Nozawaonsen, Nagano

Nozawaonsen-mura 野沢温泉村
Village
Location of Nozawaonsen-mura in Nagano Prefecture
Nozawaonsen-mura Location in Japan
Coordinates: 36°55′N 138°26′E / 36.917°N 138.433°E / 36.917; 138.433Coordinates: 36°55′N 138°26′E / 36.917°N 138.433°E / 36.917; 138.433
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu Kōshin'etsu
Prefecture	Nagano Prefecture
District	Shimotakai
Government
• Mayor	Toshio Tomii (富井　俊雄)
Area
• Total	57.95 km2 (22.37 sq mi)
Population (2016)
• Total	3,675
• Density	63/km2 (160/sq mi)
Symbols
• Tree	Japanese beech 〈ブナ〉
• Flower	Nozawana flower〈野沢菜の花〉
• Bird	hatoguruma
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City hall address	長野県下高井郡野沢温泉村大字豊郷9817 〒389-2592
Website	www.vill.nozawaonsen.nagano.jp

symbol of Nozawa Onsen village

Nozawa Onsen (野沢温泉村, Nozawa-Onsen-mura, lit: "hot spring in the marshy field") is a village located in Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, in the northern region known as “Shinshu”, about one hour's drive from Nagano City. To the south it borders Kijimadaira (木島平村 Kijimadaira-mura^?, lit, "plain of the wooded island") along the ridge of Kenashi-yama (毛無山 Kenashi-yama^?, lit. "bald mountain"). To the west side the Chikuma (千曲川 Chikuma-gawa, lit "river of a thousand bends") river (the longest river in Japan, also known as the Shinano river further downstream) creates a border with Iiyama. The north and the east borders Sakae-mura (栄村 Sakae-mura^?, lit "prosperous village") . The altitude ranges from 300m above sea level at the lowest, to about 600m in the village, and 1,650m at the peak of Kenashi-yama. 50.7% is forest, and much is designated as part of the Shin-Etsu Kogen National Park, including the current ski area.

history

Nozawa Onsen village first appeared as "Yuyama Village" (湯山村, lit "hot spring mountain village") in the mid-Kamakura period (1272) although it is said to have been founded in the 8th century when a monk called Gyoki (行基), out hunting, found an injured bear healing itself in a hot spring.^[1] There is an Edo-period record in 1870 mentioning that there were 24 inns and that 24,863 people had visited for hot-spring cures.

Development was accelerated with improved access from the opening of the Kuwana River Iiyama railway in 1923 and the Yashiro-Kijima line of the Nagano Electric Railway (Nagano Dentetsu) in 1925, and Nozawa Onsen started to host regular ski competitions.

In 1953 the village’s administrative name was changed to Nozawa Onsen village from Toyosato Village (although the name remains in village addresses), and in 1956 it merged with Ichikawa village, creating the current Nozawa Onsen. In the 1950s public infrastructure such as sewers and a connecting road were built. Peak population was reached around 1950, of 6,610 residents. In 1958 the ski resort was made part of the village. With integrated local and government help the village was further developed as a tourist destination.

In February 1971, the village was twinned with Austria’s San Anton village^[2] and since then there have been regular exchanges including ski instructors and students, between the villages. In 1997 the village twinned with Onjuku Machi (御宿町) in Chiba prefecture.

In the 1980s the village road system, snow management infrastructure, and agricultural drainage was further developed, and the Oborotsukiyou museum was built. Furthermore, the Joshinetsu Expressway interchange improved road access. In 2015 the Hokuriku Shinkansen station at Iiyama greatly improved travel times to major conurbations.

winter sports

history

In 1912, students of nearby Iiyama junior high school started skiing in the village, reputedly after seeing a demonstraton in Niigata by Austrian army trainer Maj. Theodor Edler von Lerch, and on December 8, 1923 the Ski Club of Nozawa Onsen was founded (with a joining fee of one yen). At that time there were 39 ski clubs in Japan, with Nozawa Onsen being the first in Nagano prefecture. From then on the village developed skiing as an attraction alongside its historic hot springs.

Hannes Schneider, an Austrian skier who did much to popularise skiing globally between the two world wars, visited the village in 1931 to teach his Arlberg skiing style. His impact was important, and cemented the village's affiliation with skiing. The village's FIS-accredited race course is still named after him and the village is twinned with Schneider's home town of St Anton in Austria.

The ski club built its first ski lift, at Hikage, in 1950, with a second in 1954, and then in 1959 a 1.1 km long lift, and in 1961, a lift to Uenotaira. In 1963 the ski infrastructure was transferred to direct village ownership, while the ski club retained responsibility for athlete development and training. The Ski Museum of Japan, close to the Hikage home slope is of interest to historians of winter sport.

ski resort

Ski area showing the long "Skyline" course

The current operating company, kk Nozawa Onsen, was incorporated in 2005 after five years of planning. It is owned by the village but operates as a commercial entity, and is capitalized by the Village Association (Nozawa Gumi 野澤組), the Tourism Association, the Ski Club, the regional Agricultural Cooperative, and the village itself.

The total ski area is 785ha of which 297ha is maintained as groomed courses. There are 36 courses, the longest of which is 10km long with a drop of 1,085m. While the ski resort bears no responsibility for skiing outside the marked areas, it accepts that the spirit of skiing embraces backcountry skiing, and encourages skiers who are competent and have appropriate equipment to pre-register their route with the ski patrol. There is night skiing available on some courses and days. The operating company does not use snow-making machines.

There are designated cross-country circuits at Karasawa (approximately 600m above sea level) and Uenotaira (approximately 1,200m above sea level). In the summer, the operating company manages a campsite (established in 1964) at Lake Sutaka at Uenotaira. The Nagasaka gondola runs in the summer months to provide access to a number of marked trails, a children's play area, barbecue pits, and other activities.

olympic competitors

The village hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics biathlon event.

There are 14 villagers who have competed in various Winter Olympics, and this is claimed to be the highest per-capita density of olympians in the world although this has not been verified.

culture

There are 18 designated cultural treasures^[3] in the village; the dosojin matsuri is a national cultural treasure (designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, in December 1993) while the others, including a three-hundred year old cedar tree by the main shrine, are designated by the village.

fire festival^[4]

The village's most important festival is the fire festival (野沢温泉の道祖神祭り nozawa onsen no dōsojin matsuri^?) held every January 15;^[5][6] it forms part of a nationwide culture of honouring folk deities and in particular Dosojin (道祖神 dōsojin^?), travellers' guardians. This is a three-day event, with the most visible element being the battle to burn down a three storey wooden shrine (社殿 shadan) on the evening of January 15.^[7] It's not certain when the festival started, but records from 1863 suggest that it was already well-established by then.

The festival is organised by the men of the village who are 40, 41, and 42 years' old; hence there is a three-year period when every male villager is closely involved in the festival. They are directed by a master carpenter chosen for his experience. The other group involved are the 25-year old men of the village. The ages of 42 and 25 are unlucky ages, or ages where spiritual cleansing is needed, and are called yakudoshi (厄年^?). Participation in the event is a mandatory rite of passage for all males living in the village, regardless of whether they were born in the village or not, and is also a way to create bonds and relationships.

Part of the significance of the festival is to celebrate boys born during the previous year, and lucky families will create totem poles (初灯籠 Hatsuakarikago). These are elaborate 9-10m tall umbrella-like structures, made of oak at the bottom and cedar at the top. The family crest sits on top of the pole. The next layer down are wind chimes, and the lower layer consists of long strips of paper with charms and well-wishes written by relatives and friends. The structure is made in the autumn, and displayed outside the house from January 11. On January 15 it is taken to the fire festival ground, where it will form part of the final conflagration.

The wood that will make the shadan is chosen, cut, and brought down from the mountain to the village during the previous autumn. The 20m-long Japanese Beech is dragged from the Hikage ski area through the village, on January 13, by teams of chanting yakudoshi villagers. Sake is handed out to onlookers.

The shadan is built all day on the 14th, and until early afternoon on the 15th. Standing 10m high and 8m wide, construction can be dangerous so the work is carried out in silence and without sake. No nails or wire are used in the construction, and the construction is exactly the same every year.

At 7pm the representatives gather to light the fire by striking a flint, which has been handed down for generations. They sing the dosojin song while drinking large amounts of sake. The flame is used to light large torches, and the procession heads to the temporary shrine at 8pm. Sake is handed out to onlookers.

The night of January 15th

At about 8:30pm the procession reaches the grounds. The torches are used to light a bonfire, from which other torches are lit, and are used to attack the shadan. The festival organisers are the first to attack the shrine, followed by children, followed by all the men of the village. Their objective is to burn down the shrine, and the methodology is to light a large torch from the bonfire, and then run to the shadan, attempting to charge through the 25-year old yakudoshi who are stationed at the bottom of the shrine, and set fire to the structure. The 25-year old yakudoshi use physical force to prevent the attacks. The 42-year old yakudoshi are seated at the top of the shrine.

The attacks succeed in setting fire to the structure after one and a half to two hours, and the shadan burns through the night.

Safety is an issue and the 25-year old yakudoshi are assigned guardians who do not drink sake.

The festival attracts many visitors and accommodation is often booked a year in advance. Sake is handed out to onlookers.

dosojin

Dosojin

Dosojin are not uncommon in Japan but the wooden, pencil-like figures found in Nozawa Onsen are unusual as (i) they are ubiquitous throughout the village (ii) they are made of wood, and painted. They represent a male and female deity. There is a folk tradition that they represent a man and a woman who were not particularly attractive, but nevertheless married and had baby boys, therefore representing the happiness of marriage. Every household in the village will have a pair, and they are often found at businesses and public places too.

nozawana

Nozawana (野沢菜) is a pickled vegetable that is famous throughout Japan. They are made from the leafy part of a type of turnip (蕪菜 kaburana), introduced to the village in the mid 18th century by a priest who imported the seed from Kyoto. The radically different climate of Nozawa Onsen resulted in a mutation of the vegetable and hence it is unique to Nozawa. In the Edo period, as Nozawa became a leisure destination, the fame of Nozawana spread and they became the gastronomic symbol of the village.

Nozawana are made from the stalks of the plant. A high-yielding and fast-growing crop, they are planted by early August, harvested in October, and the first pickles are ready for the beginning of the winter season. Each family has its own recipe, but generally the pickles are made at home in large barrels with salt, kelp, sugar, soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, and grandmother's secret. They can be eaten after two months' early fermentation, or later.

The pickles are eaten as short stalks of 5–10 cm each, as condiments with virtually every meal. They are extremely nutrient-rich, with high levels of vitamins C and A, and zinc, a combination which is said to be effective in protecting good health.

famous people from Nozawa Onsen

• Gen Tomii (Nordic combined skier)
• Jinya Nishikata (ski jumper)
• Takanori Kono (Nordic combined skier)
• Tatsuyuki Takano^[8] (songwriter)
• Manami Mitsuboshi (freestyle skier)

Famous foods from Nozawa Onsen

• Nozawana (pickled vegetable)
• Oyaki Manjū (dumplings steamed over onsen water)
• Shinshu Soba
• Apples
• Mountain vegetables
• Beer (made by the Anglo Japanese Brewing Company^[9])

Climate

References

External links

• Media related to Nozawaonsen, Nagano at Wikimedia Commons
• Nozawaonsen official website (Japanese)
• The Nozawa Onsen Guide