With the snow comes a great deal of seasonal work to staff the Hotels, Restaurants & Lifts etc. to the point where at peak season there are 286 winter workers carrying out a variety of duties. The local rice farmers tend to congregate as lift/gondola attendants in the winter while their spouses may help out as either a cook, day care attendant or cleaner. Such a solid base each year is complemented by young urbanites from all over Japan who are searching for fresh powder, room & board, & winter social life supported with some spending money. At the end of the white season, a big party is held to thank these people for their efforts before they depart to get on with other parts of life.

The second thing done is throw another party, a little bit more upscale, to say thank you to all the businesses that we worked with throughout the white season. As you can imagine with a large resort, it is difficult to get all of the businesses that it deals with together at the same time. Hosting such an event permits the resort to focus on suppliers etc. to make sure that they are happy and willing to continue to cooperate.

Having been thoroughly partied out, attention diverts to the white season infrastructure. Everything needs to be cleaned, counted, sorted and put safely away. Such a process starts below the base of the mountain, where heavy machinery used in clearing the private access roads of snow during winter are gradually taken out of service. The dormitory services are then scaled back around about the same time that one of the three hotels is shut down for the summer. Rental equipment in the village is stored and both drink vending machines and buildings are adjusted to cool rather than heat. Uniforms are returned, itemized, repaired, dry-cleaned and stored. As the snow line recedes above the base, chairs are removed from the lower lifts and stored with nets and poles. Snow grooming equipment is also gradually taken out of service and with it the chairs on the upper lifts as well as the gondola cars. Snow Mobiles are returned to their base along with all the winter equipment used on the mountain. White season eateries in the village and on various parts of the mountain are de-stocked, cleaned and subject to a cessation of electricity, gas and water.

25 of the resorts full-time employees work year round on the mountain, though their uniforms tend to change with the seasons. These employees are divided into four groups that concentrate on development, maintenance of the lifts/gondola, mountain or heavy machinery.

In an earlier volume of the setting journals, I interviewed one of the ski patrollers, Ko Tanaka, who in the summer transforms into a developer involved with design and construction of new runs on the mountain. Ko-san liaises between the local construction companies and the overseas course architects to make sure that work is carried out on time and according to various governmental specifications.

The mountain work revolves around taming the dense forest and grass. On any given day during the green season there can be up to fifteen different staff members using equipment to tame the grass and or weeds. Heavy clothing and goggles are required for these brave souls must contend with heat, occasionally snakes and perhaps even a wayward bear. Needless to say, at lunchtime extra chilled barley tea is laid on to help such workers replenish fluids lost from working on the mountain under a hot sun.

The lifts/gondola people actually are under a very strict schedule to carry out maintenance within the timeframe of the green season each year. There is so much work to be done to ensure the safety of the winter guests, that even if enough snow fell to open early for the winter, it might not be possible given the amount of maintenance required.

The Grooming people don't have it much better. First, they have to biologically adjust time-clocks from working graveyard shifts during the winter to daytime shifts in the summer. Then, maintenance on heavy machinery is carried out, again with the first signs of snow signaling that work should be finishing up. I've been told that out of all the jobs here, grooming at night is one of the loneliest and challenging mentally.

Finding urbanites who are searching for fresh powder, room & board, & winter social life supported with some spending money each Autumn is a major organizational challenge, especially when you need 286 of them! Fortunately, things are made easier by returning staff that have spent summers in New Zealand for example as well as stalwart local rice farmers and residents. To support these people, groups of full-time staff members travel to major cities of Japan where interviews are held.

Back at the mountain, everything needs to be taken out, cleaned once again and put into place for the first snow. Heavy machinery that has now been serviced is put back to work. Dormitory services are expanded and room assignments etc. made. The third Hotel is jump started again. Rental equipment is brought back to the village and both drink vending machines and buildings are adjusted to heat rather than cool. Uniforms are organized for each separate section. Chairs are attached to the lifts. Poles are sorted and bamboo stakes used to support the nets are painted (so that skiers/boarders can see where the edge of the courses are in the middle of winter). Snow grooming equipment is activated and groomers begin working nights again. Snow Mobiles are returned to the mountain from the motorcycle shops that serviced them. White season eateries in the village and on various parts of the mountain are stocked, cleaned and re-connected to electricity, gas and water.

With the preparations taken care of and the winter workers arrival, old friendships are restored and new one's are begun. It's time for the party season to start and the lack of sleep to begin. But then, who had time to rest during the green season anyways?

In Volume 5 of the setting journals I plan to take a closer look at various issues surrounding preparations for the coming white season. Until then, have a good one, eh?