KRUSTY

Possibly Thursday may be refering to this quote which I read on this forum about a week ago.... "A good trick for skiing the arvo is to stand next to the electronic pass return machine and offer someone returning their pass the 1000 yen deposit. Go ride and then collect your 1000 yen when you return the pass. Free arvo skiing/boarding!" A member on this forum telling others how to use a loophole in the ticket system to get a free afternoons skiing is something that I dont consider is particularly cool. I see that there are weekly giveaways on Snow Japan of lift passes etc which Im gu

I think tday has got a point and I agree with him. I read a post recently on this forum which mentioned how to get a cheap afternoons skiing by buying lift passes off people when they go to get a refund after lunch. Ill admit Ive also done it in the past and also a number of other methods but I think Id be too embarassed to do it now. Sure its no financial loss to the ski resort and everyone who does it can come up with some lame reason about how theres nothing wrong with doing it but these people who do it are just basically really cheap. Im sure that there are Japanese that also do it but th

If investing in Japan then possibly "uridashi" Bonds are possibly the best way to go. I dont know alot about them but they are basically bonds purchased in another countries currency the most popular being N.Z and Australian currency and they make interest as they would in that countries bank. eg if in N.Z $ about 7.5%. I dont know what kind of fees are charged and there will also be a loss/gain depending on the exchange rate but will still be better than any term deposit in a bank in Japan. If your sending money home you might want to look at hifx.com They dont charge commision and the rate

Turned up to work at Kurohime on the 25th Dec, back in about 1996. Wasnt enough snow to open then but it arrived just in time for New Year and had a good season. 1998 wasnt that great for snow though. Some years it comes sooner than others but when its late people tend to worry that its going to be a bad season. The snow will come, just need some patience.

Probably would depend on the resort manager and also on how well known these "pros" are. On a few occasions when I was working on resorts and had pros turn up usually we have known a few days in advance and the resort manager was contacted by the Japanese importer/distributor of the company the pros were sponsored by. When the riders arrived the importer had sent someone to translate and also to deal with the resort. If I remember correctly they got complimentary passes but their manager paid the resort for groomer to build a couple of jumps and for use of the snowmobile etc. If a snowboard co

Working as a liftie in Japan can be a good experience. My first job when I arrived was working on the lifts at Shiga Kogen and we were looked after really well. It could get boring at times but it was a small lift company with only a couple of lifts and we spent a lot of time doing other jobs while the Japanese staff worked the lifts. In those days there were quite a few Kiwis/Aussies working for resorts in Nagano but I think once the olympics finished and also with the trouble that a few of them caused, the resorts lost interest in employing them. A couple of Aussies got deported for stealin

There will probably be different import duties depending not only from the materials but also the finished product and if similar products are made in Japan then the import duty will probably be higher. Last year I sent two buses to New Zealand and on one bus I had to pay 12.5% but on the other I had to pay 12.5% plus an additional 17% as it was set up for camping(bed,sink,toilet etc). The 17% is there to try to protect the local motorhome industry so the country isnt flooded with cheaper imports. The rate of duty also changes depending on where the item is being sent from as your country ma

Hey Panhead Pete, I dont want to sound like a dream squasher as well but are you really serious about starting a business? On another topic you wrote about how you want to start a business and work for yourself which makes me think that you have never been self employed before. If you havent had your own business why would you consider starting one in a country you have never been to, before trying it first in your home country. Do you have any idea about taxation/regulations/insurance and permits required to start up a bar in Japan. Sure with the building prices being as cheap as they are in

Went to my Wifes friends wedding in Nagano city last year and there was a older European guy doing the service. Did it all in Japanese and I kinda have to admit that he did a pretty good job considering the very artifical chappel that it was in. Dont know how religious he was but saw him a few weeks later at lake Nojiri and a friend told me he was involved with the "Gaijin Village" which was started by Missionaries some time before the war. So I guess there might be a slight chance that he could possibly be a "real" Priest.

I was working at this place for a couple of months at the start of winter and due to the amount of snow this year we only just finished in time for the tyre and car companies to move in. http://www.shpg.co.nz/index.htm Totally blew me away with the amount of $$$$spent on facilities, equipment and snowmaking.

Ive only worked with the two most common types of snow making, air/water and fan/water systems and I havent worked in the Industry for a couple of seasons now so Im not up with the lastest technology. There always concern from various enviromental groups about snowmaking and possible damage it could do in spring regarding the thousands of litres of added water created when the snow melted and possible adverse affects it could have on streams, rivers etc. I havent heard any thing about slow-melting snow. I have snowboarded at Karuizawa on a really short slope in November some years back which

I havent really studied snow as much as I should of considering my life use to revolve around the stuff. I dont think man made will last any longer or pack down any differently than natural snow if the original crystals of both are simalar regardless of wether any additive(eg snomax) in the man made snow has been used or not. I think grooming has a lot to do with snow pack as the tiller(the rotor on the back of the groomer which spins) smashes the snow and although it helps with ice it can be over used and destroys snow crystals. When driving the groomer you can adjust the depth of the snow be

Man-made snow can be made as soft/light as natural snow but its not economical to do so. Its a balance between quality and quantity. When you make it you want to make as much snow per hour as possible by making heavier/wetter snow. It could be made lighter but you would probably end up with about 30% of the volume of snow than if you made it wetter. It costs the same per hour to make and you can groom the man-made snow in with natural snow so you wouldnt really know the difference. Somtimes really wet snow is made around the areas where you get on and off the lift on purpose to make the area

Try this.... http://list4.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/25238-category-leaf.html?alocale=0jp&mode=2&apg=1 If it doesnt work do a search for "SKIDOO" and you should be able to find a few.

I work in the Film Industry. I work stupid hours but theres usually lots of down time between different films. Ive only worked for a total of about 12 weeks this year but its more finacially rewarding than if I worked an entire year in Japan. A lot more fun too although one day Ill get sick of it and move on to something else.

My work day is usually based on 12 hours but I never usually work less than 14 hours minimum. This year my longest working day has been 32 hours straight and my biggest week has been 116 hours.

Good to see someone who has spent a reasonable amount of time living in Japan deciding to invest in Hakuba. Someone who probably by now would have a reasonable understanding of Japanese society/culture and has experienced and had to deal with the cultural differences/problems that non-Japanese face. I could go on and give examples but I would hope most of you reading this know what I mean. I have nothing against these people who are planning on "living their dreams" and I honestly wish them well in following them. A lot of these people who seem to be interested in Hakuba are comming from a

Putting a bevel on the base edge is is totally fine and is common practise amongst competitive skiers and snowboarders. When working in the Ski industry in the North Island of New Zealand where the snow could often be described as "Bulletproof" putting a bevel on the base of a ski/board usually makes it a bit more forgiving and less chance of catching an edge while still allowing the full edge to be sharp. Its all personal preference but an example is giving the out side edge a 2 or 3 degree base bevel at the tip blending through to 1 degree under the bindings and the rest of the ski untill cl

I use to work in a Harley customising shop in Nagano back in about 1997. Nothing too extreme just mainly taking off original parts and bolting on accessories from the States, servicing, etc. Harleys hold their prices pretty well in Japan but I have seen 2nd hand bikes exported to New Zealand to be resold so there must be some good deals out there. But for some strange reason I have heard comments about H.D's imported from Japan that somepeople(probably redneck bikers) wont touch them. Wouldnt suprise me if some Aussie bikers are the same. As others have said Yahoo is probably the best chance o

Cant go wrong with Snobeds. A great place to stay and Mitch who runs the place will be able to give you lots of good advice on places to go. Im thinking if I havent got any work in Jan/Feb Ill probably go to Hakuba for a couple of months or more next winter as well. Hopefully there will be a good crew of people to ride with.

My Japanese wife and I returned to N.Z to live about 4 years ago. We had been married a for a couple of years before we returned which probably helped and had to provide a certificate of character(from the Japanese police) and a medical certificate. Also provided photos of us together on holidays etc to help prove we were in a stable relationship. Also had to provide the marriage certificates as well. Had to have a meeting with an immigration officer(which was very relaxed) and pay about $700 dollars for her residency visa. Since you arent married yet you may be able to get her a visa which

This topic brings back a few memories. I use to groom the run next to the halfpipe at Happo a few years back. There was talk then of closing it because management considered it too big for the average boarder/skier and were thinking about building a smaller pipe to encourage more of the average skilled riders to use it. But Ive been told a couple of years back that area of Happo(Nakiyama) was sold so I guess the new owners condidered the costs of maintaining the pipe too high. A bit of a shame because it was a good pipe when it was cut properly. And now it doesnt really suprise me that Kanbaya

Yeah I worked in Shigakogen and in Hakuba Grooming and snowmaking and I would probably have gone back to Hakuba again as it was a great job but the area I worked at got bought out by another lift company and they dont want to employ foreigners.

Back in New Zealand now. Just spent the past season as a Snowboard Instructor and now looking foward to having a summer. I usually keep an eye on this site just to see how the winters going but it often makes me wish I was back there riding some good snow. Probably be back there at some stage as Ive got family/friends in Nagano but at the moment Im happy living at the beach. Have a good winter, Krusty

In general the Grooming in Japan is pretty good with a lot of drivers taking pride in what they do but at some resorts the job may not be as good as it could due to lack of experience/new drivers, time constraints, visibilty etc. In previous years Ive worked at various resorts in Nagano and the snow at this time of year is usually easy to groom if theres a good base. Grooming isnt as easy as most people think with a lot of concentration required usually over long periods of time. As the snow base gets deeper the grooming will also improve as there will be more snow to push around to make t