nekobi

i think using an ATM would get you the best rate bc you dont have to pay much for extra fees (only like 2 bucks for using the ATM). pretty sures theres a citibank atm at narita just after customs and you can use foreign cards (like those on the plus system) at post offices. use your credit card where you can (not many places- maybe hotel) and get out as much cash as you can at a time. japan's a cash-based society so you dont want to get stuck without dough.

be careful driving. i hate it in weather like this. a couple of weeks ago coming back from nozawa it was foggy and snowing hard. i literally could not see a thing for a few minutes. was too scared to stop for fear of being rear-ended and was too scared to drive bc i couldnt see the road or other cars. thank god the road is mostly straight and wide btwn iiyama and nakano.

my fav police story involves my friend. after a drunken night in tokyo he stole a bike to come find me in yoyogi park where i had pitched a tent (it was summer so why waste money on a hotel room). a police man rode up beside him and asked if it was his bike. he told him "no, it's my friend's" which the cop didn't buy so he had to go the station. the cops didn't care too much bc he said he was a teacher, but he didn't have his gaijin card on him. so he had to get his supervisor to break into his apt back in nagano to get the gaijin card to fax to the police. anyways, it got sorted, but the

ok, I'm showing my (US) southern heritage with this one, but grits are warm and hearty. but at the conbini, i like the muffins and OJ.

standing at the bottom of one of those magic hills after sailing down it. especially if you were scared of breaking yourself on the ride.

I'm hitting it on sunday again. Plan to be too hungover to go on saturday since my bday is friday.

i did manage to get my sister and her boyfriend to the slopes on sunday. snow was alright. around 10 there was a huge crowd on the top runs, so hid out in the peace and quiet of mizunashi. by the afternoon, the slopes were all ours. just wish i had gone on thursday for the pow.

my favorite is the mickey ds near the top. it's cheap and since i'm exercising, I don't feel guilty about the indulgence. plus, if you're sneaky, you can refill your coke for free.

theres a huge rave culture. during the warm months there are big outdoor parties every weekend with thousands of ravers. lots in the mountains of nagano. my favorites are solstice at mt fuji and visionquest. you can find ecstasy, but it costs about 5000yen. everyones on something at the parties, sometimes they have booths selling the legal psychedelics.

really though, whats wrong with being a teacher? the main thing that sucks is having to go boarding on the weekend when everyone else is there, but i did have a nice long new years holiday with plenty of empty slopes. and i think there are other pluses-- lots of vacation time, stress-free work, good money. this job is a piece of cake- i'm never going to have it this good when i return to the states.

Quote: Originally posted by enderzero: I hear you can get some good mexican food over at Nekobi's. it's true. I get shipped flour tortillas and fajita and taco mix on a regular basis and can make fabulous guacomole and bean dips. i'll throw a fiesta for the nagano peeps sometime soon. in the meantime, the tacos at the liberty bar in nags arent bad.

apples in the fridge keeps them away from the rats. but i dont think my apt has any so they hopefully will be ok. and i am kinda weird about food- it's gotta be really fresh. cant eat anything close to the pulldate.

danz-- think you are totally on target for everyone except the brits- most of the ones i have met here have been fun partiers-- i've come across only a few of the quiet, reserved ones. think getting along across nationalities depends more on personality than similiar vernacular or geographic closeness.

yeah zwelgy, japa is the way to go considering the selection of dudes in nags (fellow forum members excluded of course)

living in a town that has the nickname ringo-no-machi, i get apples all the time. in fact, just got a bag full of about 10 today from fellow teacher. but the rats may get lucky bc i can't fit them all into my tiny fridge.

lack of good cheese expensive veg scary driving spending the majority of the work day in silence (but thankfully have the net) girls who walk pidgeon-toed

finally fire festival time!! get ready to drink takusan sake and see lots of scary drunk japanese guys playing with fire. be careful when they spin around with the large bundles of straw on fire-- sometimes they lose balance!

i love nozawa. big mountain. quaint town. many onsens.

will hopefully be joining zwelgen, but have some guests to entertain- my sister and her boyfriend. i'm really pushing for them to come boarding with me bc she has spent many years living and boarding in colorado and near jackson hole. how do you think noz compares? last time i skiied out west was over 10 years ago so my memory is lacking. ocean-- are you going up to the fire festival tonight? will definitely be worth the trip...

onsen kotatsu heated toilet seats free apples rose life kirin tea lots of vacation days not having to turn my car off for a quick trip into the conbini

i disagree- onsens are the best thing about japan.

depending on your financial situation, i think you should travel. if you dont have the money, then work for a bit doing a shit job to make what you need for the travelling. i started college right after hs and was directionless and unmotivated to actually study so my first year was a waste. my friends who either travelled or volunteered for a year seemed much more focused because they made the conscious decision that it was time for college and learning rather than just following the hs to college herd. since youve seen a bit of asia, why not bum around europe on a eurail pass?

it's true. you need to take the test. even if you dont get caught by the police, you arent covered by your insurance if you dont have a proper license. but if you are from the UK, Australia, New Zealand you just have to take an eye test and fill out the paperwork- no problem just time and money. for those from the US or Canada, you have to take the behind the wheel test. the test itself isnt too difficult, but everyone fails the first time bc they are super nit-picky. ie before you even enter the car you can to inspect the tires and underneath and theres a proper way of entering and ever

12 times, but a few halfers due to the season pass. zwelgy-- after a few days being stuck at work and not on the slopes will change your attitude. that and the fire festival.

so you're leaving soon- don't know if you'll get this in time to make a quick run to the supermarket. but if you love mexican food like i do, bring over a bunch of fajita/burrito/taco seasoning mixes and flour torillas. You can find some el paso taco kits at the tokyu departo in nags, but its expensive.