BACK TO JAPAN

WHERE TRADITION AND CULTURE COLLIDE WITH SOME OF THE DEEPEST POWDER SKIING ON EARTH.

WORDS: DREW JOLOWICZ

ALL PHOTOS: DYLAN ROBINSON

Three years is a long time. So, when the Japanese Government announced late last year that its borders would be re-opening for travellers in time for winter there was a real sense of excitement in the air. The reason for the renewed optimism was obvious. Japan receives some of the most consistent and deepest powder snow on earth. Period.

I’ve been coming to the Land of the Rising Sun since the early 2000s and have noticed some marked changes over that time. Most significant is the growing number of foreign skiers descending upon the more mainstream resorts. As skiers we’re always searching for something new. The next ‘it’ location if you like.

As a result, some destinations which were previously considered hidden gems are not so secret anymore. This is all well and good, and necessary, for a sustainable industry, so long as that growth doesn’t occur at the expense of tradition and culture. After all, part of what makes an overseas trip special is the opportunity to immerse yourself in the local customs and way of living.

A place that strikes the perfect balance between preserving the old and embracing the new is Nozawa Onsen. As far as a spot to experience a holistic Japanese experience they don’t come much more authentic than this wonderfully historic village.

Opposite page: The history surrounding the Dosojin Fire Festival is every bit as dramatic as this image portrays. Under the watchful eye of Nozawa’s local males the ancient ceremony takes place with spectators welcomed. Just don’t get too close. This page: Scenes from Nozawa Onsen. After a few years away, it was a real pleasure to share this experience with such a talented group of skiers.

Steeped In History

Think cobble stoned laneways, traditional onsens for bathing as well as outdoor thermal baths where local families retain traditional cooking methods that have been passed down for generations. Nozawa’s history dates back as far as the 1200s. People first visited the region primarily to experience the natural hot springs until skiing was introduced in the early 1900s.

Nozawa is proud of its history and continues to hold festivals and ceremonies of cultural significance including the Dosojin Fire Festival, which takes place annually on January 15. Photographer Dylan Robinson spent two months in Nozawa this winter and was fortunate to witness this year’s festivities and provides a first-hand account of proceedings.

“I’ve been wanting to immerse myself in the Dosojin Matsuri, or Fire Festival for years so I made a point of being there this time. I can confidently say that this was one of the most energetic and mesmerising cultural events I’ve experienced,” Dylan recounted the following day.

“I mean, a bunch of locals mates go into the forest together while drinking sake, gathering timber to build a big shrine to then burn and celebrate with thousands of others. What’s not to like?!”

“During the festival, the 42-year-old men of the village perch up on the shrine in the evening after the streets have been paraded with straw ablaze and colourful creations. The 25-year-old males stand guard at the bottom of the shrine, both parties still very much full of sake. Finally, other members of the village ‘attack’ the shrine until it catches light, with everyone watching the fiery spectacle from a relatively safe distance. These shrines are to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck and prosperity to the village.”

Of course we didn’t travel all this way just to soak in onsens and gaze into ceremonial fires. Glistening in the sun, with branches bowed under the weight of snow, we were here ski amongst Nozawa’s beautiful trees. The team for this adventure was stacked with talent and it was a chance to re-connect with old friends and meet a few new ones.

The Crew

I’d first met Kaoru Aoyagi in Nozawa a few years back and had the opportunity to ski with her again at Hotham. Originally from Tokyo, Kaoru is an absolute dynamite skier and has spent ten winters living in Nozawa and has great insight into how the community has adapted to cope with increased tourism.

“When I arrived for my first season it was just after the large Nagano earthquake in Sakae Village close to Nozawa,” Kaoru told me. “At that time there was a downturn in tourism and locals were worried about their businesses surviving. Since then, with more and more people coming for the powder, there has been a steady increase in visitors – aside from the last two years, of course.”

Unlike Niseko and to a lesser extent Hakuba, Nozawa dodged the frenzied foreign investment and “westernisation” of the 2005-2015 decade and still feels like authentic Japan. That’s not to say there aren’t businesses owned by foreigners, but so far Nozawa has managed not to lose its appeal.

“When I first arrived, there weren’t many businesses owned by foreigners,” Kaoru said. “This has changed recently with more and more store fronts and houses being bought up by non-Japanese people. Sometimes I miss the small cosy onsen village of the past, but overall, it’s been great to see the town bustling.”

“For me, another big positive has been the cultural exchange that comes about as a result of having more travellers in town,” Kaoru adds. “I’ve met some amazing people of many different nationalities and my English skills have improved at the same time. Combined with the culture, these are just some of the reasons I keep coming back year after year. And of course, the mountains and snow.”

Another member of the team was an up and coming Australian freeskier 14-year-old Theo Lansbury from Sydney. Theo’s has been progressing his skiing skills and through his Dad Owen has developed a passion for the backcountry with ambitions to break into the freeride competition scene in the future. It was great to see the next generation of Aussie free skiing up close and Theo is a skier to watch.

Rounding out the touring party was snow media creative Dylan Robinson. Dylan needs no introduction; his stunning images speak for themselves having spent a decade as a photo journalist in the cut and thrust world of Sydney’s mainstream press. More recently Dylan’s made a snow-change leaving the hustle and bustle of the corporate world behind in search of endless powder documenting the culture of skiing and life in the mountains.

People come to Japan in search of the deepest snow of their lives. Here Drew Jolowicz finds flow state through another bottomless forest.

The Perfect Storm

They say, ‘timing is everything’ and ours couldn’t have been better. On the whole, Japan’s 2022-2023 season will be remembered fondly, although some regions of Honshu missed out during the first few weeks of January, including Nozawa. Thankfully our arrival later in the month coincided with some deep Siberian cold smoke snow and a three-week storm cycle.

When we landed at Tokyo’s Narita airport on a frigid morning I was surprised to see snow blanketed the tarmac. Snow in Tokyo? I mean, it happens, but not often. Apparently, it was the coldest day in parts of the country for over 40 years. Strong winds and blizzard conditions had thrown the usually flawless rail network into chaos, causing cancellations and delays on many Shinkansen routes. Fortunately, our train to Nagano was unaffected, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway as the strong winds had forced most of the lifts on to wind hold. Time for Bullet Train beer.

The following day there was no on-piste warm-up and it was straight in the deep end, literally. I was the last member of the party to arrive and with close to a metre of blower pow on the ground the team was keen to get after it. By all accounts conditions leading up my arrival had been average, but not any more. I couldn’t believe our luck and so the tone for the next two weeks was set with Honshu slipping back into a more seasonal winter weather cycle.

The Skiing

Have I mentioned trees? Well, there’s no shortage in Nozawa. If you’re looking for high alpine skiing or big open faces you best go somewhere else – you won’t find either here. However, Nozawa does have some of the most perfectly spaced, fall-line tree skiing I’ve seen. Like a lot of places, it pays to look beyond the trail map and Nozawa is no exception.

Just prior to the pandemic shutting down the world, the resort here invested in a major upgrade replacing the old Nagasaka Gondola. Built for the 1998 Winter Olympics, the old gondola travelled on an indirect, dog-leg route to the top station.

The newer, faster version not only seats more people per cabin, it’s halved the ride time to the top. This is where the ‘New Nozawa’ is really on display and a great example of how a town has looked to the future, investing in key infrastructure upgrades to cope with increased demand.

The new gondola has proved a game changer. Less time on the lift (or waiting for the lift) means more powder for everyone. Taking full advantage, most days the snow was so blower we couldn’t stop skiing, feeling compelled to ski until last call. At times I almost wished we were still lapping the older, slower incarnation of the gondy for a chance to take a breather, well… almost.

Some things change, some things stay the same. To me, skiing in this part of the Nagano Prefecture is every bit as good as it used to be and will continue to be so. Sure, it’s now a bit busier than years gone by and for good reason. Few places in Japan offer the kind of experience you’ll find here.

Whether it’s soaking in a century old onsen after a big day in the white room or wandering the narrow cobblestone streets to pick up a steamed bun as the village comes alive at night, there is an atmosphere here that’s hard to describe. Maybe it’s the unassuming way the locals get on with life in one of the snowiest places on earth, clambering up rickety old ladders to clear snow from the rooftops with no fanfare or fuss. They stoically get about business to prevent buildings from collapsing under the sheer volume of snow.

And then there’s the skiing, the reason that brought us here in the first place. This year’s instalment was a case of ‘back to the future’ and ‘old meets new’. Re-uniting with great mates while being inspired by some up and coming Australian skiing talent, our glass was very much full. Together it was a shared experience where tradition and culture collided with some of the deepest powder skiing imaginable. Arigatou Gozaimasu Nozawa.

Left page: With snow this deep life on the skin-track can be challenging requiring regular changes to trail breaking duties. Opposite: Deep and down the barrel. Kaoru Aoyagi is a ripping Japanese skier who calls Nozawa home. At peace in the trees, no one knows the terrain better. Next page: Theo Lansbury is one Australia’s up and coming free-skiers. With the love of snow embedded in the family genes, this was one of the deepest runs of his life. Remember the name.

NOZAWA DOES HAVE SOME OF THE MOST PERFECTLY SPACED, FALL-LINE TREE SKIING I’VE SEEN. LIKE A LOT OF PLACES, IT PAYS TO LOOK BEYOND THE TRAIL MAP