zwelgen

done done done and yes yes yes Once a cheater always a cheater. Sure they might change but in my experience probably not.

After 18 months I went home and put on 4 kilos in 3 weeks. I didnt care and it soon came off after I got back to Japan

scones and jam and cream - oh my! Nah i was talking more about not going pell mell down the mountain getting back on the lift and doing it againandagainandagain. More hiking etc as its less injury prone and Ill need the fitness when my metabolism packs up

Yo Mandaism. I would seriously suggest that you might wanna pare back what youre taking. Im going back to NZ in about a month after 3 years here and started packing and much to my surprise dont have that much stuff. Ok I am the ultra light packer and ruthless throw out stuff but you really dont need as much as you might think and youre going to buy lots of stuff anyway. Ive got a 20kg weight limit and Im not too worried. Having said this you are the international move master so Im sure you dont need much help! From experiences of other people leaving Japan with lots of baggage can be tou

Oze Iwakura, Nearest big town is Numata. Ahh the memories, good times good times. I was a sweet little 19 year old

If you read Japanese you can get some decent deals on yahoo.co.jp go to the 旅行　section and then go down to the 3rd one which is something about 安い tix and then whack in your dates etc. One thing I like about it is that you can look at the calendar and see how the prices fare, eg for a flight Im looking at one day is 45,000 and the next 67,000 which is helpful to know! You can then get a look at the cheapest prices and call the company direct. Pretty simple but if you dont do kanji then dont bother

I think Ill be more into touring than resort stuff in middle age, but then maybe back to resorts when Im old and decrepit and cant hike. With a busted knee already Im just hoping that I dont get all twisted up with arthritis and have to hang up the planks early.

If the jets in your town dont ski then strongly encourage them too. I am proud to say that Ive lead a few people to the holy grail of winter sports, even if they did all board Also Japanese people in your town should be into it. Just let everyone know that youlove2ski and youll find some people to share the petrol costs with.

I think its funny when Im talking to little kids and when I get them to guess where Im from someone will ALWAYS say "gaikoku!". I think its so odd that 9 year olds think that gaikoku is a country.

I got a job through some contacts in the Japanese department at Vic university where I was studying. It really is about who you know so make as many Japanese friends you can, talk to people, see where they hang and if youre on the mtns then the Japanese people there are probably the ones with the contacts. I worked at a resort in Gunma, admitidly more to improve my japanese, but there were some kiwis at the resort next to where I was and they had come over on a working holiday visa, went to one of the offices that are in Japan for working hol visa holders and got hooked up that way. Admi

jandals/thongs are great! Comfy Good for dodgy showers Look good with shorts, pants, skirts You can get lots of funky designs They are dirt cheap Its as close to barefeet as you get so good on days when the concrete is scorching but you still want that skin feel They get the big thumbs up from me!

...and gyakunan!

try rokkai onegaishimas and you might not get the looks. I think most people usually say kudasai though. Anyone? Anyone? (At my work employees arent allowed to take the elevator, we must use the stairs. Good thing there are only 5 floors!)

It was that dude with the thick brittish accent - it was the accent that sparked the connection in my mind, but I guess the cameras etc helped .

Barok and I went up the tippy top of Shiga Kogen on Saturday with some Japanese mates and built a kicker. Barok was rocking it but I was being a bit of a wuss. Suddenly thunder boomed, lightening crackled and the guard rail around the edge of the road started to spark. We dedided to bail then which was a shame because I had just got over my wussiness after a few lame jumps. Mateys Ive got the ski bug again, just when I thought Id got over it too!

Hey ILTS, youre going to a great place. It has a great festival 2x a year and the streets are crowded with people. I went once and the dude from Lonely Planet (?) was filming some stuff. Its got lots of little canals and traditional style buildings and shops. It is just really really pretty. I drove the road over from Matsumoto in Nagano that went via Kamikochi and it is a bit hairy, and winter might be a bit freaky if you werent used to winter driving. One of the tunnels had an intersection in the middle of it! Will be good for hiking and not too bad to get anywhere. But seriously listen to f

Quote: Originally posted by Indosnm: I wouldn't call having a thing for school girls as being a bad thing. And I get hammered for saying I enjoy the company of gay guys!

rain and outdoor onsens. Nothing better than the chill of rain sliding down your naked body .... ooooh yeah!

Having had both short and long hair I would say long hair in summer is better because you can tie it up out of the way. If you have short hair and have a bad day you cant do nothing.

I think it depends why you are here. If its just to make a quick buck and have a break then whatever. If you only plan to stay a few months or so then I dont know if Id worry too much about learning J. If I was settling in for the long haul and wanted to get more out of the country Id make more of the effort.

Yo dude its because youre a ken AET, the city ones get designated directly from CLAIR but the ken AETs names get given to the pref office that then divvies people out and then sends it out. Nagano ken just sent theirs out today so you should be hearing sometime next week methinks. Maybe even hear sooner if youve got an overzealous predecessor. As for me, no one replacing me as a Chinese dude coming next April. So anyone want anything from my house? Anyone?

Well Ill be in NZ so Im going to be happy with what Ive got. Might try out some of the club fields now that Im hardcore any suggestions people in the know (ie. Davo )

The week before last I had a very very real dream where I actually had a baby and although I dont remember much about it I DO remember that I was very very happy in my dream. So I guess that means a yes for me, but not for a good while yet. It was strange that I went into work glowing from this good dream and opened this forum and what was at the top? That abortion thread! Might explain my strong opinions that day!

Im talking about the lid, not the one with the hole in it you sit on but the one that goes on top of that. Yes I am a sucker for chivalry

Ive got a journal that I write in from time to time. Sometimes I dont write for 6 months, sometimes its every week. Sometimes I write a few pages and sometimes its just a few lines. Basically whenever and whatever I feel like writing. Its quite cathartic and funny to see the things I was getting worked up about a few years ago now that Im much more older and wiser I liked keeping the ski log this year. It was good to see what dates had been what kind of weather and the progression Id made. Not for anyone else but just me!