Inaka no Yado Sawa (in Japanese, “the countryside inn Sawa”) is a family-run minshuku in Nozawa Onsen, Nagano, a village known for skiing and its 13 public baths. The inn’s own pitch is different: Nozawa is fun in every season, and the owner, who calls himself a “mountain pro,” will take you out to find it. Before you book, three things matter: reservations are by phone; there are two rooms for guests with dogs; and a few details (the adult rate and the checkout time) differ between the official pages, so confirm them when you call.
What kind of inn is Inaka no Yado Sawa?
The landlady writes that she wants Sawa to feel like visiting relatives in the countryside: easygoing and slow. The English page puts it as “please relax as having returned to your hometown.” It is not a big inn: 10 Japanese-style rooms for up to 45 guests, each with a TV and air conditioning, and a kotatsu (heated table) in winter.
What can I do there besides ski?
The owner guides guests himself. These are the seasonal activities on the official pages; the add-on prices are from the Japanese rates page, which asks you to check dates with the inn.
| Season | Activity (owner-guided) | On the rates page |
|---|---|---|
| March–April | Snowshoe walks in the beech forest beside the ski slopes | Room rate + 2,000 yen |
| April–May | Picking wild mountain vegetables, cooked for dinner | Room rate + 2,000 yen |
| Mid-July to about Aug. 20 | Rhinoceros-beetle hunting for families | 12,000 yen adult, 10,000 yen child, 8,000 yen infant, with two meals |
| Autumn | Wild-mushroom hunting, cooked by the landlady | Room rate + 2,000 yen |
| Winter | Building a snow hut (kamakura) or a snowman | Room rate + 2,000 yen |
From the official Japanese pages, read October 14, 2026. The rates page also lists peach, apple and grape picking in season.
Inaka no Yado Sawa at a glance
| Item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Address | 6613 Toyosato, Nozawaonsen-mura, Shimotakai-gun, Nagano |
| Phone | +81-269-85-2750 (fax +81-269-85-3991) |
| Type | Minshuku; 10 Japanese rooms, up to 45 guests |
| Pets | Welcome; two pet rooms |
| Check-in | 2:00 p.m. (some plans list other times) |
| Baths | One for men, one for women; 13 public baths in the village |
| Parking | 10 cars, in front of the inn |
| Ski slopes | Mukaibayashi and Karasawa slopes, a 3-minute walk |
| Booking | By phone; English request form on the site |
From the official site and terms of stay, read October 14, 2026.
Rooms and shared facilities at Inaka no Yado Sawa
The rooms are Japanese-style; the official pages do not give room sizes or say how many guests each room takes. The house page lists one bath for men and one for women, with showers, shampoo and conditioner; washbasins with hot water; and both Western and Japanese-style toilets with heated seats. It does not say whether rooms have their own toilet or bath. Skiers get a changing room, a locker room and a ski drying room, and there is a coin laundry with dryers. Meals are served in a bright, wood-finished dining room.
The baths at Inaka no Yado Sawa and in Nozawa Onsen
What is the bath at the inn like?
There is one bath for men and one for women. The official pages do not say whether the water comes from a hot spring, and do not list bath hours, an outdoor bath or a private bath. Ask the inn if these matter to you.
How do the public baths work?
The inn’s sightseeing page describes the village’s 13 public baths (soto-yu) as 100 percent spring water, flowing straight from the source, and kept by villagers through a system called yu-nakama since the Edo period. They open from 5:00 to 23:00 (from 6:00 between November and March). There is no parking at the baths, so walk between them.
Can I bathe with a tattoo?
The official pages do not mention tattoos. Ask the inn before you book; the public baths may have their own rules. Our tattoo and onsen guide explains what to ask.
Meals at Inaka no Yado Sawa
What are dinner and breakfast like?
The inn describes its food as generous, a mix of Japanese and Western, with a menu that changes daily with what is in that day, so the longer you stay, the more you taste. It cooks river fish such as char and rainbow trout, mountain vegetables and its own vegetables. Nozawana pickles are served too. In spring, the owner picks mountain vegetables himself (about mid-April to mid-May); in autumn, wild mushrooms appear when the weather allows; in ski season, a hearty hot pot. Meal times are not listed.
Can the inn handle allergies or a special diet?
The official pages do not say. Raise it when you call or in the comments box of the English request form.
Prices, children, cancellation and payment at Inaka no Yado Sawa
How much does a stay cost?
The rates page and the plans page list different adult rates, so ask the inn for the price on your dates. Taxes are not mentioned on the Japanese rates page. Since June 2026, Nozawa Onsen village and Nagano prefecture charge an accommodation tax on stays whose room-only rate is 6,000 yen or more per person per night; see the village page and the prefecture page. The village’s bathing tax is 150 yen per night for hot-spring baths, with children under 12 exempt; ask the inn whether it applies to your stay. Our onsen bathing tax guide explains the basics.
What do children cost?
The rates page lists 7,000 yen for an elementary school child with two meals and 4,000 yen for an infant. It does not define the infant age range or say what the infant rate includes; ask when you book.
What is the cancellation policy?
The terms of stay list 100 percent of the room charge for a no-show and 50 percent for a cancellation on the day. If you do not arrive by 5:00 p.m. without calling (or an hour after the arrival time you gave), the inn may treat the booking as canceled, unless a delayed train or flight caused it. See our hotel cancellation guide.
How do I pay?
The terms list cash, traveler’s checks and coupons the inn accepts, paid at the front desk or in the room when you leave. Cards are not mentioned.
Getting to Inaka no Yado Sawa
By train and bus
Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Iiyama Station (from Tokyo or Kanazawa), then the bus to Nozawa Onsen, about 25 minutes. The access page does not give the walk from the bus stop to the inn and says to ask for details. A pickup service is not mentioned. For planning the ski side of the trip, see our skiing in Japan guide.
By car
About 25 minutes from the Toyota-Iiyama interchange of the Joshinetsu Expressway, or about 1 hour 10 minutes from Shiozawa-Ishiuchi on the Kan-etsu Expressway. Ten cars can park in front of the inn, and the inn says large buses are fine too.
What foreign guests should know before staying at Inaka no Yado Sawa
- There is no online booking. The site’s availability calendar shows every date as not bookable and gives the phone number instead. Call +81-269-85-2750, or use the English request form.
- Confirm the adult rate and the checkout time when you book; the official pages differ.
- The terms ask foreign guests to register their passport number at check-in.
- Bring cash in yen; card payment is not mentioned.
- Traveling with a dog? Ask for one of the two pet rooms early.
Frequently asked questions
How do I book Inaka no Yado Sawa?
Can I bring my dog to Inaka no Yado Sawa?
How far is Inaka no Yado Sawa from the ski slopes?
What is the cancellation policy at Inaka no Yado Sawa?
Can I pay by card at Inaka no Yado Sawa?
Bottom line (2026): Inaka no Yado Sawa is a 10-room family minshuku near the ski slopes of Nozawa Onsen, with owner-guided outings in every season and two rooms for guests with dogs. Book by phone or the English request form, bring cash, and confirm the rate and checkout time with the inn.
Sources
Every fact on this page is from Inaka no Yado Sawa’s official pages: home (Japanese), home (English), rates, plans, the house, meals, sightseeing, public baths, access, terms of stay and the English request form, plus the Nozawa Onsen village bathing tax, village accommodation tax and Nagano prefecture accommodation tax pages. All were read on October 14, 2026. Prices and rules change; check with the inn before you book.
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