Nozawa Onsen is often described as a ski resort.
It is, more accurately, a ski village.
For a community of fewer than 4,000 residents, Nozawa Onsen ski village has produced an extraordinary number of Winter Olympians. The figure is disproportionate to its population, and it reflects something deeper than facilities or branding.
Skiing here is not seasonal recreation. It is cultural inheritance.
A Village With Olympic Roots
The village’s Olympic story stretches back to 1956, when Sugiyama Susumu competed in Alpine at Cortina d’Ampezzo. It continued through the 1960s with cross-country skier Sato Kazuo, who represented Japan at three consecutive Winter Olympics: Squaw Valley 1960, Innsbruck 1964, and Grenoble 1968.
By the 1970s, multiple Nozawa athletes were competing at Sapporo, including alpine skiers Katagiri Miyuki, Tomii Sumihiro, and Furukawa Toshimasa. Tomii Sumihiro returned four years later for Innsbruck 1976.
Among the most recognised athletes from Nozawa Onsen ski village is Kono Takanori, who won gold in the Nordic combined team event at Albertville 1992, then silver in the individual event and gold again in the team event at Lillehammer 1994. In ski jumping, Nishikata Jinya earned a silver medal in the team large hill at the same Games. Nordic combined athlete Mori Satoshi competed at both Nagano 1998 and Salt Lake 2002. Alpine skier Tomii Tsuyoshi — representing a third generation of the Tomii family in Olympic competition — appeared at Albertville 1992 and Nagano 1998. Freestyle moguls athlete Ueno Osamu competed at Torino 2006, and Ueno Manami represented Japan in freestyle halfpipe at Sochi 2014.
Then came Milano Cortina 2026. Maruyama Nozomi, born and raised in the village and a graduate of Nozawa Onsen Junior High School, won bronze in the women’s normal hill individual — Japan’s first-ever medal in women’s ski jumping. She followed it with a second bronze as part of Japan’s mixed team. Two medals in her debut Games, on the sport’s biggest stage.
Across seven decades, Nozawa Onsen ski village has sent more than a dozen athletes to the Winter Games. For its size, that record is exceptional.
Growing Up on Snow
Children in Nozawa Onsen grow up within walking distance of the slopes. Training hills and ski jump facilities sit above the village rather than apart from it.
The local ski club has operated for generations, feeding into regional and national pathways. Winter routines are structured around snowfall and training sessions.
The mountain is not an amenity. It is environment.
What Sustained Performance Looks Like
Elite performance does not appear suddenly.
It is built through repetition, mentorship, and continuity. Older athletes remain visible in the community. Younger skiers follow the same routes to the slopes each morning.
The Tomii family name appearing across three generations of Olympic competition is not coincidence. Neither is a girl from Nozawa attending the village school, learning to jump on local hills, and returning from her first Olympics with two bronze medals.
Facilities are used by residents first. The culture is sustained by participation rather than spectacle.
Success at Olympic level is visible, but it rests on decades of collective effort.
Stay in the Village That Shaped Them
To walk through Nozawa Onsen in winter is to see equipment outside homes, skis carried by children, and early movement toward the mountain.
It is a village shaped by snow. It is a village first. A ski destination second.
Nozawa Collection offers luxury chalet accommodation at the heart of this village — for those who want to experience it properly