fjef

There was 60 cm of snow today above 1500 meters in Hakuba - the season is getting closer!

The Crazy Canucks were a huge part of my life when I lived in Kitzbuhel from '76-'80. I raced GS in Canada as a kid (even beat Steve Podborski in a GS when we were both 13) and then got to know them really well in Austria and later again in Whistler. I will never forget one awesome day with Ken Read, Steve Podborski, Dave Murray, Todd Brooker and some of the team support guys when we had waist deep pow and blue skys and tracked out everything between the Hahnenkamm and Pass Thurn - a full day of hiking and free skiing with them is good for a lifetime...and I had a few of them!

I don't think the b-mobile plan is good value - there are few places in Hakuba (if any) that would have a compatible WAN service, there are also many places in Hakuba that have free wireless access. The fine print says that each time you use the PHS connection, 5(!) hours of time is deducted. With spotty PHS connections in Hakuba (it works in some places and not in others - I was able to connect half way up Happo last year but could not get a connection at Saka or at the hotel in the back part of Echoland) you would use that 150 hours up pretty fast just trying to get a good connection.

Quote: Sounds a little different but Me Tarzan took out small business gov loans when he started his places. The interest is really low on them but I think you need to be Japanese or at least have a guarantor in Japan. His are secured against his parents' house. I also had small business loans supported by the government - I've had 2 and paid both off (yay) and you don't need to be Japanese but you do need to have a Japanese company - I think you need either a Yugen Gaisha or a Kabushiki Kaisha to qualify for the small business loan programs. Japanese company structures have just chang

Quote: Originally posted by fjef: Kanda is the main concentration of sports shops and there are deals to be had year-round. The main street for the big shops is Yaskunidori and is easy to find. The area is not far from Akihabara and you need the same kind of shopping strategy to find the good deals. There are lots of shops in the back streets and alleys around the main flagship stores. Take your time and hit lots of the backstreet shops and you should find great deals. oops - didn't mean to quote myself....

Kanda is the main concentration of sports shops and there are deals to be had year-round. The main street for the big shops is Yaskunidori and is easy to find. The area is not far from Akihabara and you need the same kind of shopping strategy to find the good deals. There are lots of shops in the back streets and alleys around the main flagship stores. Take your time and hit lots of the backstreet shops and you should find great deals.

This is Kaz (8 at the time) with Evergreen instructor, Jordan, last season in Hakuba. Evergreen is great with kids - Kaz had 3 different instructors and had a blast. This was his frst day on a snowboard but he was cruising top to bottom (on the Saka lift) before lunch...

Quote: Originally posted by tsondaboy: How about introducing both of skiing and snowboarding and just let them decide what they enjoy the most. A good way of doing so would be to let them have a skiing lesson one day and a snowboarding lesson the next one. There is also the possibility that they don’t like any but are keen to practice some other sport. That's what I did - started both my kids skiing when they were about 4- my oldest is now 14 and he is a committed soccer player which goes year round in Japan - now I can only get him away from training or games one or 2 weekends a year.

a mixed onsen with a pub might make things interesting...

I don't think either of my kids slept more than 2 or 3 hours for the first 2 years of their lives. Little buggers. But it was worth it. Now that they are older I get to plan my revenge....

When I lived in Changchun, China from 1986 to '88, I missed two opportunities to visit the 'new' Chinese ski team training somewhere NE of Harbin - weather was too harsh to get to the 'resort' and at the last minute, I was suddenly told there were no accommodations for me. I gave up. I forget the name of the place but I understand they do have lifts now. Last Spring when I was back for a visit, I tried to learn more about new facilities in the Chiangbaishan range along the North Korean border - apparently there is a chair lift there with a view overlooking N.Korea - would be a pretty wild

A nicely tuned pair of skis makes a world of difference in most conditions (I can't speak for snowboards but I bet its similar). There is a direct correlation between snow conditions - you will not notice the need for sharp edges in soft snow conditions - but all it takes is a bit of ice/hardpack and you'll feel the difference... Temperature and snow also make a difference - with cold, dry snow, you may not feel the need for wax. But when the snow is wetter/heavier, a nicely waxed base will make it much easier to ski. The work-around is to buy new skis every time you go skiing.

I'm just waiting for the decision to be made - then I'll figure out how to arrange my schedule and get there. It's too early yet but I'm sure I'll arrange a few days off and I'll be driving the van so I will have room for extra people - can pick people up somewhere central/convenient in Tokyo. Now how do we order T-shirts?

For good food - Gravity Worx Keep in mind that Xmas is not celebrated in Japan (well maybe only in love hotels) so it will be a normal day for most in Japan. Foreign-friendly places like Gravity Worx might be busier than usual - you may want to reserve when you get to Hakuba. For English ski/snowboard lessons - Evergreen: http://www.evergreen-outdoors.com/english-winter.htm

Quote: Originally posted by robest: Im seriously thinking about leaving the wife and kids at home now that there will be dress ups in Sailor Moon outfits. fjef-thanks for the input, I figure the driving thing might be an opportunity to live my own "amazing race "type nightmare,complete with the yelling and screaming at the partner.Would it be that hard with gps? Even a Japanese Navi is easy to follow as long as someone programs it for Hakuba - I am sure the car rental people would do this. Most direction signs are in English (as well as Japanese, of course) in Japan so you would stand a

robest - I have 2 boys, 14 and 9 ( I guess I fell asleep and missed on the other 2) and we are also making plans to be in Hakuba for Xmas. Having been there several times, (we live near Tokyo) I think you are much better off with a rental van - for getting to and from the airport and for getting around in Hakuba. It will work out cheaper and much more convenient with a family and all your gear.

To simplify using Skype for my parents in Canada, I am ordering them a Skype USB wireless phone - this might be easier for kids to figure out as well... http://www.keyspan.com/products/voip/VP24A/homepage.spml not sire if it will help a drop out problem - that could be a windows related issue...

Um, with copyright laws etc you are really not supposed to do this but there are many sites out there, one of which is www.ipodhacks.com Google is also your ipod friend. don't tell them I sent you....

http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-08-31-voa11.cfm wow... 300 kph winds...

Quote: Originally posted by le spud: Thanks Fjef - I do have an iMac, but unfortunately my superior machine (and only laptop) is currently Windows. I'm holding off upgrading my Mac for as long as I possibly can and therefore also holding off bringing too much of my current work to my old Apple machine. 50% of my home computing cant be done on a Mac... and I am tired of having two platforms. I wish I could choose Mac, but i simply don't have that option. Misorano - I dont want to get too advanced, so perhaps MS Frontpage will do the job. Cheers. My server has the extensions. Frontpa

Rapid Weaver for OS X is really awesome software for web authoring - I don't know of anything like it for windows.... www.realmacsoftware.com

That's why I keep my boat on the Pacific side of Chiba - I have no interest in fishing and the sailing conditions are usually pretty exciting because there is nothing between Kamogawa and Vancouver Island except ocean - the water is much cleaner than Tokyo or Sagami bays.

There are many ways to convert video (analog like video tape and digital like DVDs) into a format suitable for watching on your computer and transferring over the net. Most DV video cameras (record from a VCR and transfer to your computer) can do the conversion and there are lots of other ways to do it.

There are a lot of International schools - some of the newer ones cater to a lower income group and some even charge based on parent's income/ability to pay. The well established ones are still very expensive and cater to the expat crowd. We have had many of them visit here for summer camps and there is a huge difference in the way they teach. International schools are not all the same. If you decide to go that route - shop carefully!

Mejane - As long as the kids are happy and doing well in school we are not concerned. My older kid is pretty serious about soccer and is looking at high schools known for their soccer programs. The good ones have very good academic programs. He knows he needs good grades as well as good skills on the field to get into these schools. He has met and talked with kids his age who are in international schools and he has decided to stay in the Japanese system. He has also recently told us that he is looking forward to university in Canada. I think if you expect problems based on other pe