BettyBoo!

Ah, I see! That explains it!

I'll be needing someone to teach me. Thanks for the insight, sounds like, er, fun!

I dunno he looks a fine chap in those recent photos

I saw a documentary on hornets recently actually. They are huge and real scary. I'm glad to say I don't think I've ever met one and don't want to.

Sounds good. I will have to remember that come December.

My version will be cheaper.

Not sure about "good" but Buy It Now was thought provoking. 16 year old decides to auction her virginity on ebay for $1500. I wonder how I ended up watching that?

Themependium - like a best of John Barry. He has done a lot of good soundtracks.

I had heard that Battleship Earth was bad. It came on the tv the other night and I watched 15 minutes before realising that it truly was terrible nonsense! Recently I seem to be good at (or is that bad at) choosing poor movies. Actually I think I prefer tv series now.

Those photos are just crazy. Funny actually I will send them home. How can people think that is fun!

It's good to hear stories like this.

I'm basically between Osaka and Nagoya, though closer to Osaka. Sorry for the late response!!

Yeah I think I'll take some lessons actually. Maybe first time out with the friends just so I can at least stand up!

...although it's still a bit vague. I'm lucky enough to have friends who both ski and snowboard and are the same size as me so basically I'm going to try a bit of both at the beginning of the coming season and see which I take too more. Then I'll start thinking about buying the gear. I'm really looking forward to it though I'm sure I'm going to love it.

I may be wrong but I think in a smaller company something like kakaricho might carry more 'weight'. A company I have contact with has kakari-cho, then kacho and then the owner as the management structure... one of each.

I just love animals as well - probably more than people. Good luck with the change of life there BofC, it sounds like a good idea to me.

I went up to Shiga Kogen last week. What a lovely area it is, very beautiful I really liked it. And those monkeys! I used that toll road by accident actually I didn't know until I was on it. Very short. On the way back we used the town road which wasn't painful! Hoping to go to Shiga Kogen again before the end of this year when it is white!

The travel seems to be an expensive part. I'm planning my first trip now and going for 4 nights I think.

I've not been anywhere. But there must be quite a lot right about the place with the amount of attention and love it seems to get. I'm hoping to maybe take a trip up there, but maybe will wait until I get the basics down ok

I suppose some of the guys and gals here live in the snow and so don't need to make a trip, but for the ones who have to travel within Japan how long do you go for? I can't see me wanting to do anything less than 4 days. It would be interesting to know how many nights lots of the people from overseas stay for?

For me the difference of an hour or so between places doesn't really seem important. It's the place I want to go to that will decide it for me as I'm sure it will be for more than a few nights when I do go.

Still to decide!

I bet it takes more than a few days out on the hills to be doing that! Looks great though.

I'd prefer the shink trip than having all the trouble involved in the airports myself.

Thanks folks (well most of you anyway). I like the look of skiing but I do want to try both before I take the plunge and spend cash. Perhaps I'll have to try and find some good friends about the same size as me. I think the idea of a place where people can ask their "stupid questions" is a good idea. I use a few other forums that have a newby corner and it works well. Give it some thought, I'm sure it would make these forums more accessible to more people.