I hope this finds you well. I am back in shaky Christchurch after spending the summer up in Japan. The countdown to the start of the season is on – hopefully it will be less than 2 months before the lifts are moving.

In this newsletter:

• The countdown is on!
• Summer in Nozawa
• New website and improvements for Resort Inn Toemu

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Season due to start in 2 months
Well the countdown to the 2010/’11 season is on! It’s hard to believe that the season has rolled around so quickly. The summer has been a hot one for Japan, with Osaka recording the longest heatwave since 1961! (13 days in a row with temperatures over 35 degrees). Nozawa locals are firm believers in the hot summer = cold winter theory and are expecting a lot of snow. JMA long term forecasts are predicting a high probability of a cold start to the season. Added to this, there is a chance of La Nina settling in over autumn, and the last time that happened was before the record season of 2005/’06 when the peak of Nozawa Onsen saw base depths top out at over 5 metres. The signs are looking good but just in case please cross your fingers and pray to the snow gods for a big one anyway!

Next season at Resort Inn Toemu
Resort Inn Toemu has a new website: www.resortinntoemu.com. They have made a few welcome additions to the lodge for the coming season – DVD room, Kitchen for guest use, a shared room for single guests, and sofa for the downstairs fireplace area. Check out the website. Resort Inn Toemu is one of the nicest budget lodges in town and we are commited to working with them to keep improving. The rates are excellent value and if you or anyone you know is visiting Nozawa this season we would love to see you there!

Summer in Nozawa
This summer I spent most of my time in Osaka but made a few trips to Nagano. It was my first time to visit Nozawa Onsen in the summer. It’s a really sleepy little place in the off season with very few people on the streets and you could almost hear a pin drop walking through town in the middle of the day. It’s slightly cooler than the big cities, but still very hot – people certainly don’t linger too long in the onsens. There isn’t an awful lot to do in Nozawa but the change of pace from the big cities was nice, and a day spent travelling round the neighbouring village of Sakaemura and taking a riverside onsen was a lot fun. The highlight for me was the Autumn Festival, which featured an amazing fireworks display and an interesting ritual (which not surprisingly for Nozawa involved a lot of fire) to get things underway.

Hope to see you in Nozawa Onsen this season!

Cheers,
Andy