dale#1

Nice pics. Will be up there next week. Keep some snow for me will you?

Looking at the mountain there are some large areas between these resort areas at Niseko. Are they popular tree ski areas, out of bounds or what?

Wow, 2 hotels!? Out of how many hundred? I am looking at Niseko at the moment for February. I have contacted 12 places through this site. Out of the 9 that have replied only 1 cannot accommodate the four of us when we want to go.

"Body" with Madonna. Oh so bad. Get to see the top half of a naked Madonna though if that is what you want.

Boarders probably wouldn't be keen on Yokote anyway due to the really narrow courses they have up there. Not the best part of SK I think.

Fingers crossed!

I'm always rather surprised at how resorts (not just ski ones) in Japan often childcare facilities.

touring the southern US states.

See the news about the collapsing bridge near Mississippi. I was driving over that same bridge just about a week ago.... close call! The photos and video that was caught of it looks crazy, looks like a big earthquake.

Bushpig needs to fulfil his quota from overseas I think. I am very irregular.

Bet they don't do that in Japan, Sanno!

The name Mt Jeans always makes me chuckle. Where did they get that from then? I know what you mean about the smoking!

Anyone here been to Tomamu?

Why those lengths though? Are they fixed or just what the organisers of this one decided on?

I was considering it but friends dropped out - lack of interest! - and I suppose I've gone the same way. You taking your Greek friends up there?

Far! It's to the north of the Yuzawa area in Niigata. I think about 30 mins from the Koide IC of the Kanetsu Expressway, which in itself is about 40 minutes drive north of Yuzawa. I suppose from your area you'd be coming from the north, so I'd say Koide is about 30 minutes south from Nagaoka.

A talking head just arguing now that "if people could have had guns, this tragedy would have been stopped". Nuts.

I never want to tip anywhere as I think it is a ridiculous practice. I have a friend back home who insists on paying at least 10% of a bill as a tip. I think he's nuts.

Twice. I must be mad. The first time the weather turned and wasn't good up top - the 2nd time it was with a group of colleagues who invited me and I thought I would as the forecast was for really clear weather (and was).

I've recently been listening to The Mars Volta, really like it. Also new find is Spiritualized.

Getting way too technical for me there , but thanks for the pointers. I'll be looking into it more.

My DVD player just broke on me and I'm on the look out for a new region free one. Doesn't need to be the cheapest, want something semi-decent and one that works well with PAL as well as NTSC discs (the one that just died didn't display PAL ones 100%). Any recommendations folks? Thanks!

The last ryokan place I stayed at had a machine that supposedly cleaned slippers when they were put in there. One at every genkan.

Clooney has been doing some good movies recently. What was the other one he did can't remember the title ("Syriana", I think) - that was good too.

I'm off up to Gunma and Yuzawa tomorrow for a few days. What sweet timing!