nzlegend
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Posts posted by nzlegend
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sumo is primo! love watching it every two months, go every year to the tournament when it comes to Osaka. Unique sport and what a sport! Asashoryu is the man...
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Super brainy? erh no I wish........Specialist in Humanities/International services = teacherQuote:Originally posted by woywoy:
Kamoshika... what does that mean? Sounds like some sort of super brainy arts graduate's job! What do you actually do?
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that is what it sayes on the Passport visa status of people working here as teachers. 
Britgob asked about Kamoshika's so here goes...
Kamoshika? well yes strange creatures the Kamoshika. Not a deer but a Serow! what is one of those you say well its a Short-horned dark-coated goat antelope of mountain areas of south and southeast Asia, according to the dictionary.
Here are links to some pictures on the net
http://plaza17.mbn.or.jp/~hunagatayama/photo7.htm
http://www.tsurugi.org/kamoshika/02.html
Japanese serow (kamoshika)
The kamoshika, an even-toed ungulate of the family Bovidae, is found in central and southern Japan -Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu - in subalpine forests 1,500-2,500m above sea level. The body is 1-1.5m long and the animal stands 70cm high at the shoulder. Both sexes have horns 8-15cm long which bend slightly backwards. The body is covered with thick, white down and dark brown hair 7-10cm long. Below the eye and in the ungulae, the kamoshika has glands which secrete an odiferous fluid and it is often seen rubbing this fluid on trees and rocks, probably as a territorial marker.The slow-moving animal strolls around in the daytime nibbling leaves, the young buds and seeds of the alpine rose, hemlock-spruce, ground-cypress and so on. The offspring are born around June. Leather made from kamoshika hide has been used for clothing and the horns for making fish hooks. In the past, uncontrolled hunting caused a very sharp drop in numbers, but since 1955 the animal has been protected as a natural monument. -
AmenQuote:Originally posted by viv&kev:
It is so. A fun country to be in, indeed. -
Anyone know of a cheap shuttle bus from the main airport in Sapporo to Niseko, cheers
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damn straight! its great when are trying to hook up with mates on the slopes. If you are riding alone, it could be a potential lifesaver if something goes wrong.
I keep it sealed in a plastic bag in my pocket, ziplock bag...sweet as
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tough luck dude........cant really do much, be a little more careful/wary of the patrollers, one of them might have seen you drop in. Wear a different jacket next time, they might remember you now
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No highbacks....but if you look at the back of the boot it has a strap and ratchet to pull your foot foward, and because the back of the boot has a hard plastic insert, very rigid, you cant bend you foot back at all, infact you could bend a highback on a regular binding more than this because a highback is not held back under tension like this is. when you walk you have to release the ratchet otherwise its as stiff as a skiboot to walk in.
And the bonus of no highbacks the board is virtually flat to carry around, easy to store and wedge in gap when catching a ride in someones car
The liner has 2 velcro tension straps to really hold you heel down, plus the outside ratchet to hold you heel down, theres no heel lift.
I just took another couple of photos to illustrate the ratchet tensioning, seriously you cant bend this back, it will bend foward but
if you grab the toe and the back and pull with all you might, it will move a couple of mm's only. there is no flex,
You have probably guessed that I really love these boots
and I do they are brilliant, I do remember they were ****** expensive at the time though. They dont make 'em like they used to....I used to ride some Burton conventional bindngs pre '97 but after the switch to switch I have never looked back.
Switch now has the highbacks on their bindings but with this boot you dont need it.
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Yep I am from NZL, Christchurch of last. I was feeling a little nostelgic and thought I would pull out a local saying or two. Generally most people think I am a nutter when I use such language, but cool bananas, no wuzz mate....I used to say "sweet as" all the time, but now almost never....
as far as my boots go they are a brand called "flexible" model "axel" Had them 5years, really well built (Italian made) comfortable with rigid bases.
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according to the visa I am a "specialist in humanities/international services"
outstanding.....wish my job was a glamorous as that sounds
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oops no offence meant. havent really heard much about the Burtons. I saw them them in the shop and was a little suspicious of the plastic heel cup holding the heel in.....still, have ridden them so for all I know they could be sweet as your Nana.
The switch are very strong, yes a little juts out at the side, but its minimal.
good luck with your Burtons, let me know how they perform
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with the switch bindings I ride I have ZERO heel and toe lift. I mean ZERO, my foot is absolutely and totally locked in there, the bindings are very rigid, (the piece locking you in is 5-6cm long and combined with a rigid sole on the boot, it absolutley cant lift its solid!) I couldnt get the toe or heel to lift if my life depended on it.Quote:Originally posted by neversummer:
side-to-side such as burton and switch .ie.toe/heel lift
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In fact its as tight as a ski binding. Once you are locked in you aint going anywhere.
The downside is the rigid boots are just that, its like walking around with ski boots on and they are heavy, but thats the trade off Im willing to pay.
I have seen Burton step ins , but they look like garbage. I havent ridden so cant comment on them -
Lavance aye? where did you buy it Oceans? in the UK? or here?
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Interesting thread.....I am hearing you Fattwins.
The Japanese are very diligent and proficient at organizing many amenities and services in life, Trains for example are brilliant in Japan. But nobody is perfect. There are things the Japanese are not so good at. Two things come to mind and they are running Gyms and Ski resorts.
I am often left shaking my head that how things can be so disparate in this country, how some things are incredibly efficient (eg trains) and others are just simply poorly organised in contrast.
I cant quite fathom why this is so, but nevertheless it is so.
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I had a friend with a big head.....we used to call him "bubble"Quote:Originally posted by gamera:
My head is really big, 63cm around!!!!!
Then they all got surprised like " OMG, what a big head you have!"....
I know your problem my head is 61cm around and I have recently tried on several helmets at Spotaka.
All of them were woefully small, me thinks the majority of Japanese have small melons to match their small feet. I have 29cm feet (10UK, 11US) modest size feet by any stanards back home,but impossible to find shoes in Japan. I can see many western guys nodding in agreement from behind their computer monitors.
It seems I am resigned to purchase my foot and now head commodities in the land of the the larger proportioned
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wow put my name down for a spin on that too! the more g's the better! I love Jetcoasters!
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sunnies rock.
goggles have their good points but when the weather is good.. you cant beat sunnies.Smith sliders too.......they are the way foward. 2 pairs over 5years...sweet as
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on a regular day I chill for a while and have a kitkat. but on a primo powder day I dont.
I ride with a camelbak (drinks bladder in a backpack with a tube that rests on my shoulder) so I never have to stop for a drink and carry peanuts, calorie mate, snickers and eat them on the lift or in the gondola.
The thing with a camelbak is you would surprised how much fluid you actually can drink in a day on the snow. 2litres is nothing to drink when you are slowly slipping all the time. I think its a point many people skip over skiing/riding in the mountains, Dehydration.
If you are going hard its easy to get dehydrated without realising it.
Also you would be surprised how many people suddenly become your best buddy on the chair while you are sipping away, and they suddenly get really thirsty
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kamushukas?? dont you mean KamoshikasQuote:Originally posted by Fattwins:
Hey Barok watch out for those Kamushukas in the trees too!
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hmmmm.......first I will give a simple explanation of the theory of relatively.......Quote:Originally posted by wendy-cake:
Anyone fill me in with a simple explanation? Cheers .but seriously I studied Avalanches at University and some of the stuff involved is pretty intense, if I had to summarise in one word.....it would be "layers", layers of incompatible snow. As Fattwins advised check it out on the net, I am sure you can find some decent stuff somewhere.
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No.....I wish I did, the only face shots I got were coughs in the face and whiffs of bad breath from some students who proudly told me they had gotten fat after eating too much osechi ryori. I sure it was a sweet day in many places today.Quote:Originally posted by Fattwins:
Hey and a face shot is a face shot no matter where you are. I got lots today did you? -
wow big avalanche on a highway in Nagano! check it out.
hhttp://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20030105p2a00m0dm011003c.html
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Test? really well how about that! never heard of it sounds like absolute rubbish to me!!!Quote:Originally posted by Weeel:
Going for the first time to H-O. Would some extremely kind person enlighten me on the following:
1. I heard they implemented this snowboard test thing a while ago ... does it still hold true that you have to take a test before you can ride?
2. Will be going with some beginner friends. Do they have a good board school with Eng-speaking instructors? Can anyone recommend an instructor there?
3. I'll be staying quite near Hakuba station (apparently) and it'd be great to know where I might find some off snow entertainment - ie. dinner, drinks, arcade games, shopping etc. Someone mentioned a club in Hakuba ... anywhere else?
Huge thanks people!!!
Snowboard school? sorry cant help you there
Happoguchi is the area around the station, not much there a few shops, supermarket, Ramen place, McDonalds and other restaurants. Some Bars are in the Happoone village area itself, one called Velvet. I only really stay in the echoland area, which is a wee way from Hakuba station. there used to be an awesome Bar, Snowdinn, but unfortuneately it is no more. apres Ski is pretty weak.
As for Lunch there is a nice little Thai restaurant at the bottom of Nakiyama Slope called Bankokya, -
I tried dozens of boots before settling on some midrange Technica boots, they were the only ones the seemed to accommodate my foot as comfortably as possible. But the clincher was the service,(Norway Haus, Breck' Colorado) the guy who fitted them was good he new his stuff and pulled out the insole cut some buffer material, added it the insole, tweaked the arch raise screw. I must have tried the boots on (that were a good fit to start with), a dozen times, on off on off on off. But by the end those boots were as close as possible to perfect. So I have boots which are comfy all day, but I must say the trade off was midrange boots which arent as stiff as they could be at times, esp when hitting some hard super g turns on bumpy snow. but thats the trade off I suppose.
so if the ski shop were you are going is any good and the guy selling you the boots is any good, he can possibly work with you on those higher range boots and tweak them for you, to create a better fit.
The ski shops I have seen in Japan didnt really impress me for the technical know how and expertise. How is the fitter who helped you your boots?
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All this talk about helmets has awakened me to fact I really should get one. I wear a seatbelt, Mtn Bike helmet so it only seems logical and sensible to wear a skid lid while riding esp in the trees.
So who wears a helmet? what brand do you recommend? is their much difference between brands?
Cheers
What don't you like about Japan?
in General off-topic discussions
Posted
well here goes the most controversial item that will be raised here.....and it is the fact that doctors cant tell patients that they have a terminal disease, they have to tell the patients family and its the patients family duty to inform the patient. BUT the family is not obliged to do so and it sometimes occurs that the family refuse to tell the patient and the patient dies without really knowing what the problem was.
Recently in Hyogo a 24 yr old died from liver damage associated with Hep C. The kid didnt know he had it the family claimed they were never told by doctors that the boy was infected during an operation years ago when he was toddler. The hospital claims they told the family, but you would think the family would remember such a thing!!!!and there is no proof, we have to take the doctors word for it. Then over the years the docs never mentioned it again and the kid dropped dead without knowing he had a screwed liver and never had the best treatment. God help the doctors and hospital adminstrators who pulled something like that with me or my family, they would deal with wrath and vengeance of the likes they would have never seen.
I had a long talk with a Japanese doctor about this and she hated the subterfuge in dealing with the patient. But she was bound to follow protocol however F**ked up it is.
I am sorry there are cultural differences and there are abuses of human rights. This is one thing I just cannot accept. It is incomprehensible.
There got that off my chest, I generally enjoy living in Japan and am married to a Japanese woman and I not a bitter and twisted gaijin....its just that one thing that really bugs me.