enderzero

Love good beer, red wines, and cold sake. Not a big chuhai fan. Never had a warm sake I particulary like but haven't tried too many. Mixed drink of choice is a Madras. This is like a Vodka with cranberry juice but you also add a splash of orange juice.

Great band! First big rock concert I went to was the Zoo TV tour. Achtung Baby was one of the first albums I fell in love with. Really classy guys.

Anyone have a good portable electronic dictionary they would recommend? A tiny bit of preliminary research found me a ton of Japanese-English ones geared towards Japanese natives. What are some recommended ones for English natives?

What about sake? I realize it is technically a beer, but are there certain regions of Japan that are known for their sake production? Are there a lot of sake 'microbreweries'? Anyone into sake?

That's it NoFakie...1 star for you! Actually I agree with both of your points. I would LOVE trail maps. Good article/interview Ocean. All right now Andrew, it is time to expose yourself. What is your personal alias. No reason to hide. ...it's CHEESEMAN isn't it!!! Question, Will the Japanese site include a forum? You aren't going to try to translate this forum are you?

Is that Deebee 2nd from right in the top picture? Some of those people got all bundled up for that?! I gotta say though, riding of any kind in October is pretty much unheard of around here. Went up to Vancouver, B.C. yesterday. Beautiful view of Mt Baker covered in new snow. All the bars in Vancouver were full of Aussies and Kiwis getting here for the winter. I actually felt a little more camaraderie with them after the Southern-Hemi friends I have made on this forum.

I have not personally tried Flow bindings. I will make a real effort to try some this season though so I can comment personally. One thing that I have heard, as nulla reiterated, is that for a seasoned veteran or someone that rides everyday, Flow bindings are inadequate. They do not provide enough support, and they are uncomfortable unless you have Flow boots as well. Again, this is just what I have heard. As neither S_F_G nor DB fit into this category I think Flows are great. Obviously S_F_G thinks they work for her and that is what matters. BTW I am pretty quick with my st

All right, I will agree that Flow will be fine for S_F_G and for NewBee. Drew, have you tried high quality strap bindings? Quote: Originally posted by Ocean11: (Christ I nearly bought a pair of shitty Flow binding meself there!) Geeze. Ocean is so in bed with the SJG crew that they even set the auto swear sensor to ignore his posts.

I was checking out shells the other day. GAH! Those things are expensive. A good jacket costs as much as a good snowboard. Ridiculous!

That's when you wake and have to pour water on yourself because you are so hot from the exciting dream you were having... ...right?

...when most of us are too busy riding to keep up.

Well if the earth mover myth is false, what about the one that says there are more chair lifts in Japan than in any other country? I get asked why I am moving to Japan all the time. About half the time that I say "to snowboard" I get the response, "You can snowboard in Japan?" Someone actually told me yesterday, "It doesn't snow in Japan!"

Here is some great info: http://www.isftechcom.org/manual.html http://www.snowparkbuilder.com/spm/construction_hp.html Some pics of the machines: http://www.snowturbo.com/en/solution.html

You're on the right track there Ocean. Although I think it is possible without moving soil if you have a huge snow base. It is definitely a lot of work from cutting with the pipe cutter (at least some of which look like 1/4 circle diggers that attach to a Cat) to actually being able to ride it. A lot of packing, shoveling, and measuring. If a pipe is really built well you will actually get more air off of each wall as you travel down it. I have only hit a pipe like this in Vail and Whistler. Most pipes I have ridden give you your best air off the first wall and then less and less as

Just watched The Ring (Japanese version). It was pretty good. I'd like to see the others in the series. I think I may go check out the American remake this week.

I don't surf and I love Whistler, but I gotta say, if I was in Japan and enjoying it I wouldn't go home to Whistler quite yet. How long have you been in Japan? Still enjoying it? I think that is what really matters. But I would head for the mountains to look for work instead of the beach. Maybe you would get different answers on the SkiCanadaGuide Forum

I was under the impression that echi came from the "H" in hentai. Hentai Kitty Am I incorrect?

So which is it going to be NTAT? Boarding or skiing? Maybe Deebee can help you decide. Don't let all this talk of soreness get you down. You will definitely be sore. But it is a good kind of accomplished sore. And after 2 or 3 times it will be no problem. Completely and totally worth it. It's kinda like one of those time-share deals. No one likes to sit through the informational seminar, but it is worth it for the free trip.

Anyone every been to or heard anything about this place? http://www.skijapanguide.com/2002/places-to-stay/viewhotel.php?hotid=8

The TM-Twos seem pretty sweet. I think you made a good decision. How much did they cost you over there? Don't believe the freestyle vs freeride boot thing. Those boots are good for whatever riding you want to do. That just refers to the stiffness. A better fit is more important.

Agreed. The pics in this series very evenly spaced. Of course the skiers speed is not consistent throughout the interval. I would wager to say these shots were taken with a very nice camera and that more than are shown were actually taken. Then the pics that didn't fit the series were removed.

I think I am a little spoiled. There are so many wonderful vineyards in Washington and Oregon (and obviously California). Are American wines particularly expensive in Japan? I'm sure you see a fair share of Napas, but what about Cabernet Sauvignons or Pinot Noirs from Washington and Oregon? I think domestic wines around here fall into 3 categories. < $8 Cheap wine not worth drinking $8-$15 Supermarket sale wine. Some of which is very drinkable and quite good. Some isn't of course. Everyday wine. $15+ Premium wine. [These are store-bought prices. Expect t

I had fugu when I was in Tokyo last spring. I rather liked it. The meal was several courses, two of them actually of fugu. The first was tasty sashimi and the second was big steaks that you cooked in boiling water on your table (shabu shabu style?). It was great because they brought out the steaks piled high on a plate and every single piece of fish was still beating like a heart -- bump-bump, bump-bump. Never seen anything like it. One of the women I was with (Westerner) lost her appetite immediately. More fugu for us!

Y's_P, Gateway doesn't make software so any software compatible with Windows PCs should work with your PC. Are you running Windows XP? Did you download the Japanese IME (input method emulator) from Microsoft? This will allow you to switch between typing in English and Nihongo (With full Kanji and Kana support). It is pretty slick. Let me know more about your particular problem. My set up at home (I have 3 roommates): We have 6 PCs in a room downstairs we use mainly for everyday computing and for gaming. 1 for each of us, one hooked to a TV for watching cartoons and movies we d

Tasty...but as Cheesman wouldn't have you forget, nutritous too.