I was in Nozawa when all that madness was happening in early January. I couldn't believe how much snow there was it was just crazy. Its really interesting to see how much power it all has.
I had 3 weekends - one in Tochigi, one in Niigata and a long weekend in Nagano (Nozawa and Shiga). Not that much but really enjoyed it and hope to go more next season.