Jayatma

Thanks - good suggestion. Does anyone know of a ryokan with an outdoor onsen as none of the ryokans I can find in Nozawa have one.

I should have been a bit more specific in my question..... Does it take you from the village to a gondola or chair lift? If so from which places in the village does it go? I checked the maps on this site and could not see it? Is there a map anywhere which shows it? thanks

Okay sounds like Nozawa it is. Do you have any recommendations for a ryokan with outdoor onsen....close to slopes? Can anyone explain how the moving footpath works? thanks again!

Thanks again for your quick answers. A couple more questions on details: *Can we easily rent ski gear in Nozawa Onsen - including ski pants, parkas etc? *I noticed on this site that there are skiiing/snowboarding classes - are they available in English?

another couple of quick questions..... Roughly how long does it take to go from: Shiga Kogen to Nagano? Nagano to Hakuba? Nagano to Matsumoto? Nazawa Onsen to Nagano? thanks

Thanks for your replies so far. Would it be feasible to stay in Nozawa Onsen and ski there for a few days and then ski for a few more days in Shiga Kogen, travelling there from Nozawa? Anyone know how long this would take? If staying in Ichinose any recommendations on Japanese style accomodation close to slopes/lift preferably with onsen?

Hi Everyone, We are a family of four (kids are in late teenage years), new to skiiing in Japan. We are planning a trip in early Feb. The choice of resorts is a bit confusing and we would love some help in deciding which resort would suit us best - probably choosing from Hakuba, Shiga Kogen and Nozawa Onsen. We would like a resort with the following features: [*]a longish beginners run not more than 15 degrees [*]a good variety of intermediate snowboarding runs [*]nearby areas of cultural interest for day or afternoon trip [*]good onsens in the area [*]a traditional ryoko to