Japan Snow Trip

Goldie’s in the snow!!! So many nice people let B take snow dog photos to send me up on the mountain lol.

Day 15 food: B had a delicious Sunday roast up on the mountain and I ate snacks for lunch today. We then had a mid afternoon snack after our onsen with a fabulous view – icecream!!!

Day 15 dinner, we lined up at Toyo ramen (a basement restaurant near the Oyu Onsen on the Main Street) when they opened. We were 2nd on the wait list (they were fully booked out) and got in within half an hour. The food was really good and really well priced – i wish i spoke japanese So i could book here! You can book but need someone who can speak Japanese to help you out with calling.

The food and blueberry Sochu highball was fantastic here and really well priced.

day 16 food – we booked at Juntus Mexican for dinner which was recommended by a regular Nozawa visitor. It wasn’t really Mexican (more Mexican inspired) but made a nice change from ramen. It was insanely loud and cramped and most people in there were really hammering booze. I struggled to be in there for more than 30 mins to be honest so we were in and out fast. Also….not cheap by any account! This is one of the few places you can book online though and that does make life a lot easier. I would not return to this one.

Day 17 food – had to book 6 days ahead but managed to get into Suminoya BBQ. Not the cheapest option but super tasty Japanese bbq at your own table! We did the platter for two which was 700Y each (about $70 AUD). We also had to take a 7:30pm booking (second seating) as that was all we could get. The bbq meat platter with veg and 3 sauces was good but the dessert was absolutely next level. I would go back just for that DIY ice cream sandwich again. Note; this one wasn’t a cheap option and is one of the pricier places in the town, you also need to book ahead as they were totally full for both sittings.

Day 18 food: I booked 5 days ahead for hot pot here by showing up one evening and asking. It was a bit of stuffing about but it meant we managed to get into Sumonabe hotpot at a good time of 6pm. Long waits and booking times here! So definitely one to plan ahead for.

Food was really good but crazy amounts of it for my poor stomach lol. B had to do some really heavy lifting here. We had heard the hot pot at Sooyu is better but couldn’t get in there with a booking for just 2 of us so can’t comment on that.

Day 19 food: The engage lunch at Toyo Ramen again which was a lot less busy at lunch time

Our last dinner was booking at Winterland taproom so we could eat a whooooole lot of dumplings lol. While the vibe is super American here (no Japanese staff in sight) the gyoza are made by a local and are made from local ingredients. I also really wanted to try their banana gyoza with icecream which was only available at dinner time. We felt the vibe was good, enjoyed the music and the snowboarding on TV (and the drinks!) but wouldn’t want to attend on a 7am ski morning.

Note to self: book ahead for SOOYU hotpot and Tanuki Teppanyaki next time. Both book out 2/3 weeks ahead which I didn’t know until we arrived. Also add POTS to my list as a few people mentioned that when I was at an onsen. Also book again for the bbq.place and leave space for 4 x icecream sandwiches lol.

I’ve had a few messages about how I’ve managed walking around the village at Nozawa Onsen in the snow and ice. It is a very high risk activity for me – when we came here in 2020 I took a really bad, icey tumble in Otaru and that likely contributed to my spinal discs getting more squished than they already were. Both my feet went out from under me with no warning and it was bad enough to stop traffic.

So this time, I made sure I used the “flip grip” spikes on my very-bloody-expensive boots from Canada and it’s made a huge difference. I believe it Is the “OC System” found on Olang brand boots. I’ve mostly used the back grip to anchor myself as I’ve walked around, but when we visited the snow monkeys I had both grips in use. The boots do come with a tool to flip them (which I lost within about a week) but B 3D printed me a bunch of mini tools and we have been carrying them in wallets, handbags and pockets for when I need them.

Excellent investment, highly recommend.

P.S. B used the crampons that you can just loop on over your shoes for the snow monkeys which are also pretty good. They are way cheaper as well…but if you have large feet (like we both do) the Asian sizing can be problematic.

P.P.S. my boots also zip up and down on each side completely which is fantastic when you have to take them off to enter so many places here.

The Nozawa Onsen Stamp Trail is a simple but really lovely way to explore the town and learn some local history. There are 27 stamp locations and plaques spread across bathhouses (onsen), temples, shrines and landmarks, and finding them gives you a genuine feel for the place. It’s important to note if you’re doing it in snow season some places are not safe to get to…and you shouldn’t try. This was the nozawa song memorial and to get to it I would have had to wade through waist deep snow on a little walkway over a 90C hot spring. That’s a nope.

I picked up a stamp book from the tourist information centre on day 1 for about 500Y ($5 AUD) and spent a few days meandering through the village, stopping to take rubbings using the little wooden pestles at each site.

The rubbing process is simple and oddly satisfying. At each stamp point, I matched the page number in my book to the plaque, laid the two sheets provided (one green, one white) directly over the surface, and used the small wooden pestle attached to the stand to gently rub over the paper. Slowly, the design appeared through the paper, creating a clear impression of each site. It’s usually easy to do and doesn’t take long although can be a pain if it’s actively snowing.

If you collect more than 10 stamps, you’re rewarded with a Nozawa Onsen “yu” towel (which I believe is hot water), designed by artist Taro Okamoto, which makes a great keepsake. If you get to 20 you can choose from the towel and another prize (tea towel with all 13 public Onsen stamp images) pictured below:

**and as an extra bonus if you get to 14 and then go find the hidden, secret corona one at the Hikage Gondala you get bonus corona sponsored prizes in 2026! High 5 to B who took my booklet up the mountain and got me these lol.

The booklet is also a perfect excuse to duck into small cafés, street food, onsens, souvenir shopsand craft stores along the way. It was how I managed to find the local super market and delicious steamed buns while stamp hunting.

With an easily walkable town like Nozawa Onsen, it’s definitely been one of my favourite ways to get to know this place as a non skier, It helped that B made me a Google map layer which had about 20 of them on it – easier to navigate than the town map for sure. If only less of them had been buried under the snow!

P.S. Here’s my list of the different stamp locations I found in Nozawa Onsen in Jan 2026….and the ones I absolutely had no hope getting to as they were buried in metres of snow and it was unsafe.

1. Oyu  onsen ✅
2. Takinoyu onsen g2 up behind the springs ✅
3. Asagama no Yu onsen✅
4. Shinyu onsen d2 ✅
5. Kamiterayu onsen c3 ✅
6. Kuma no Teraiyu onsen (mildest public bath temp apparently) c3 ✅
7. Yokochi no Yu onsen ✅
8. Kawaharayu ✅
9. Shinden no Yu onsen ✅
10. Nakao no Yu onsen c9 ✅
11. Akiha no Yu onsen  ✅
12. Matsuba no Yu onsen✅
13. Juodou no Yu onsen✅
14. Onsen Yakushido nyorai hall F3 ✅
15. Yakuzan Kenmei-ji Temple G4 – off limits in winter 🚩
16.  Yuzawa Jinja Shrine G4 – off limits in winter 🚩
17.  Ogama cooking spring. F2 – can’t find, may be off limits in winter under roadside snow? 🚩
18. “Oborotsukiya” monument at the Furusato-no-Yu entrance. F2 ✅
19.  Monument of the origin of Nozawa-na at Kenmei-ji Temple (birthplace stele) G4 – also likely to be under the snow 🚩
20. Akebi Tsuru Zaiku and hatiguruma stele g4 ?? Different naming online vs on here but also in the snow area 🚩
21. Dosojin Festival monument in front of Minshuku Yuzawa C4 – snow may limit access?? Worth checking 🚩
22. Dosojin in front of Sakakiya Ryokan d5 – was hard to find due to snow build up and had to visit a few times until they cleared the snow on corner of road ✅ 
23. Oboro Tsukiyo no Yakata E7 ✅
24. Nozawa Onsen Kouta Memorial at Ogama (song monument) F2 – could see it but couldn’t safely get across the foot bridge in deep snow 🚩
25. Furusato no Yu ✅
26. Nozawa Onsen Sparena ✅
27. Schneider Square✅

BONUS HIDDEN STAMPS 

Plus one at tourist office ✅

Plus Corona one at hikage base ✅ (B got it on skis) 

Plus Ski museum (B could not locate, this one was suggested by a random so unconfirmed if it exists) 🚩

Plus Nagasaki gondola ✅ (B got it on skis) 

Plus Nozawa grand hotel ✅

I am a phonics person, I need the sounding out patterns written to help prompt me and not just a basic English translation. So here’s some phonetically helpful tourist phrases!

Greetings & Politeness

• Ohayou gozaimasu /oh-ha-yoh goh-zai-mass/ – Good morning
• Konbanwa /kon-bahn-wah/ – Good evening
• Gomen nasai  /goh-mehn nah-sai/ – Sorry (casual)

Useful words for basic Travel & Directions

• Eki wa doko desu ka?  /eh-kee wah doh-koh dess kah?/ – Where is the station?
• Toire wa doko desu ka? /toy-reh wah doh-koh dess kah?/ – Where is the toilet?
• 〜ni ikitai desu /nee ee-kee-tai dess/ – I want to go to ~
• Migi  /mee-gee/ – Right
• Hidari /hee-dah-ree/ – Left  
• Massugu /mass-soo-goo/ – Straight
• Ikura desu ka? /ee-koo-rah dess kah?/ – How much is it?
• Kore wa nan desu ka? /koh-reh wah nahn dess kah?/ – What is this?

Eating Out & Ordering Food

• Menyuu o kudasai /meh-nyoo oh koo-dah-sai/ – Can I have the menu, please?
• Osusume wa nan desu ka? /oh-soo-soo-meh wah nahn dess kah?/ – What do you recommend?
• 〜o onegai shimasu /oh neh-gai shee-mass/ – I’d like to order ~
• Bejitarian desu /beh-jee-tah-ree-ahn dess/ – I’m vegetarian
• Okaikei o onegai shimasu /oh-kai-kei oh oh-neh-gai shee-mass/ – The bill, please

Shopping & Money

• Kore o kudasai /koh-reh oh koo-dah-sai/ – I’ll take this
• Kurejitto kaado wa tsukaemasu ka? /koo-reh-jit-toh kah-doh wah tsoo-kah-eh-mass kah?/ – Can I use a credit card?
• Mou sukoshi yasuku narimasu ka? /moh-oh soo-koh-shee yah-soo-koo nah-ree-mass kah?/ – Can you lower the price a little?
• Reshiito o kudasai /reh-shee-toh oh koo-dah-sai/ – Can I have a receipt?

Emergency & Health

• Tasukete! /tah-soo-keh-teh/ – Help!
• Byouin wa doko desu ka? /byo-in wah doh-koh dess kah?/ – Where is the hospital?
• Kibun ga warui desu /kee-boon gah wah-roo-ee dess/ – I feel sick
• Keisatsu o yonde kudasai /kei-saht-soo oh yohn-deh koo-dah-sai/ – – Call the police, please
• Kore wa nan no arerugii ga arimasu ka? /koh-reh wah nahn noh ah-reh-roo-gee gah ah-ree-mass kah?/ – What allergens are in this?

Casual Conversation & Slang

• Sugoi!  /soo-goy/ – Amazing!
• Kawaii! /kah-wah-ee-ee/ – Cute!
• Kakkoii! /kahk-koh-ee-ee/ – Cool!
• Hontou ni? /hohn-toh-nee/ – Really?
• Naruhodo /nah-roo-hoh-doh/ – I see / I understand
• Wakarimashita /wah-kah-ree-mah-shee-tah/ – Got it
• Daijoubu desu  /dai-joh-boo dess/ – I’m fine / No problem

And finally for anyone with tattoos who wants to use an onsen or sento:

Are tattoos okay? 

tato~ü wa daijöbu desu ka .

Tattoo wa dai jo boo des ka? 

I’d heard about Japan’s “snow monkeys” for years. The snow monkey, also known as the Japanese macaque, is a primate native to Japan and famous for coping with winters that are properly brutal, snow, ice, and temperatures that can drop below -20°C. They’re easy to spot once you know what you’re looking for: thick brown-grey fur that looks like it was made for blizzards, bright red faces, and those short little tails. But the thing they’re most well-known for (and honestly, the reason I was excited to meet them) is their habit of soaking in natural hot springs, or onsen, to keep warm. Literally my spirit animal as I ALSO love to onsen!

I pre booked our snow monkeys tour for smack in the middle of our skiing time as B usually needs a break by that day. I booked online with the local Nozawa company who host the tours although apparently there are a few new groups offering full day options. Looking at the schedule below I was a bit sad I only get an hour with them…but apparently that’s actually too much time and I was likely to be easily done by then. This was absolutely correct by the way. Also be aware they place a hold on your credit card when you book then keep renewing it….i didn’t recognise the charge when it was renewed and it caused some chaos.

Cost was 8000 yen ($80 AUD) each and I also got a 10% discount as we are staying in nozawa accomodation,

The monkeys were adorable and I officially want to steal one. The babies were catapulting each other off trees while the parents sunbathed.

Our food today included:

• Bus snacks (pocky, everyone loves pocky. And hi-chews)
• Breakfast was a steamed bun from the roadside again
• Dinner was at Tanuki cafe and while it was pricey it was very, very tasty.. the miso chicken was particularly good but so were the desserts….and the scallops….all of it really!

I have held firm to my “I’m not getting out of bed when you do because I don’t need to be on the first gondala” determination the past few days haha. So B gets up for brekkie and I stay snuggled in my bed (we have a twin share room so it really is my bed lol). B has gotten up a bit later the last few days anyway which makes things easier.

The stamp book is a cool touristy thing to keep people like me (non skiers) occupied! There are 27 stamps and commemorative plaques scattered around town. I picked up a stamp book from the Tourist Information Centre at each stop I could find, I took a rubbing using the small wooden pestle attached to the stand. I laid the green and white sheets over the matching plaque number, then rubbed until the impression came through. It took a bit of effort!

This link has more the info about the stamp trail booklet https://en.nozawaski.com/the-village/activities/stamp-trail/ . I definitely want at least 10 stamps so I can get my free towel! As of today (Day 3 in Nozawa) I have 14 stamps! My goal is to get to 20 but I’m finding it trickier now I’ve got the easy ones. Some are also obstructed by snow!

My routine the last few days was much of a muchness. Onsen in the morning, different Gyoza for lunch, afternoon reading in front of the fire. Anywhere between 3-4:30pm B comes back from the snow and we do a variation of onsen / eat / have a drink based on how busy it is, reservation time etc. I’ve been enjoying mt village wandering.

B has been loving the snow and sends me awesome snow view pics from the mountain where he skis anywhere from 20-40kms a day. Madness. .

Food eaten over the last few days includes:

• winterland bar for the gyoza at lunch time. Very few lunchtime places open in the village and these are pretty tasty even though it’s a western run joint

• Dinner at Nama Bar (reservation needed) for kashiage which is baked sticks of things lol. The food and drinks were great but the service was some of the worst I’ve ever had

• Aunt Mary’s crepes on the way home after a few drinks….i had banana chocolate and custard and yes it was delicious

• another lot of gyoza for lunch, same place lol Omnomnom titan gyoza
• Dinner at a local ramen bar nearby tonight for B I just had snacks as my ear infection is back with a vengeance. The place is called something Japanese….ao here’s the link. It is a bit out of town but only a 2 min walk for us https://maps.app.goo.gl/e2fZ9i1J9ptgoDVh6?g_st=ic

B organised the transit for this part as I really struggled with Japanese websites and the language barriers for this. He managed to work it all out and book us 2 x reserved Shinkansen seats for the 2hr bullet train out to Iiyama. These were e tickets booked online then digitally linked to our suica cards. It meant we had no paper tickets and just “scanned” our way through all the gates with the suica cards on our phones.

We then also used our suica cards to get on the “Nozawa liner” bus that drove us 40 mins from Iiyama to the little snow town of Nozawa Onsen. The shuttle process worked well but (and it’s a big but) we just made it on to the bus and there was still a huge load of people left at the freezing cold train station…with buses that only come every 2 hrs! I have to assume they have a plan for that? We are going to try and find out wha happens to those people and if they end up stuck for 2hrs. Surely not?

The Shinkansen 90 min trip was a very pretty one as we got closer and closer to snow.

We are staying in Nozawa Onsen for 12 days (apparently that’s a very long time lol) so B can ski and I can attempt to boil myself in every onsen that will let me in with my copious tattoos. And eat a lot of ramen. So much ramen. 

After we arrived at 4pm, we stopped at the visitor centre so I could collect my stamp book (more on that in the next post) and they gave us some great tips on restaurants, onsens etc. Then we checked in at Mitsubachi Maya pension. It’s very basic but also well priced and we managed to get a private ensuite room (lots of shared bathrooms in this town as it is all small accomodation) which is a must have for me when I travel.

Our first evening we visited Sparena. This is the only onsen here with a bathers only section so you can onsen with your partner if they are a different gender to you. We thought the downstairs “kid friendly” chlorination pool was a bit cool (35C) and just kinda like a warm bath….but see the value for people with littlies. Then we found there was an upstairs, open air natural spring fed one at 42 – 44C.  Much happier there! Here’s a photo of the upstairs pool from the Nozawa Onsen website.

While it cost to get in (900 yen) it also meant we could attend together which I really liked. And we also got the Sulfur springs directly fed through in the the upstairs hot spring. So not a fully authentic onsen experience but still has points of value. And a pretty view as we walked out as well.

I wasn’t feeling 100% by the time we got out (travel day, painkillers, sore throat) so we ate dinner at Sparena which was convenient….but basically fast food ramen lol. Then it was off to bed for B to get up early for day 1 of skiing.

Day 9 started with complimentary breakfast at Mitsubachi Maya and was a very basic mix of Western and some Japanese food. They had toast so I was happy. Given I don’t ski/board I don’t think I’ll be getting up for the breakfast after today 🤣 then B headed off.

I did a little bit of writing and some lazing, then wandered into town. It was eerily silent walking around the ski town when everyone is out on the slopes!

I attempted to visit a local onsen where a kindly local lady told me “it’s only 48C so a good beginner one”. No. No no no. Haha even in the 15 mins I was in there on my own I couldn’t acclimatise enough to stick my foot in. Please enjoy this photo of what would have been my local onsen if I wasn’t convinced I would become a Mel hot pot.

Instead, I walked over to Furusato-no-Yu which charges a nominal fee (700Y) and enjoyed their outdoor 42C traditional onsen in the snow. Beautiful. I’m so over the awkwardness of being naked these days so made friends with a very nice Japanese grandma.

My lunch options were pretty limited within the town as a lot of places are closed, I ended up at Winterland Lodge which is staffed entirely by 20yo Americans however they sell some fantastic local gyoza and I plan to work my way through that menu over the next week. Today was pork and the local green veg here (Nozawana) which is like a mustard green,

After lunch I just had chill time until B came off the mountain, then we did another visit to Sparena (to catch up) and then headed to the main road who was crazy busy. So many tourists! I had an apple and cinnamon bun and a baileys hot chocolate (yum).

dinner at a recommended soba noodle place “Daimon Soba House”. We lined up 15 mins before they opened and just got into the first service. B had soba noodles with pork (a lot of pork) and I had a rice ball with an Onsen egg which was delicious.

So tattoos in Japan are still a bit of a cultural no-no. It’s definitely changing from when we came here in 2013/14…then 2020….and now 2026. I don’t have big gaps around me on the train any more! And we have seen a few younger Japanese people with small tattoos.

However, onsens are a whole other thing.

An onsen is a hot spring, although the term is often extended to also describe the bathing facilities, outdoor baths, spas and inns around the hot springs. In towns with hot baths not from local springs (like Tokyo) they are called sentos. It’s communal bathing and you are gender segregated and only wearing your birthday suit. Yep. You’re nakey. No covering up

Which means tattoos are a real issue for my love of onsens. And covering up 9ish tattoos including 4 large ones isn’t viable anymore.

The first time I went into an onsen in Niseko in Jan 2014 the lady at the front desk told me “tattoo okay”. I took my top off and a Japanese grandma smacked me with her towel and yelled at me…back out I went lol. No relaxing Onsen for me that day!

We have found in snow regions most places tend to be more flexible. They have adapted to Aussies, Kiwis and even Americans who tend to have quite large and visible tattoo work. Tomorrow we are off to a snow town called Nozawa Onsen which has 13 small, locally run onsens. They are very, very small. I’m so excited! I’ll be using them during the day though….on my own….and with just the locals in the bath, no front desk staff. So I’m practicing my phrasing tonight to try and win them over in the hope I can boil myself alongside them.