Blogs from Hakuba, Nagano, Japan, Asia

It snowed last night and this is our last chance to hit up Cortina. Cortina is a little ways away and we take the train to get there. We are told to get off at Minima, which is the same place we got off when we transferred to go to the coast. Then a shuttle bus will pick us up from the train station and take us up to the ski hill. When we arrive at Cortina, we are greeted with a big Sweden-looking hotel. I think it's a bit overkill. This place reminds me of Banff, it is busy and full of tourists. Beginners slide and fall through the areas where they are all filtered together. We quickly line up to get our day pass and get a combo pass that will include this resort, ... read more

It is calling for pouring rain today and the freezing level is very high. We don't want to go out on the hill today, so we decide to hit up the Japanese Sea coast instead. Brad says that this weather system is common right before a big storm. They get rain, then wind, then loads of snow. It sounds like we might miss the next big dump though because we will have to head back to Tokyo. Hopefully we get some snow to ride Cortina though. We make some breakfast and are at the train station nice and early to catch a train to Itoigawa. When we leave the hotel, it is sunny outside, but we grab some umbrellas to prepare for the future. We buy our train tickets and it isn't very expensive (840 yen ... read more

Happy Valentine's Day! In Japan, the woman gives the man chocolate for Valentine's Day. I tried to secretly buy Darren some chocolate, but it is difficult when he is always around. I got him some chocolate covered almonds and some other chocolates that resemble Mt. Fuji. I tell him that he needs to share. It is the present that gives back. Today we are off to Happo One. We first eat breakfast at our hotel. Yogourt and granola. It is really good and Darren wants to have this for many more breakfasts. We catch the shuttle bus to Happo One. This ski resort is one of the larger ones in Hakuba. In 1998, Hakuba partially hosted the Winter Olympics and the ski jumps are located at this resort. This resort has its claim to fame and ... read more

I wake up an hour before the alarm and am wide awake. I still haven't adjusted to Japan time. When Darren gets up we repack our things and head out. We decided last night to not worry about breakfast as most places are closed this early in the morning. We pack all of our luggage onto the train at the Okubo station. We are happy to see that the train isn't packed full. We only have to go one stop to the Shinjuku station. From here we have to find the Shinjuku Express Bus Terminal. We decided to use the bus system since the train doesn't save much time and costs more. We are deceived by the signs to the bus terminal and finally end up above ground and lost. We kind of know where we ... read more

My fifth trip to Japan was to be different. A winter holiday, a white (post) Christmas, and the chance to polish up on my fledgling and fairly recent cross country and back country ski trekking skills. Having thought the next trip would be cycling in Cambodia, a dose of the travel blues after Africa ended sent my decision otherwise. Reframing the importance of facing new challenges each day, I set out seeking information for a New Years in the Nagano alp region of Honshuu and to visit both Chihiro and Hiroshi again Several emails to and from and between a friend of this hotel owner and that pension owner, and my itinerary came together as swiftly as the snow was to fall a month later. So I left Auckland, settled into a shorter than expected 11 ... read more