Blogs from Nagano, Japan, Asia - page 18

Hakuba - White Xmas In Japan We arrived in Hakuba on Friday 21st December after a 4.5 hour bus from Tokyo - we were expecting some snow when we arrived into Hakuba as its the busy time of year for the Ski Resorts - We werent disappointed as the snow had been falling heavily for the last couple days which meant I nearly disappeared when I got out of the bus.!! Its like nearly 3 feet deep an Im wearing a hooded top so yet again its away shopping for warmer clothes. We contacted our lodge owner who had said he would pick us up at bus station - when we arrived at the lodge is was just the postcard picture we were hoping for - as you can see from the picture. Even better when ... read more

I 've walked Nakasendo(from Nihonbashi, Tokyo to Sanjo-ohashi, Kyoto) from March 2007. Nakasendo is road the center of Honshu. It's about 533.9kms(by the Nakasendo book). What a long way!!! But, to walk Nakasendo to goal Kyoto is my challenge. I try it. I live in near Tokyo. So my start point is Nihonbashi, Tokyo. From now on, I 'll write about Nakasendo. See U soon;-) PS　I　tooked pictures below when I walked in Nakasendo. These are my favorite pictures. And, these picture are last month. ... read more

So after we left Tokyo, we took a train to Nagano, the city that hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics and also well known for the Japanese Snow Monkeys that bathes in the onsen with the humans. The city is also famous for the 3rd largest Buddhist temple in Japan (Senkoji) and soba noodles. Awesome. So we checked into a Ryokan right after we arrived, and walked around the city. The city is small, with it's main road leading from the train station to Senkoji, a 30 minute walk. Along the street are shops in traditional japanese buildings and a few small temples here and there. We stopped in a shop and tried some soba, and I must say it's really really good. By the time we got to the temple, it was getting dark. Lonely Planet ... read more

Every month, every week, every day, every hour. It's never the same. Sometimes I long to be back in Canada. Other days I am just so excited for the next festival or weekend trip. Then there are the days when I just want to sit at home and enjoy my lack of work-related stress. Of course, it's to be expected that a year working in a completely different country and culture will draw varying thoughts and feelings. It's the vast range of them and extreme contrasts within short periods of time that are a little disconcerting at times. The past month or so provides very good examples of some of this roller-coaster ride. A few weeks ago, ACC had some pretty significant staff turnover. I didn't expect that people coming and going would affect me too ... read more

14th January 2007 Board- check, Boots- check, Bindings- check, warm clothes- check, beanie- check, bum pads- check. I was set. My board is beautiful and of course my pants coordinate with the colours on my board, which coordinates with the pattern and colours on my bag. Hey, at least I look the part. My first experience of snowboarding took place at Fuji 10 ski resort, near Narusawa at the base of Mt Fuji. (Wicked!!) Night skiing starts at 5, and is apparently better coz less people and cheaper, so this is what we did. I was scared, excited, nervous and apprehensive (do you get the picture?) but had prepared myself for frustration and total embarassment. I was told it wouldnt be easy, I was told I would hate it and want to give up, I was ... read more