture experience, but if all you care about is steep and deep, not the best place to visit.
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Loved this place so much! Possibly my favourite place in the world.

- Self-responsibility area at the top contains two natural valleys that can be used as half-pipes
- The hardest course is a thrilling steep speed run on with dizzying cliff drops on either side
- The ticket area and shops at the bottom of the chairlifts feel like a little wild-west town in the snow
- Onsen on every second corner means you're never far from a natural spring hot bath
- Look for the secret mini-chairlift to get you up to the snow directly from the town!

Great for up to 3-4 days of some of the best snowboarding you'll ever enjoy!
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Nozawa Onsen is an amazing little town with just enough western influence and tradition mixed in. It has the most wonderful traditional Onsens to relax in after a hard days riding on every street corner. (My favourite was Oyu Hot Spring)
The food is good too. You can get cheap street food (try the dumplings on the main strip Oyu Street -St Anton Bun café.) Coffee lovers can get their fix from Hotel St Anton. Above Stay Bar there is an amazing place to get Sukiyaki or Shabu Shabu but be warned its pricey. We just ate at a lot of the traditional ramen places as we left the hill.
Bar wise we loves Foot bar and Stay bar. We also liked Neo Bar or the Craft Room near the Olympic Park area.
There is a post office to get money out if needed during the day as it’s mainly a cash only place.
Now for the mountain. It’s awesome. Just enough piste to keep you busy- we were there 5 days and didn’t not get bored. Word of warning ducking fences is not advised unless you’re with someone who knows their way around. Pay for a guide from Mountainpros.com to get into the sweet spots.
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Nozawa Onsen is a must visit town/ ski area in Nagano prefecture with easy Shinkansen access from Tokyo. A shuttle bus transports visitors from the Iiyama train station at regular intervals and drops them off at one of several stops convenient to most lodging. The charming village has a European feel to it with narrow cobbled streets crowded with markets, food stands and cafes as well as roving bands of Australian tourists. The snow resort is large by Japanese standards and spread out and is served by a modern lift system. The area has good snow quality but gets tacked out fairly quickly. There are a ton of lodging options most are pretty close to shopping, dining, and onsens. I can personally recommend New Hoshiba, Seisenso, Shirakaba and Lodge Nakajima. Noz has a ton of good food to say the least. I give my personal 5 star 3 Diamond endorsement to Daimon Soba, Mom's Cafe, Juntos, Yoshimi Soba, and especially the Yakitori place on O-yu street in the basement across the street from the St, Anton cafe. Do yourself a favor and get a banana roll from the bakery by O-yu Onsen, A steamed bun or 5, and the takoyaki place is a must hit as well. There are a number of watering holes as well with affordable drinks.

Pros: Coolest village in Japan, easy access, some steeper terrain ( for Japan), large mountain, good snow quality/quantity, good for families and non skiers.

Cons: Can be busy, A lot of walking the village can be spread out and hilly.
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First time skiing in Honshu and what a vast difference compared to Hokkaido.  Getting to nozawa requires a bullet train ride and a bus, not the most convenient but it’s quite easy. There’s plenty of accommodations to choose from. The town is absolutely gorgeous littered with small eateries, bars and onsens everywhere. Friendly locals and had a blast with some of them on a night out. Lovely resort with lots of empty trails in March. Great food in a traditional authentic setting, totally different from Niseko. The snow may not be as good as Hokkaido but the snow pack and coverage was good enough even in March. Definitely will return with the kids in the future for the old Japan experience. 
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Go to Nozawa Knsen on January 15th and enjoy the Fire Festival. Also great snow and not bad lift lines.
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Probably the only top ski resort in Japan where the village is as much of a draw as the skiing. Nozawa Onsen’s village is a real place, not a fake, plastic Disneyland. Charming, stroll-able streets (you don’t need a car or shuttle bus to get around to the restaurants or to the lifts), picturesque onsens, elegant ryokans and beautiful shrines. You can tell that you are in Japan. And then right above the village, one of the largest ski resorts in Japan (it’s not a bunch of smaller resorts co-branded together). The lift system is modern, expansive, and top-notch. The mountains in the Nagano region is the “Goldilocks” spot for snow—not too little, not too much, but just right… At village level, Nozawa Onsen gets 8 meters of natural fluffy powder each year.

Easy access from Tokyo – about 2 hours to get to the village. Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Iiyama (1hr 45 min), then the Onsen Liner Bus (20 min) to Nozawa Onsen.
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I loved everything about this place. The people are friendly, the town is cute, the snow is spectacular, free Onsen, great food. It doesn’t get much better! I’ll be back!
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Fantastic venue. Great quality snow. High quality in bound off piste action. Awesome cultural experience. Can’t get a bad meal on or off slopes. Fire Festival crazy. As long as you don’t need all night bars and clubs and don’t need streets full of Western retail experiences then you will love it. Also, the local people should take a bow. So accommodating , polite and helpful !
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3/5 of my best ski days have been in Nozawa, but skiing is only half of the fun. Nozawa has a great small town vibe that makes any trip there memorable. I've been there 5 times now and will be going back as soon as I can! That being said it is becoming more and more recognised internationally, and every year there is a clear increase in traffic, but you'll find most people hang around the top runs, and lower runs are pretty quiet. This is my personal fav resort, 10/10 would recommend.

@lucas_s_p_
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