Metabo Oyaji

Budoh?

End of July, they say. I think it is down to just the T-lift by then.

I like Robert Campbell. Smart and humble. Of course being a talent isn't his day job, he's really a university professor who does some moonlighting on quiz shows and news programs. There was another occasional news commentator on economics issues I used to like as well, though don't remember his name and haven't seen him in a while. Again, not really a talent, more of a commentator. As for full-time talents, Shane Camus seemed rather likeable, though only seem to see him in newspaper ads any more. That guitar-playing Eric guy (my kid called him "Eric Oniisan") who used to be on

I love it when certain gaijin talents try to introduce to us all the latest trends back in the Old Country, when they haven't even lived there for 20-30 years themselves. (Thinking Dave Spector or Pakkun, for example.) What makes them experts? Most likely, of course, they have just been handed material by one of the show's scriptwriters who happens to be handy with the internet.

According to the infallible Wikipedia, it has been open year-round since 2010. Double-header with Zao for you, perhaps?

Okubo's mom sure looked surprised. In a happy way.

Cheers, guys. It would be interesting to see other reports as the season progresses, to see how how the place evolves over the season. (The kid is actually lobbying to go back again this season, though I don't think the probability of that happening is high.)

I want one of those momijis. Actually used to have a little darker-colored one, but the dog ate it.

Stodge with custard sauce. We didn't get jam. But: :yummy:

What does it mean? He provides you spare toilet paper during your trip in exchange for a bribe of a carton of cigarettes?

There from.

I remember a story from some country a while back, where a cancerous eyeball was to be removed, but the good one was taken out instead, leaving the patient completely blind in the end. Then there was the baby's fingers cut off accidentally by a nurse here a few years back... Would not want to be on the receiving end of any of these stories.

I persevered, and can give you the summary: Human are nasty creatures, and everything they touch turns to crap, including even the Earth itself. Even when they think they are creating something sublime, or doing something brave or noble, it turns out to serve nefarious ends or otherwise have negative repercussions in the future. At least, that is what I got out of it. (Plus something about teeth.)

Yes, it looks like the southern part of Route 2 from there over the mountains is closed in winter, so you have to come at it from the Yonezawa side. (It is apparently possible to get to Yonezawa from Aizu via Route 121 even in winter though, if that is what you are asking.)

Yes, should have been a warning sign. That and George Clooney. Couldn't have hurt.

12 Years a Slave, disappointing. Gravity, even more so.

Holy crap, Chriselle, where did you find that vet?

Oh no, Goz. That's just so sad to hear. What kind of dog was she?

Most of the ski areas that I've ever been to seem to have some kind of ski-in ski-out accommodation. If you include "short walk to slopes," the number is even larger. What is harder to find is places one can also go out for dinner instead of staying in, unless you have a car (in which case I suppose it is almost always possible). Do you require that?

Cheers, guys. The steepest part reaches 32 degrees, up at the top bit we didn't make it to. Not a "kabe" by any means, but should be good fun when conditions permit. Definitely on the list to check out again some time, anyway.

The sticker looks like this (stolen from someone else's web site): That's what you get for paying the parking fee/donation towards conservation efforts. There are also some other designs for sale in the base building, but they are all silly rip-offs of other commercial logos, so didn't seem worth shelling out for. For example, there is one design that is a rip-off of the Nissan logo (which itself looks like a rip-off of the London tube logo), with "gassan" in place of "nissan." That sort of thing.

MRI's...CT scans, ultrasounds are for humans, not for pets. If my future dogs go down lame to this degree I will stick with traditional methods and if those don't improve his condition I will do the humane thing and put him down. I just spent $2000 for my own totally selfish peace of mind.....to know that "I" wasn't the cause for his suffering. I came to that realization yesterday while I was helping to hold Tio down for all the poking, pricking, and prodding while he was intent on biting me for betraying his trust in me...or that's how it seemed anyway. F'ing broke my heart. For my wif

I remember you mentioning having a good impression of the place, DiGriz. The distance may become shorter when they finish the new expressway in the next couple of years.

Tengendai Kogen is at a fairly high altitude, with the base at 1300 meters, and the top around 1800. The top was socked in all day, so we did not make it up there. The bottom half is pretty well developed, even sporting a pension mura. We got in a couple of hours of skiing/boarding before the weather turned bad again, and it was... surprisingly good! First of all, the snow quality was better than it had been at Gassan the previous day. The snow was firmer, with just enough looseness on the top layer, to make the whole thing feel... almost floaty, if that makes any sense. Effortless ca

The second (and final) stop on our Golden Week tour was Tengendai Kogen, in Yonezawa, Yamagata. The weather forecast for that day was... not so great. Wind and rain setting in. Was tempted to take in some historical sites instead, but the kid was adamant about trying somewhere new, even if the weather sucked. Doesn't take much to convince me, so off we went. Went through Shirabu Onsen, to the base of the Tengendai Ropeway. Surprisingly small parking lot. Rain was falling in fits, but decided to go all cats and dogs while we were riding the ropeway up. Wind also kicked in, s