samurai

You may think you're turning Japanese... but the Japanese don't think so.

spook, don't feel guilty. Surfing is the one sport I have always drooled over. I've been on body board a few dozen times, but whatever. I tried surfing once in Iquique. My shoulder popped paddling out. Then I got crushed by a set trying to swim with one arm. It sucked. I learned I should probably have better range-of-motion before attempting that again. keep the blue coming.

I can't surf. too many dislocations = my shoulders don't paddle. (maybe I could learn by tow-in) Anyway, I often read this thread. Thanks for the shots. I'm pretty sure I'd cry if I saw those dolphins. But the cat made me laugh again.

Once again, keep the grammar rules up, mates. I can understand why one person thinks they're being blamed for not knowing squat about snow-dynamics and another thinking they're being blamed for not knowing the facts about the situation. It took kuma to come in and explain it all. I for one was lost the whole time. Kuma knows FT and can interject tone. I think 10,000+ posts = loosing all bility 2 keep it makin eny since.

The farther you wish to go into a ski town (of which there are hundreds) the farther you go from support as a JET, fwiw. By no means am I advocating that you move to Tokyo, but many of the JETs that I meet out here in the country (Yamagata) get really lonely and spend their weekends wasted in the bar venting about being in charge of the school's English curriuclum all by themselves. Just thought I'd mention it. Sapporo and Nagano are by no means country... or ski towns. They're ski cities. But those small schools tucked into the corner can get pretty lonely.

I find it so irritating, my wife points out those girls who think self-instigated weakness is attractive just to see me roll my eyes.

eskimo orgy? Mushroom fest?

FT, sometimes the grammar mistakes make it impossible to understand what you are talking about.

A co-worker at my school finally stopped calling me gaijin-sensei. I had to ask him to use my name 3 times, but he finally got it. Even the students at age 16 would roll their eyes at his language. The students must not dye their hair at my school. We have hair checks to ensure that their hair is black. When the students asked the same teacher as mentioned above why I didn't have to have black hair, he replied; "Gaijin desu." not blonde, or that is my natural color but the fact that I was a gaijin. Ironically, the students were joking. It's kind of funny seeing the youth outwit their te

High heels and posture. I'll remember that next time I see a J-pop girl walking around like a pigeon.

I'm always reminding myself to be patient. I often find myself avoiding situations due to the predicted dialogue. I try not to do that when I aknowledge that I am... because it will never stop. shoganai.

my wife can spot those differences quite easily. I've picked up a few differences. S.W. Asia is vastly different from East Asia. Then again, I can spot euros or aussies or kiwis in the states quite easily as well. Some facial features are very aussie and very euro, imo. There is no way I could possibly explain that here though. I have also only ever seen stubby thumbs on Japanese people. (you know, the half-thumb tip.) BOC, I think a group of japanese in England would likely consider you a gaijin as they speak amongst themselves. Don't think too much of it. I think in that si

Nepalese food tonight. (Newa Bhutu for those of you in the know.)

Originally Posted By: Kingofmyrrh Looks like a perfect winter wonderland. Zao was one of the places I was meant to visit this season but haven't really done a very good job pulling it together. So many places, so little time... Winter Wonderland is one of my nicknames for it. It's quite the contrast from Yamagata proper. I'm always shocked at how much snow they have... being as I live 20 minutes from the place and don't see a fraction of the amount of snow they receive. One of the reasons it gets so deep so fast is the freezing fog. Even if it's not snowing, frost is growing on the s

Originally Posted By: al from scotland How did you levitate your skis? They're Gotamas... they levitate on their own.

great shots!! Aside from your contrast skills, I particularly like your triple snow-fence... I've also hopped those.

Beautiful views. Looks like some decent pitch, too. Cheers.

Originally Posted By: SerreChe I like the animal tracks. Hard to get a shot w/o some of these. It's funny you should mention that. I don't know if it was during that particular shot, but in Katsu that day I scared up a hare. I then chased it with my camera hoping for a shot. No go. I like skiing with hares.

Before last weekend, I had never been in this area. I don't think you have either, daver. But I do remember you pointing your pole up at it wondering how we get into it. Remember that cement drainage wall? The thing is, you can't see that terrain from anywhere except that transfer groomer from Utopia to Paradise. It's such a long and flat in-traverse from above, I think we just shrugged it off and assumed it was all flat. As for your summer trip next February, we may be here. If I can get my world together, we may be living at Zao next winter with summers free and autumns in Minnesota fo

Originally Posted By: daver Gateway to Paradise? am i to assume it is near the paradise area? how did we miss that? did you get a camera recently? soft landings, katsu kicks ass. There's actually terrain below paradise. I lapped it 4 times today. I have absolutely no idea how it disappeared into the abyss and never got skied. It involves a long stint past paradise trees landing at that transfer chair from utopia on the way to paradise from kurohime. It's like 6-700 vert of wallness that you gaze up at coming from utopia. You've seen it dozens of times, but we never detailed out

Ironically, the most experienced people in the world are the most likely to get caught in a slide. Experience comes from exposure. And exposure is not the scientific part of avi-science.

Why didn't you trade!?

I bet they were drooling over your board, too, eh Kuma? That's awesome.

wow, farquah. I had to wipe my mouth after that post. Hey, I had vennison last week. (I usually kill my own, but was stoked to eat it in a restaurant for the first time, they did a great job too! They get it from a hunter in Hokkaido and will call me every season when they get a rack.)

16 days then running. "Way to raise the kids, otosan!"