This is what a 4 meter base looks like in Nozawa Onsen. The Otagiris from Bun Bun standing tall!

Base up top: 400 cm                  Temperature; -5 Degrees

Base at bottom; 290 cm

New Snow: 0 cm

Experiencing a bit of a spike on the thermometer in Nozawa this morning. Currently 5 degrees at the front door and expected to stay warmish throughout today.

The weather is coming in from the south and bringing a warm current from Okinawa with it. The weatherman is telling us to expect a bit of rain at the Village level later today but should be snow up higher with the freezing level well above sea level where it has been sitting for the past few weeks.

It is set to drop again from tomorrow night though with low temps and snow on the forecast. Yesterday was a nice day on the slopes with clear skies and fun conditions. Should be similar today. This change in temps will most likely heighten avalanche danger so take care if venturing away from the groomed runs.

Next weekend we have the Snowsplash on Saturday night with limited tickets available and a cool line up it should be a good night. On Friday night will be running a soba making and eating night at one of our neighbours places for anyone keen to see this well kept art and taste the delights!

The Art of Soba Making alive and well in Nozawa Onsen. Matusmura san rolling out some goodness!

As if everyone was not having a good enough time on the slopes. We put on drinks at the Villa Nozawa Ice Bar for the happy sliders!

Base up top: 410 cm                  Temperature; -5 Degrees

Base at bottom; 310 cm

New Snow: 15cm

Snow at night and sun during the day that’s what we like to see! Has been a while since we had that pattern in Nozawa. Most of the time has been just snowing, which is not a bad thing at all.

Snowed overnight heavy at times but only averaged out to about 15cm of fresh. Should be a nice top up though and make for an awesome day on the slopes. No one has been back down yet to give me an update, which is always a good sign.

The weekenders from Tokyo should begin to roll out of tow n in the next few hours and will leave us with a quiet resort for the weekdays. Tomorrow should be sunny then have consistent falls forecast for the rest of the week. Where else would you want to be!

Good day today to clear the roof off the house, which has almost 2 meters of snow on it. Normally I clear it twice in a season on average. This will be the second time in just over a week!

Nozawa Cottage time to clear the roof but hard to throw the snow up over the road!

All smiles up on the mountain yesterday. The Holt Family enjoying some sun. Photo by Mark Jobson

Base up top: 420 cm                  Temperature; -7 Degrees

Base at bottom; 315 cm

New Snow: 2cm

Yesterday was the goods as far as ski days go with all the elements coming together there were lots of very happy people rolling down the slopes.

Did not get any snow overnight for a change, which was kind of nice and after a bit of light snow this morning the sun is out again. Not sure how long it will last though. Forecast is for the next big system to hit on Monday night.

The sun yesterday was a blessing and helped a lot with the snow clearing efforts. Everyone that was not up the mountain was in to it and it is amazing what can be achieved in a day. A big thank you to all the resort staff, lodge staff and the community as a whole for your efforts. Has been a big extra workload clearing all the snow this season but everyone worked together and greeted the guests with a smile as always.

Should be another great day up the slopes today but a bit busy with the weekend crowd. Quite a lot of fun events ahead in Nozawa during February and March including the Jazz Festival on February 18^th and then various festivals thru March, with all this snow it is going to be a great time to be in the mountains.

The young, short, tall and elderly all get involed in the snow clear up. Nice pillow!

Hard to improve on a day like this one. Heading up at Karasawa to a perfect day

Base up top: 460 cm                  Temperature; -12 Degrees

Base at bottom; 315 cm

New Snow: 75cm

The snow started dumping around sunset last night and within about 3 hours we had accumulated over 30cm. It was heavy and beautiful to watch as everything just got completely covered in the white powder.

It kept going throughout the night and up top we had a huge 75cm fall at Uenotaira. We had only been expecting 20cm max!

This morning the sun has come out and it is a perfect blue bird day in Nozawa. The sun is most welcome and will hopefully help with the huge recovery effort in clearing the snow from the Village today.

On the slopes this is a day most people wait their whole lives for! A massive 460cm record level base, over 60cm of fresh powder, the sun is shining and the slopes are empty. If you are here enjoy it, if not get on a plane, train or bicycle and get up here!

Everyone is running up for first tracks this morning and Hachiman did not dissapoint

Just keeping our heads above the snow in Nozawa at the moment

Base up top: 415 cm                  Temperature; -12 Degrees

Base at bottom; 315 cm

New Snow: 38cm

30 plus centimeters of snow again overnight in Nozawa. It is just part of the routine now to wake up and clear a foot of snow off everything before the day begins!

Imagine waking up and the grass had grown a foot overnight can be hard work but snow is a lot more fun than grass.

Yesterday was pretty harsh conditions up on the mountain. Getting off the gondola at Uenotaira felt a bit like we had arrived at the base camp for a North Pole expedition. If you could get into the valleys and out of the wind and driving snow though it was pretty nice and some fresh tracks to be had on most of the less frequented runs.

The constant snow is also playing havoc with the local train to and from Nagano to Togari Nozawa Onsen station. It is stopped to clean snow off the lines now but should be back running this afternoon.

The forecast believe it or not is for a bit of sunshine amongst the snow showers over the next few days then further ahead the snowatahon should continue…

A different sort of neck deep in Nozawa. One false turn and you are in for a good dig out. Gab gets covered.

Walking back from the Onsen. Snow walls are getting so high in Nozawa they are almost touching and creating a tunnel!

Base up top: 380 cm                  Temperature; -8 Degrees

Base at bottom; 290 cm

New Snow: 23cm

Hard to believe January is over and it was one of the snowiest we have had for a while. There were not many days that it did not snow in January! Looks like February has taken over where January left off with snow cascading pretty heavily from the sky today too.

The last two years in February we have had a warm spell shoot thru, kind of hoping we get it this year too. Time will tell but at this stage it is looking like life in snow motion will continue in Nozawa

It is cold today too, when I woke up my hot water bottle was frozen and I got an ice cream headache from just drinking the tap water! Pretty windy up high, they had to close the Nagasaka Gondola today for a few hours but it is up running again now.

On the mountain the powder party continues and guys were getting some amazing runs yesterday that will continue today as well with 20cm of fresh being recorded. The base figure is down however but may be just that the powder was blown around overnight.

Outllook is for moderate falls all day then heavy tomorrow afteroon. We may get a bit of sun Friday and Sunday but otherwise it is all snow marks on the forecast. Walk tall and carry a big shovel!

Nozawa Onsen doing its best impression of Tateyama teh famous snow wall region. Gettng higher by the hour!

Think you have a hard job? Spare a thought for the postie in Nozawa Onsen. Rain, hale or 4 meters of snow will not stop him

Base up top: 410 cm                  Temperature; -7 Degrees

Base at bottom; 305 cm

New Snow: 20cm                             Here comes the sun…

Has been a while but yesterday afternoon the sun burst on to the stage to create a magic day on the slopes.

With a 420cm base, a good overnight dump and very few crowds the stage was set for perfection. Snow conditions were excellent under foot on the groomers and up on the slopes of Yamabiko there was even a good coverage of powder that remained untouched for most of the morning.

Had some snow last night but the sun is out again this morning so should be another amazing day. Visibility is looking pretty good up top too so a chance to take a good look around.

The clearing of snow continues in the Village, the roofs are lined with people doing their best to take some of the weight off. Trucks and shovels are going hard below to take it away. A big ‘otsukaresama’ and well done to everyone in town for their efforts in the extreme conditions we have experienced.

The outlook is for more snowy days ahead. Not as heavy as was previously expected but still consistent good moderate falls for a while to come will keep you posted.

All this snow and then the sun hit to create the perfect day in Nozawa Onsen. Sliding home content...

Lubo the Snowman lapping up the amazing powder conditions in Nozawa at the moment

Base up top: 420 cm                  Temperature; -11 Degrees

Base at bottom; 300 cm

New Snow: 45 cm since close of lifts last night

Hard to believe but still snowing in Nozawa and has not stopped. This is one of the most consistent runs of heavy snowfall I can remember. Who knows if it keeps up we may challenge the next record of 530cm base set on February 5^th 2006. The forecast is showing more moderate to heavy falls on the way so it may be a reality.

They have already started to dig out some of the snow below the lifts as they are becoming dangerously close to the runs below in places.

Yesterday on the mountain was another ridiculous day with more powder than a Johnson and Johnson factory! The sides of Skyline were like a natural half pipe with snow from the middle being pushed high up on the sides.

Today is even better with a lot less people to compete with for fresh tracks now the weekend crowd has gone. The official reports are showing a massive 45cm up top but less down low may have had something to do with the gusty Antarctic type conditions last night. There are fresh lines on offer everywhere, it is deep and mind blowing powder!

In the village now we are really praying for a break in the downpour so we can clear some of the snow before it gets dangerous. At this stage no sun on the horizon just more snow so for the lucky ones on the mountain strap on the powder boards and enjoy!

Checl out a day in the life from the door step of Villa Nozawa in this cool time lapse movie put together by Mark Jobson. Check out when the groomers roll in on the cat track above the lodge and the lights pretty awesome. Thanks Mark

Kanai san the local Suzuki Dealer in Nozawa Onsen has not been able to move a car for weeks now!

Base up top: 420 cm                  Temperature; -11 Degrees

Base at bottom; 310 cm

New Snow: 37 cm since close of lifts last night

Another 30cm of snow overnight has fallen and we now have a 420cm base in place with no end in sight. It is still snowing heavily this morning. Believe that gives us one of the biggest bases in Japan at the moment.

We had a few pauses in the snow last night but they were very short lived. The battle between man and snow continues and unfortunately it is a losing one. Even if we clear the snow there is limited space to put it so most have resorted to putting it in dump trucks and dumping it down in the river!

Yesterday on the mountain there was plenty of snow and also plenty of people. Meant that some areas were getting tracked out and moguls at a fairly quick rate. Still some amazing powder around and the sides of the runs was the safest place to explore.

Yuta and the team at Compass house are holding a demo day for Armada Skis up the top at Yamabiko today. Perfect timing and can guarantee the Fat Powder skis will be popular. It is free to demo so drop in and have a try.

With all this snow the risk of avalanches is prevalent so please observe the signs and warnings from the ski resort. It is pretty chilly up there too so stay safe and rug up.

Outlook is for light snow over the next two days apparently then a big dump on Tuesday night! Think it has already started…

Great Walls of snow behind Villa Nozawa. In summer on that plot they grow tomatoes! Irrigation should be good this year.

Walls of snow in Nozawa Onsen. With a 200cm falling in 2 days it is challenging times for the locals

Base up top: 405 cm                  Temperature; -7 Degrees

Base at bottom; 310 cm

New Snow: 50 cm since close of lifts last night

Think it is time for the snow dance to take a break or the unbelievable will soon become the unlivable!

Has been snowing heavily again overnight in Nozawa Onsen and since the lifts closed yesterday we have had another 50cm. That makes it about 200cm in just 2 days I think, but starting to lose count! Hard to believe and even harder to shovel!

The base up top is now over 4 meters so we are in record territory. I am still not sure it is a great thing for skiers and boarders or not but for us that own houses here it is a big challenge to clear the roads and prevent windows and roofs from getting snowed under.

On the slopes there are still a few big grins coming down for those in the know on where to go to handle all this snow. A few of the guys were looping 39 degrees yesterday and had some stories and footage of neck deep powder runs. But be careful as if get stuck in the deep stuff it is a lot of hard work to dig yourself out so best to stay on piste for now.

The groomers also are flowing better today with the team from the resort getting in and doing some serious grooming thru until the early hours of this morning. Lucky too as we have a fairly decent weekend crowd making the adventurous trip into town. More than I had expected, with all the news thought a few may be put off but seems everyone is interested to see how this much snow actually looks!

Anyone coming up please take care on the roads. Have seen a few accidents over the last few days. The trains and buses are running but have been experiencing some delays. Stay safe and feel free to jump on the end of a shovel and lend a hand!

A fish board or really fat skis best option at the moment in Nozawa Onsen. Even on the groomed runs! Skyline straightline!