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onehunga

SnowJapan Member
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Posts posted by onehunga

  1. I went though the same checking, trying to find places within a few hours of Yokohama. The issue though is not so much where to go, but when can you go. If you head off on the weekend, be prepared to share the road with 10's of thousand's other people also heading to the snow.

     

    According to Mr Google it's 3 hours from my place to Mt Granview (well worth the visit), on a Sunday morning it took me just under 3 hours to get there, but on the way home, it took 6 hours.

  2. As Mr W says, for four people hiring a car would probably be cheaper and easier.

     

    How about Kusatsu for a place to go, it's reasonably close to Tokyo, although it does mean a drive up Tubby's favorite highway.

     

    Kusatsu is much more of an onsen town than a ski town. I can't recommend any hotels though, when we go we stay in a company owned apartment. There is a hotel right beside the apartment, the Kusatsu Now Resort hotel. We have used the onsen there when the apartment on was being renovated, it's very nice. The hotel also has a nice big pool. Have no idea about the rooms.

     

    As far a snow goes in Dec, probably only the top part of the mountain will be open. MichRich was there a few years back in late Dec and wrote a review.

     

    Edit: If you need help twisting anyones arm about getting a car and heading to Kusatsu, you can mention that one way of getting back to Tokyo from Kusatsu can be via the big outlet mall at Karuizawa. It's a big outlet mall that I've been told has just been expanded again.

  3. Not specifically iphone but I don't really understand this sim free thing.

    Can someone explain it simply for a dunce like me?

    :)

    SIM free is when you buy a phone, without a contract from a phone company. You buy just the phone, no SIM card. At this point the phone is useless as a phone, until you put a SIM card in it can't connect to the network and make calls.

    There are a number of reasons to do this,

    1. You own the phone, so can move between phone companies if you get contract from the company that doesn't tie you to a fixed period.

    2. The phones come unlocked, so can be used on different networks.

    3. Reduces the monthly cost of your phone bill because you are not paying off the phone, although you do have to pay for the phone in one lump sum when buying it.

  4. I spent a lot of time last year researching roof boxes, hours looking at websites and brochures. In the end went for the cheapest :-)

     

    I've got an Inno (BR33BK) one. Only opens on one side, one of the reasons it's cheaper than the others. The opening isn't that big, so really large items won't fit in. When using it I put light weight stuff in it and keep the heavy stuff for the car.

     

    My car has aero bars on it so we had to spend extra to get different attaching clips. Except for the really expensive ones most boxes are designed to go on square bars.

  5. My laptop has the click of death and is now unusable……….after me saying about "I don't need to back stuff up!" in the other thread, I've kinda realized that I do….or did!! :doh:

    All my silly files that I used for work, that I didn't really think were important, turned out they were and I use em much more than I thought…..bugger! :(

    Tubby, if the laptop won't work and you need the data, the best option is to remove the hard drive. Once removed go to the local computer store and get a cradle/housing for it. Turns the hard drive into a large external USB drive. You can then plug it into another computer and get your data off.

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  6. I knew about the low birth rate and the chance Japanese people would be extinct years ago, didn't know the same was happening ig South Korea. I used to use the chance of becoming extinct in voice class at NOVA. Most of the students didn't believe me, untill I put a series of stick figures up on the white board to show how 20 couples and their descendants who only had one child would eventually end up with one left.

  7. Driving observations from the UK:

     

    UK drivers in general are way more aggressive and unforgiving than in Japan. Bit like society in general I suppose.

     

    Roundabouts. When you become not used to them living in Japan for quite a while and combined with above point, big mega-roundabouts in particular can actually be a bit scary!

    For us continentel people there is always the fact of driving on the wrong side of the street , as you we'll know we drive on the right side of the street!!!!

     

    You might drive on the right side of the road, but we drive on the correct side of the road :lol:

  8. In general I'm okay with blood, but puke is another thing entirely. I just have to hear someone throwing up and I want to as well.

     

    Chriselle, while wanting to pass out at the sight of blood isn't the best thing, what does seem to be important is that you were able to choke down the felling and help out when needed.

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