Rag-Doll

"Still deciding on what to do next year, but we're inclined to check out Hokkaido, not Niigata which seems similar to Nagano, just not quite as good. " You might cop a bit of stick for that one. Either way, the difference between Hokkas and Honshu depends more on the conditions on the day than anything else.

Looks like a bunch of frozen sea lions!

Thanks Guys. I wrote up the piece a while ago as a bit of fun. It’s a great memory to have of my time in Japan.

I saw "Supersize Me" on the weekend. Even if you take it with a grain of salt (and fries on the side!) it is still pretty interesting. I'm not sure that I believe his death was quite as immanent as he was suggesting after a month but it was still pretty well done. The amount of soft drink some of the people claimed to be drinking on a daily or weekly basis boggles the mind - they were talking in gallons! It was interesting that he only got asked if he wanted to supersize 9 times (I think) for the whole month (i.e. 90 meals) so it isn’t as if that is quite the problem the title would indicat

I reckon the two sports have very different progression curves. The first day or two of skiing is unquestionably easier than the corresponding days for snowboarding. For people who aren't keen on flinging themselves down the mountain (they actually exist believe it or not) skiing offers a more sedate way of enjoying the snow once they get past the snow plow (if that’s how they were taught). Skiing gentle slopes places very little stress on the body – basically if you can stand up, you can ski. After a few days and assuming you’re the type of person who doesn’t mind rag-dolling down the

V for vendetta gets slammed in the Japan Times review. Saw MI III last night - Not bad if you're in to that kind of stuff. Maybe I’m getting old but it seemed bloody loud with a gratuitous amount of tearing metal and explosions. Also saw Capote the other day and was left wondering - what is that it?

People who own big dogs when they live in tiny apartments. I used to see what looked like an Irish wolf hound being walked around the streets at Omotesando - selfishly cruel.

I think they end up with 3 people in the final show. Paris and Baldy are my faves now. I don't really get Taylor. I can understand his appeal but it just doesn't work for me. Kathy isn't quite as polished a performer as the others so I can't see her getting the nod so I reckon Paris, Baldy and Taylor for the final show. I didn’t see it last night but I reckon Elliot is the next for the chop – he might be a good singer but he doesn’t seem to have a lot of personality. The whole top 2 or 3 and middle 2 or 3 etc is a bit dodgy. They could put whoever they wanted in which ever group they

I've gone off her. She's cute, but no one can be that brainless and not be on a ventilator. Baldy still the one to beat I reckon. I'm only watching the show now on the off chance that Simon gives Paula a back hand and tells her to shut up. It's such an annoying pattern of her sprouting her crap and then talking over the top of Simon when all he is trying to is to deflate some of the hype.

There has been some stuff in the Australian about dual citizenship holders being bi-polar and guff about loyalty to one country or another. A load of rusbbish but I can see why the authorities in some countries don't like it. Having two passports enables people to navigate the bureaucracy of internaitonal travel and work with a greater degree of ease than the polies prefer.

Great article there Sam. I love the photos - no matter if your soul rides one board or two, the sight of a clean track through pristine snow always creates a sense of longing for the freedom it implies.

Presumably though Farquah, you would always qualify for citizenship in your home country, even if you gave it up. If the Rugby gods smiled, (as they do) after playing for Japan and having received Japanese citizenship, if you were to give up Japanese citizenship would you be them be eligible to play for your home country again?

It really depends on whether we want the unit to make any money. We could use it all season if we wanted to, but we use the rent to pay the loan. We don't really have any restrictions amongst ourselves. We just nominate our booking dates and then hand the place over to the manager for bookings. If it is not booked, it can be used by anyone. But we all have day jobs so it's not as if we're in a position to be shooting up there on a whim Friday afternoon. Although the guys in TY could probably do that.

Hakuba town is also a little spread out which can be a bit of a pain for visitors without a car. I'd love to get a place in Nozawa. Something near that moving footpath thingy. Everything at hand with a great mix of alpine village and traditional Japan feel to it.

We actually got the loan using an Aust company as the borrower. We borrowed the money through the Tokyo branch of the National Aust Bank. It was a pretty painful process mainly because we wanted to use a hopelessly complicated structure but the bank guys were pretty good and stuck it out. We originally had 5 of us living inJapan but when it came time to borrow the money we were down to 2 - it caused the bank some grief but they let it go. We had to pay above the standard yen rate but it was still a lot better than borrowing against assets in Aust. For access, you must have the trip down

As long as Aust beat Japan, I don't care who wins any other game.

I'm sure you're right there FT. It was an English language website and I'm sure they were just putting prices out there to see if any gaijin was silly enough to bite.

Last year some friends and I all chipped in and bought a unit together in Niseko. It is a very long story but we had been talking about buying into the whole Niseko thing for a couple of years and watching the prices go up and up. Every time we got together for beers we would have the same conversation - the more beer, the more enthusiastic we got but the problem was that it usually dissipated by the time the hangover kicked in. No one really wanted to sink a lot of cash into the place partly for the reasons Niseko is copping flak now. It took us a long time to get our act together because

I like how they draw out the process each week. It seem each week they come up with some new way to mess with their minds and let them think that they're going to get the chop. Great entertainment but somewhat cruel.

97 I reckon Kelly, Paris and the rocker guy will be the final three. We seem to be a week ahead of TY here but I didn't see the show last night so I don't know who was crap but I reckon Elliot is the next in line for the chop. He might be a great singer but doesn't seem to have the same gloss as the others. People will pick Ace before Elliot for the eye candy value.

"high five him because we're both white and rockstars?" You could try - it would be pretty funny to see the other guy's reaction.

Seems Like a good idea. No offence intended, I was just being gobby on a slow afternoon at work. By the way, I like your quote. Where did you get it from?

BP – Maybe I am a bit free with stereotypes, but most stereotypes have an element of truth to them which makes it all the more enjoyable to poke fun at. Westerners living in Japan who avoid other westerners are displaying some pretty serious psychosis. Don’t you reckon? What are they hiding from? How do they cope when they travel overseas or don’t they do that? From your post I guess you’re missing some great snow in Europe and North America in preference for safe old Japan or is it just westerners when they visit Japan that you have a problem with? If so, then I guess if the boot fits…

But racist is ok right?

What's a "peckerwood" BP – “Most of the people posting on here who may be complaining about the situation are likely to fit Type 2. Therefore, you ARE, in fact, saying that we all fit that group in the sense that they are lving here (short, mid or long term).” That’s a bit of a stretch don’t you think? I don’t think I was saying that living in Japan per se makes anyone, least of all the westerners, a Type 2 person. Disliking drunken yobbos doesn’t make a person one either. But I reckon you should line up for your hello kitty key ring and Otaku badge if you’re a westerner and yo