BillTheBinMan

Is this house inhabited?

Resorts must hate it when they have g reat weather in the week then blizzards over the weekend.

Good work! Heard a lot of this place, good to see it.

Thanks for sharing Quote: it seemed to take most of them an hour or so to do a run How come that?

Cheers for the reports folks. I'm off there in mid-March. Hoping the snow will be good then too.

Next time, take one with you in it!

Another great report thanks muikabochi

The Australian government has made a formal apology for the past wrongs caused by successive governments on the indigenous Aboriginal population. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised in parliament to all Aborigines for laws and policies that "inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss". He singled out the "Stolen Generations" of thousands of children forcibly removed from their families. The apology, beamed live around the country on TV, was met with cheers. But some Aborigines say it should have been accompanied with compensation for their suffering.

What times are the "best to avoid" times from Tokyo out to Nagano and Niigata on the shinkansen? I presume rush hour (evening) even on weekdays are busy, but what about late Friday night? Is it usually busy? Thanks

The few times I have been on a shinkansen it has been with an unreserved ticket, but it had "valid 2 days" written on it. I got a seat each time.

What do they do for the dark hours - is it a "pic of the day" they set it at?

What sort of place is this 8190 yen a month me jane? Really posh with everything you could think of?

Arctic Monkeys for some noise in the car.

Seriously I most likely wouldn't have become interested in visiting Japan twice (and soon three times) if it wasn't for this site. Totally invaluable for people like me and I'm no doubt for businesses listed on it as well. No other winter sports country as far as I know has anything as in-depth, independent and generally excellent as this site. I'm always amazed at the relative lack of ads and things on here. We're lucky to have it.

Stess, split up = lets spit coffee at schoolgirls?!!? Hmmm.

Hi there Sunny for my rounds this morning.

"I can believe it's not snow"

I find it quite amusing actually Rag-Doll, like a dog chasing it's tail running round in circles Personally I think it's a bit much critisizing somewhere that you have never been to with such confidence and passion.

Can't do more than 2 weeks, we'll be on the slopes for 10 days.

Shows like that are really addictive. I like Lost I thought season 4 was the last one?

OK so Hakuba folk, whats the story behind the name "Echoland". It doesn't sound very Japanese in origin.

Sounds great! Japan tv seems to be chocca full of celeb driven programming.

I have heard this from a few people - that the snow is generally better in Nagano than in Niigata. Is this so?

Hokkaido in early January and then I hope to go to Nagano in late Feb/early March but that hasn't been fully planned yet.

Whoah that was scary as hell, just got a really strong shaking here.