Central Village Accommodation
The central village has the most sought after Nozawa Onsen accommodation due to the proximity to restaurants, bars and the vibrant little village atmosphere. Most Nozawa Onsen hotels in this area are within 5 minutes walk to the Yu Road travelling walkway which runs up to the Hikage Gondola (the primary resort base area).
Hikage Gondola Accommodation
If you are looking for ski-in ski-out Nozawa Onsen accommodation, you will find a few lodge-style hotels near the Hikage Gondola. These are particularly popular with families due to their close proximity to the kids' park and ski school. The only disadvantage of staying in this location is that during the evenings, the Yu Road walkway is closed so accessing the village can be difficult. Most of the hotels have their own restaurant and bar and a couple of them have over-snow transport options to shuttle people to/from the village (but restrictive hours if you want to party into the night).
Nagasaka Gondola Accommodation
There is a limited amount of Nozawa accommodation in the Nagasaka area. Much of it is ski-to-door and a short 1 - 2 minute walk to the Nagasaka gondola station. There are a couple of restaurants in the area and a funky cafe / apres bar near the base of the gondola. The central village is about a 5 minute downhill walk (and about 10 minutes back up the hill!) so evening access to the action in town is pretty easy.
There is special over-snow transport available from this area for kids (and parents) going to ski school or child care at the Hikage gondola zone.
Nozawa Onsen Accommodation
The Nozawa Onsen accommodation is different to many other Japanese ski resorts. Rather than being a purpose built bubble era ski resort with towering resort hotels,
Nozawa Onsen is a historic town that happens to have a ski resort sitting above it. There are lots of Nozawa Onsen ryokans and inns with traditional Japanese architecture, and many buildings are closely tucked into the quaint narrow cobblestone streets. There are accommodation options to suit those on a shoestring budget up to a handful of first class Nozawa Onsen hotels and ryokans that provide exquisite meals & the opportunity to immerse yourself in the Japanese culture. Nozawa Onsen has an abundance of pensions and inns with inexpensive Japanese style accommodation (futons on the tatami flooring) with shared bathrooms. This type of lodging can work well considering that you’ll probably head to one of the many onsen around town to bathe instead.
For an overview of the types of lodging typically found at Japanese ski resorts see the Japan ski resort accommodation page.
There is a very small selection of self-contained accommodation in Nozawa Onsen (put in your dates then use filters of “house/chalet” and/or “apartment/condo”) that is highly sought after.
South Village Accommodation
The South Village tends to have some of the most economical Nozawa accommodation options. The properties in this area are a 10-15 minute walk to the majority of restaurants and bars in the central village, and there are also some local eateries. Many lodges and pensions have reasonably easy access to the Nagasaka Gondola via the Karasawa slope and Nagasaka connection lift, or there are shuttle buses. The south village has quite a few public onsens dotted throughout the area.
West Village Accommodation
There is a good variety of Nozawa Onsen accommodation in this area, and there are various streets that are aesthetically appealing, with traditional Japanese architecture and some of the best onsen in Nozawa. This zone is located about 5-10 minutes walk to/from the main village up/down a moderately steep incline. There are some nice restaurants and bars in the west village, so heading into the central village each evening isn't essential. To access the slopes you can head up to the Hikage Gondola via the Yu road walkway which is a 10 - 15 minute walk. There is an option to leave skis overnight at the Hikage base area so this can make the walk a little easier.