Who is Nozawa Hospitality?

Who is Nozawa Hospitality?

‍

We are a hospitality operations and management company, incorporated in, and operating exclusively in Nozawa Onsen, Japan.

‍

‍

Originally we were established in 2011 to find, buy, and invest in property in the northern Honshu area, but over the years have come to focus exclusively on this amazing village. We currently own and operate 13 properties in the village, from full-service hotels to single-unit apartments, all listed on this website. Our entire staff reside in this area and most live in the village itself.

‍

Why Nozawa Onsen?

It is a unique place. It’s been inhabited since prehistoric times. It’s been a nationally-known tourist destination for over 200 years. It’s been a ski resort for over 100 years. It’s a real place, with 3,500 inhabitants, about 1,000 families, who live and work here all year round; many can trace their roots back many generations in the village.

‍

‍

As a modern tourist destination, it’s two hours by bullet train from Tokyo, and attracts as many guests in the green season as the winter season (and the green season is growing faster). It has attracted a lot of investment over the decades and has exceptionally good tourism infrastructure.  The culture of the village is both highly distinctive and proudly maintained. The mountain, Kenashi, is well managed, accessible, and safe. Apart from tourism, the main industry here is agriculture, and that, of course, means excellent local produce: it’s a gourmet paradise, especially in the green season.

‍

‍

While we were looking to base our business in a winter sports area (and Nozawa Onsen is proud both of its Olympic heritage, and forward-looking in its investment into winter sports infrastructure), we also wanted a destination that mitigated the seasonality of a winter resort. We also wanted a destination that would offer a distinctly Japanese experience to our inbound guests (not just “a resort”), while offering a fresh take on rural accommodation to our Japanese guests.

‍

What do we do?

First and foremost, we want to facilitate guests’ enjoyment of our village, and to help them share in our passion for the place we live. Part of that is the physical infrastructure, making sure that people are comfortable and have the standard and facilities of accommodation they want to meet their needs. A lot of that however is communication, trying to ensure that guests take away from the village as rich an experience as possible. That might be as simple as booking their evening meals for them, or as hands-on as taking them for a snowshoe hike or explaining the meaning behind some of the cultural aspects of the village.

‍

‍

The reason that Nozawa Onsen is different from any other mountain resort in Japan is its unique culture and long history. The village is focused on maintaining that for future generations, but we try to do our part, too. As far as possible we use local suppliers and contractors; we participate fully in community activities such as onsen cleaning, neighbourhood committees, tourism development, etc.   We understand clearly that despite our local base and local staff, we are newcomers with a duty to respect our host environment - our neighbours’ home, and the home of their ancestors and descendants.  

‍

A lot of our revenue might come from putting bodies in beds, but that’s not really what we are selling.

It’s the experience, the enjoyment of the village, a vacation from everyday life to enjoy life.

Have a chat with us and see what we can offer!

‍