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Yamabiko B - Open from this morning

New Snow (Resort): 10cm – Yamabiko
New Snow (Village): 0cm
Weather: Fine and warm
Snow Depth: 50cm (Yamabiko)
Outlook: Fine today and tomorrow, rain on Sunday and then hopefully lots of snow.
Open Areas: Yamabiko A,B,C, and D courses, Uenotaira

Last night saw steady rain in the village from around 6 until well after midnight. This fell as snow up top, with around 10 centimetres of fresh on Yamabiko. Unfortunately, the sun is out and snow quality is deteriorating rapidly.

Yamabiko terrain was expanded with the opening of Yamabiko B this morning, fresh turns on the ungroomed top half was the choice of the day for many.

A restless few, frustrated from a few weeks of skiing on stale trail, decided the marginal cover we have was enough to warrant a mission under the top Yamabiko lift. Takashi (pictured above) showed skant regard to the possible damage that bamboo and birch branches had the potential to inflict on his brand new Burton Hero, and ducked in. His general assessment was that we need another metre for it to be reasonable.

Takashi takes it to Yamabiko B

Today the Hikage Gondola lift was being tested, it should be running tomorrow – the official start of the season.

New Snow (Resort): 0cm
New Snow (Village): 0cm
Weather: Cloudy, too warm
Snow Depth: 45cm (Yamabiko)
Outlook: Snow on its way today
Open Areas: Yamabiko A,C, and D courses, Uenotaira

The atmosphere is heavy today, dark clouds have moved in and the odd spot of rain can be felt in the village, with the odd flake falling up top. It is still a little bit too warm at the moment for my liking. There is a reasonable fall of snow forecast overnight, which should freshen the slopes for the weekend. It looks set to kick off on Monday. It will start with some rain, then Nozawa will see heavy snow for the first time this season. The resort must have its fingers crossed that enough falls to open up the whole mountain for the busy New Years period.

Autumn in Japan is two faced. In late September the arrival of autumn is welcomed with open arms. Everyone looks forward to some respite from Japans torturous hot summer, the spectacular change of colours that occurs, and delicious autumn food. Fish caught in autumn is said to taste better and be better for you, the freshly harvested rice has a special sparkle to it, seasonal autumn beers are released, and fresh chestnuts, fruit and vegetables are plentiful. Japanese people have heated discussions about whether they are an autumn book-worm, an autumn gourmet, or an autumn sportsman. Where-ever you go you will never be too far away from a festival. It is safe to say that early autumn’s only rival for Japan’s favourite time of year is the magical week of cherry blossoms in early spring.

Around late November, a few weeks after the jackets come out, everyone realises that the change of seasons isn’t going to be a total picnic. Mornings become chilly, the sky stays grey, and the general atmosphere all over Japan gets a bit glum. What keeps us going at this disparate time of year? The thought of skiing or boarding in knee deep powder snow. There is only one other thing I like about this particularly depressing time of year – Onsens. Onsens have the ability to warm your body and lift your spirit. Due to the lack of snow of late, I have been devoting more time than ever to Nozawa’s Onsens. The hot springs in Nozawa are like the locals personal bathroom. They are very happy to share them with the recent influx of foreigners, but quite anxious that they get used in the correct way. So I thought I would put together a guide on how to take an onsen.

Nagano Go Onsen Guide

1.When you open the door and enter the bath house, remove your shoes straight away. You shouldn’t stand on the wooden change area with your shoes on.
2.Place your shoes on the bottom shelf or shoe rack if there is one.
3.Undress and put your clothes in a cubicle. Lockers are supplied for your valuables.
4.To wash, you first use a wash bowl to splash yourself with water from the onsen, you should do this sitting down on the floor so that you don’t splash anyone. Then soap up and rinse off completely before getting in the bath.
5.Don’t get any soap in the water, this is probably the biggest faux pas.
6.If you have the bath to yourself and the bath is too hot, you can add some cold water. You can then use your wash bowl to mix the water round, it shouldn’t take too much to make a considerable difference.
7.When you get out of the bath, wring out your  wash towel and try to get as dry as possible before stepping up onto the wooden floor of the change area.

Link to photo album of public onsens in Nozawa

New Snow (Resort): 0cm
New Snow (Village): 0cm
Weather: Cloudy
Snow Depth: 45cm (Yamabiko)
Outlook: A little bit of snow expected tomorrow
Open Areas: Yamabiko A,C, and D courses, Uenotaira

Yesterday was by all accounts an enjoyable day up the mountain, with the snow quality holding up well in the cool temperatures, and perfect visibility giving great views of the surrounding mountain ranges and out to the Japan Sea. Today some dark clouds have moved in, hopefully getting ready to snow on us tomorrow.

The snow does not appear to be too far away for Nozawa!!

The resorts of Honshu have been waiting patiently for the last couple of weeks whilst the likes of Niseko up north have been enjoying fresh pow reasonably consistently. The desired weather pattern where a high pressure system sits over northern Mongolia and directs north/northwest winds down to Japan is starting to establish itself over the next few days. 

The forecast calls for the odd flurry on Thursday the 18th but then clearing to sunny skies with light winds. On Monday the 22nd the wind returns from the north and the long range models show that flow sticking around until the new year. Snow should fall on most days with only the 24th, 27th and 29th looking dry.

New Snow (Resort): 0cm
New Snow (Village): 0cm
Weather: Fine
Snow Depth: 45cm (Yamabiko)
Outlook: Fine weather until Thursday
Open Areas: Yamabiko A,C, and D courses, Uenotaira

It is a very crisp morning in Nozawa today, the mist that hung around earlier this morning has cleared, and it is a beautifully fine day. The snow should still be in good condition for most of the day. The forecast has it that we may be in for some more light snow tomorrow and Thursday.

Monday morning corduroy

New Snow (Resort): 5-10cm
New Snow (Village): 1 cm
Weather: Fine
Snow Depth: 45cm (Yamabiko)
Outlook: Fine weather until Thursday
Open Areas: Yamabiko A,C, and D courses, Uenotaira

Last night saw big fat flakes in the village for the first time this season. It stopped snowing late at night, and cleared up nicely, meaning today is a very nice day of fresh groomers in perfect visibility. I have to say I was expecting more than 10 cm of new snow at the top of the mountain today, given the amount it snowed in town. However, as the following photo shows, there wasn’t too much reason to complain:

Butch - not really complaining about the snow today.

It looks like we have a couple of clear days ahead, hopefully more snow is coming on Thursday.

Snow covered trees line Yamabiko C course

Normally 5-10 cm in Nozawa is nothing to write home about. Today, after a week of ice, slush, rain, it brought smiles to many faces.

Ski team training

 Nozawa is rather more crowded on the weekends than it normally would be at this time of year – due to it being the only resort open near by. Madarao, Togari, and Kijima all have barely a dusting of snow.

Short snow - not welcome on Yamabiko E

Unfortunately snow seems to have all but disappeared from the short term forecast. However, the village is feeling a lot more wintery, and temperatures are due to remain cold which means any new snow we get is likely to stick. In terms of opening up more terrain, another 50 cm or so is needed to open up paradise and the runs to the mid station of the Nagasaka Gondola. The Yamabiko trees are showing a lot of bush – probably need another metre at least before anyone can ski under the lifts there. The rest of the mountain is anyones guess, we will have more of an idea after the first decent storm comes through.

New Snow (Resort): 5cm
New Snow (Village): dusting
Weather: Light snow
Snow Depth: 40cm (Yamabiko)
Outlook: More light snow expected today and tomorrow
Open Areas: Yamabiko A,C, and D courses, Uenotaira

Some good news in today’s report – it is snowing (lightly) top to bottom in Nozawa this morning. It is probably going to be only just enough to freshen up the slopes. There is a bit of light snow in the forecast for today and tomorrow, then again on Wednesday.

New Snow (Resort): 0cm
New Snow (Village): 0cm
Weather: Overcast
Snow Depth: 35cm (Yamabiko)
Outlook: Snow expected tonight
Open Areas: Yamabiko A,C, and D courses, Uenotaira

It is considerably cooler in Nozawa Onsen today than it has been, which is a very good sign with some snow expected tonight. It is much needed to freshen up the slopes after a snowless week during which it has rained twice. Compared to last year it has been a poor start to the season, however every local I have talked is adamant that this is nothing out of the ordinary – we just need to be patient. The town is starting to show a few more signs of life, lets hope Matt’s forecast of the East Asian Winter Monsoon getting ready to establish itself is on the mark.