joshnii

No, there isn't. Naeba > Yuzawa > Ishiuchi > Tsunan > Nozawa is the closest (I think!), probably about 2 hours drive.

Yamakoshi-mura is in the hills behind Kawaguchi, really close yes.

Are you up to taking a trip down there sometime next week sanjo? I'll give you a call tomorrow

JT is more expensive than DY. I wouldn't pay for either personally.

Is this just a UK ban or other countries too? It sounds a bit ridiculous... Wasn't there some cases of mad cow here in Japan recently? Perhaps no-one can give blood.

Thats the one. Funny, it looks more grotesque when you're there. It's the first thing you see coming into Yuzawa on Route 17. It sure is mangled up.

Are these places in the North of south?

There used to be a building there, right?

Better than them having students who were on one of the trains though, hey?

I was in the Yuzawa area this last weekend and driving over from Ishiuchi past the resort on the right hand side, just before you get to Yuzawa, there's this real big ugly mess of what was (I think) a building. It looks like it has exploded or something. What happened?

Tell me about Canada beer.....

In the local paper, about numbers of skiers and snowboarders this season. Shiozawa town - down 18% on last season. Yuzawa town - down 15% on last season (but for the month of March 3% up on last year) Muikamachi/Yamato town - down 14% on last season. Naeba - down 13% Iwappara - down 8% Ishiuchi - down 12% Joetsu Kokusai resort - apparently the victim of some nasty rumors on the internet about big damage because of the earthquake - down 24%.

That reminds me... thanks!

I liked Sixth Sense, but the other three weren't that good.

Going to rise to nearly 20 they say today here in Niigata

So you saying slow that ladies don't take their husbands name in the first place - because in the case of them getting a divorce...?_

Do you get trouble getting long holidays from work? Even if maybe you do sod all over summer, they still don't like you taking anything over 2 weeks away (even if you have the holidays lined up to take)? I always go through this process of asking, then sucking in air and sou-desu-ne (said slowly) etc before getting a reluctant approval.

At the end of last year I desperately NEEDED to leave Japan. Usually once a year is fine, but I like to take 3 or 4 weeks if possible. Getting work to agree is always a long and painful process.

Interesting link that one Ocean11.

I can just imagine some of the music programs in the US or the UK with the guests all bowing and being ultra polite like that. Can't you?

Thats good news, hopefully the places I want to stop off at have similar. I don't suppose airlines would send on luggage to the final destination without me and have some sort of pickup/storage service at the end destination where I can pick them up when I get there a few days later. That's asking too much I reckon.

Don't be a wuss. They're really quite fun. Er, NOT.

Great system the shindo one, the one that matters!

Here's the deal. Going to Australia in June for a few weeks but on the way want to stop off somewhere in Asia for a few days. But don't want to carry luggage round with me all the time. What would be great would be if at the airport there was some kind of service that will store my luggage for 4 or 5 days while I enjoy myself, then I can pick them up and fly on to Oz. Trouble is, I've never done that and don't know if such a service exists. Anyone??

....while some people might think it's the people who go out and pay good money to ski on heavy slush that are the crazy ones. Now if you don't pay for it and have tickets, it's a different matter