Nozawa Onsen Kikaku

What Nozawa Onsen Kikaku does

Nozawa Onsen Kikaku (株式会社野沢温泉企画) is a Japanese regional development and hospitality company founded in August 2022 by Kenji Kono and Ryo Ishida, headquartered in Nozawa Onsen Village, Nagano Prefecture. The company operates lodging facilities including the historic Nozawa Onsen Lodge — an egg-shaped 1969 building designed by Takamasa Yoshizaka (a disciple of Le Corbusier), located one minute from the main gondola of Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort — and the boutique hotel 'mont,' a renovated 100-year-old ryokan opening January 19, 2026 in the village center. It also operates Music Bar GURUGURU (a curated music bar serving craft gin and natural wines in partnership with Jazzy Sport record label) and Musubiba, a rice ball shop at the 45th edition of the local Nozawa Onsen Morning Market. Seasonal experience offerings include mushroom hunting (¥5,000/person), the Autumn Living Package (¥20,000-¥28,000), SUP and mountain biking via partner operators, and a children's Summer Camp (¥25,000-¥35,000/child).

The business model is built on acquiring idle properties via long-term lease and renovating them into year-round tourism assets, with the explicit objective of mitigating rural depopulation in a village of approximately 3,400 people where roughly ten minshuku (guesthouses) close each year due to aging owners and aging facilities. Revenue is generated primarily through direct-to-consumer bookings on the Chillnn platform, on-site F&B sales, experience program fees, and ancillary services like parking (¥2,000/car). Customer segments are dominated by leisure travelers and families — international guests represent an estimated 90% of winter visitors per the company's recruitment postings — with no enterprise or B2B channel disclosed.

The company pursues a 'circulation' (循環) philosophy that connects mountain blessings, water, fire, and nature across its offerings, and has formalized strategic alliances with the Nozawa Onsen Mountain Resort Tourism Bureau (co-launching the Ambassador Program in 2024 with eight ambassadors including former ski cross World Cup athlete Yuki Ota), Mitsubishi Estate, and Mitsubishi Estate Design. Nozawa Onsen Kikaku is closely affiliated with regional revitalization startup NEWLOCAL, sharing founder Ryo Ishida, and through that vehicle jointly develops hotel and lodging operations in Miyota Town, Noshiro City, Tango Peninsula, Komatsu City, and Marugame City. Stated capital is ¥1,000,000; no institutional investment is disclosed, no revenue is publicly reported, and the company remains privately held.

Name

Nozawa Onsen Kikaku

Legal name

株式会社野沢温泉企画

Website

https://nozawa-onsen.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Nozawa Onsen Kikaku operates lodging, food and beverage venues, and seasonal experience programs in Nozawa Onsen Village, Nagano Prefecture, renovating idle rural properties into year-round tourism assets to combat local depopulation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Boutique Hospitality and Regional Revitalization Services

NAICS

Traveler Accommodation (7211)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Mountain & Alpine Lodges (THAGAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Resort-Area Full-Service Hotels (Non–All-Inclusive) (THAGAAAD), Mountain & Ski Homes (THAMAAAG), Adventure/Outdoor Base Hostels (Ski/Surf/Trek) (THAGAGAG)

Keywords

• Boutique hotel management
• Regional revitalization consulting
• Ski resort hospitality
• Experiential tourism services
• Japanese onsen lodging

Headquarters

HQ city

Nozawa Onsen Village

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Accommodation — Nozawa Onsen Lodge: Lodge accommodation revenue from guests staying at the historic egg-shaped building near the main gondola. Room types include condominiums (5-8 guests), Heidi/Studio apartments (4-8 guests), and lodge rooms/penthouse (1-4 guests).
2. Accommodation — Hotel mont: Boutique hotel accommodation revenue from a renovated 100-year-old ryokan in the village center, opening January 2026.
3. Food & Beverage — Music Bar GURUGURU: Music bar offering craft gin, natural wines, beer, and food. Open 17:00-22:00, closed Tuesdays.
4. Breakfast & Dining: Continental breakfast served to lodge guests. Special dining plans including Taiwanese medicinal hot pot (¥6,000 per meal, 4 servings minimum).
5. Seasonal Experiences: Mushroom hunting experience packages (¥5,000/person), Autumn living experience packages (¥20,000-¥28,000), Summer Camp (¥35,000/child), and rice planting experiences.
6. Food & Lifestyle Products — Musubi-ba: Rice ball shop 'Musubi-ba' operated at the morning market (Asaichi), selling rice ball products using Nozawa Onsen rice.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Nozawa Onsen Kikaku operates boutique lodging and food & beverage facilities in Nozawa Onsen Village, including the ski-in/ski-out Nozawa Onsen Lodge (a 1969 heritage building designed by architect Takamasa Yoshizaka), the upcoming boutique hotel mont (opening January 2026 in a 100-year-old renovated ryokan), Music Bar GURUGURU, and the Musubiba rice ball shop. It complements hospitality with year-round seasonal experience programs (summer camp, mushroom hunting, beech forest trekking, Taiwanese medicinal hot pot) and provides regional revitalization and area-development consulting services aimed at addressing rural depopulation in shrinking Japanese mountain villages.

Product overview

Nozawa Onsen Kikaku operates a diversified regional development portfolio centered on hospitality and experiential tourism in Nozawa Onsen Village, Nagano Prefecture. The core offering is Nozawa Onsen Lodge (野沢温泉ロッヂ), a historic ski-in/ski-out accommodation built in 1969 by architect Takamasa Yoshizaka, complemented by the new boutique hotel 'mont' opening January 2026 in a renovated 100-year-old ryokan. Supporting services include Music Bar GURUGURU, seasonal experience programs (SUP, mountain biking, mushroom picking, forest trekking), children's summer camp programs, and the rice ball shop むすびば. The company pursues a circular economy approach to regional development, utilizing idle facilities to strengthen tourism, promote migration, and create year-round employment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 野沢温泉ロッヂ (Nozawa Onsen Lodge): A historic lodge operated by Nozawa Onsen Kikaku, located 1 minute from the main gondola at Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort. The egg-shaped building was designed in 1969 by architect Takamasa Yoshizaka, a disciple of Le Corbusier. Offers accommodation in condominium, apartment, and dormitory-style rooms with a shared lounge and simple breakfast.
• mont
• Music Bar GURUGURU
• むすびば

Products and services

• Nozawa Onsen Lodge (野沢温泉ロッヂ) Year-round ski-in/ski-out lodge accommodation located 1 minute from the main gondola at Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort. Room types include condominiums (5-8 guests, dog-friendly, with kitchen/shower/toilet), Heidi/Studio apartments (4-8 guests), and dormitory/lodge rooms/penthouse (1-4 guests). Includes shared lounge and continental breakfast service for guests.
• Boutique Hotel mont Boutique hotel accommodation in a renovated 100-year-old ryokan in the center of Nozawa Onsen Village, themed around the 'circulation' (循環) of mountain blessings, water, fire, and culture. Combines traditional local fire-festival and hot-spring culture with modern hospitality across space, food, and beverages.
• Music Bar GURUGURU Music bar offering craft gin, natural wines, beer, highballs, and light food (raisin butter, cheese platter). Features curated music by Jazzy Sport record label and analog ALTEC Model 19 speaker vinyl playback. Also showcases rotating art exhibitions from local photographers and artists. Open 17:00-22:00, closed Tuesdays.
• Continental Breakfast Service Continental breakfast served to lodge guests as part of the accommodation offering, plus optional special dining plans including the Taiwanese Medicinal Hot Pot (UMAMI薬膳鍋) from ¥6,000 per meal with a minimum of 4 servings, using local vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, pork belly, and chicken with a medicinal soup base.
• Summer Camp Program Multi-day seasonal camp programs for elementary school children (grades 1-6) combining nature education, cultural experiences, and life-skill development. Activities include SUP, vegetable harvesting, campfire cooking, forest exploration, gondola access, and full meal service. Priced per child inclusive of accommodation, meals, activities, and insurance.
• Autumn Living Experience Package 1-night 2-day autumn experience package including mushroom hunting (2 hours), mushroom dinner, beech forest trekking, accommodation, and meals. Two pricing variants: Family Package (¥20,000 for 1 adult + 1 child) and Adult Package (¥28,000 for 2 adults). Seasonal availability in October-November.
• Musubiba Rice Ball Shop (むすびば) Rice ball retail shop using rice grown in Nozawa Onsen, operated at the long-running Nozawa Onsen Morning Market (朝市). Represents the company's first physical food & beverage retail venture and supports local food culture promotion.
• Regional Revitalization and Area Development Consulting Consulting services in architecture, real estate, and area development — including planning, development, and operation — plus town-making and regional revitalization consulting. Targeted at communities addressing depopulation and idle-property challenges, leveraging the company's hospitality operating model in Nozawa Onsen Village and beyond (Miyota Town, Noshiro City, Tango Peninsula, Komatsu City, Marugame City).

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• 野沢温泉マウンテンリゾート観光局 (Nozawa Onsen Mountain Resort Tourism Bureau)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2024Co-initiated the 'Nozawa Onsen Ambassador Program' with 8 ambassadors including former ski cross World Cup athlete Yuki Ota and Kenji Kohashi. The program aims to promote the village year-round (both ski and green seasons) and increase visitor numbers by creating 'relationship villagers.'
• 三菱地所株式会社 (Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2023Co-organized the 'Our Town-Making Summit in Nozawa Onsen' (わたしたちのまちづくりサミット in 野沢温泉) as part of the 'Watamachi Summit Executive Committee.' The summit brought together regional revitalization practitioners from across Japan. Mitsubishi Estate's 'Meguru-Meku Project' focuses on creating rich relationships between regions and cities through food and agriculture.
• 株式会社三菱地所設計 (Mitsubishi Estate Design Co., Ltd.)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2023Co-organized the 'Our Town-Making Summit in Nozawa Onsen' as part of the 'Watamachi Summit Executive Committee.' Provides urban development and town-making planning expertise alongside Nozawa Onsen Kikaku and Mitsubishi Estate.
• 株式会社NEWLOCAL (NewLocal Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Related company (関係会社) and co-founder entity. NewLocal was founded by 石田 遼 (one of Nozawa Onsen Kikaku's representative directors) and operates as a regional revitalization startup with a mission of 'creating happy scenarios from the region.' NewLocal and Nozawa Onsen Kikaku jointly develop hotel and lodging operations in Nozawa Onsen Village and other regions (Miyota Town, Noshiro City, Tango Peninsula, Komatsu City, Marugame City).
• nozawagreenfield.com (External activity operator)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal SUP tour operator linked from the lodge website for lake activities. The lodge recommends this partner for SUP experiences on Lake Hokuryuko and directs guests to book through nozawagreenfield.com.
• compasshouse.jp (External cycling operator)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal mountain biking and E-bike operator recommended on the lodge website. Links guests to compasshouse.jp for cycling experiences in the Nozawa Onsen summer season.
• TURNS (Regional revitalization platform)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a cooperation partner (協力) for the 'Our Town-Making Summit in Nozawa Onsen' event, helping to promote and distribute the regional revitalization summit.
• 野沢温泉蒸留所 (Nozawa Onsen Distillery)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsor (協賛) of the 'Our Town-Making Summit' and a local producer featured in bar GURUGURU's menu. The distillery's craft gin is served at GURUGURU and is recognized internationally for its design and quality.
• Jazzy Sport (Record label)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic production partner for Music Bar GURUGURU. Jazzy Sport produces the bar's music programming and regularly hosts DJ events. The bar showcases and sells art from photographers and artists connected to Nozawa Onsen.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Snow Peak: Japanese outdoor lifestyle brand originating in the Sanpo region with growing hospitality (camp fields, resort properties) and experience-program businesses. Comparable as a Japan-born premium outdoor brand that has begun monetizing its lifestyle into lodging and experience IP.
• Relux: Booking platform specializing in Japanese boutique hotels, ryokans, and high-end lodging. Comparable as a channel/ecosystem peer serving the same experience-led traveler segment that Nozawa Onsen Kikaku targets.

Others

• Mokumoku Tezukuri Farm: Agri-tourism and regional revitalization operator in rural Mie Prefecture combining farm experiences, F&B, retail, and lodging. Adjacent peer — demonstrates a parallel Japanese model of converting rural communities into year-round experiential destinations through hospitality integration.

Broad incumbents

• Hoshino Resorts: Japan's largest boutique resort operator, running Hoshinoya luxury ryokans, ski resorts, and lifestyle hotels including properties in ski destinations. Directly comparable as a Japanese experience-led hospitality group with rural and resort-area properties, but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• JTB Corp: Japan's largest travel services conglomerate with deep inbound and domestic tourism distribution capabilities. Comparable as a broader incumbent that competes for the same Japanese tourism demand and partnership mindshare (e.g., with Mitsubishi Estate and regional governments).

Direct peers

• NewLocal: Regional revitalization company co-founded by Nozawa Onsen Kikaku's co-founder Ishida Ryo, operating the same idle-property-to-hospitality playbook across multiple Japanese regions. Most directly comparable given shared founders, shared operating model, and shared community-development thesis.
• Gora Kadan: Iconic luxury ryokan operator in Hakone that pioneered the high-end Japanese boutique hot-spring inn format. Comparable as a heritage-property-driven, experience-led, year-round onsen hospitality business targeting cultural travelers.
• Kagaya: Long-established Japanese onsen ryokan group repeatedly ranked among the country's top traditional inns. Comparable in operating model (heritage ryokan-style accommodation, F&B, seasonal experience programming) and target guest (experience-led domestic and inbound travelers).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/nozawaonsen_lodge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nozawa Onsen Kikaku