skelonas

Where can I watch the Patriots game tomorrow in Sapporo???? I'm not too familiar with the city yet, so if you can give me a block address or at least general directions, that would help! Thanks so much!

Nissen sports is all very expensive new stuff- nothing used. I'm looking to get a cheap used set up for $50 or so. Can anyone reccomend a good used store? I know that "Hard off" is a chain that carries this kind of stuff. Is there one located anywhere is Sapporo?

Thanks. Where is the Olympic Cross country track located?

I was wondering if anyone knows of some good trails in or near Sapporo for cross country skiing. I'm not interested in paying for a full up "nordic center", but if there are any local parks at the edge of town that have trails, or even better, somewhere close by where snowmobiles frequent so I won't have to cut trail. Looks like I could get lots of miles along the river, but a more wooded area would be nice. Also, does anyone know of used sporting goods stores in town?

What's the easiest/cheapest/fastest way to get to Teine from the middle of Sapporo? Thanks for your help!

I'm looking for the most economical way to stay in Niseko or Rusutsu and ski for 1-2 weeks at a time through January. I'll be traveling with my girlfriend, so we'd prefer a private room over dorm style unless there are bunks available for under 2000 yen/night. We've looked at the lodging info on the SJ site but were wondering if there are cheaper options out there that aren't advertised. Are there any places that give significant lift ticket discounts if you stay there? Thanks in advance for any help that you can provide!

I'll be coming over to Sapporo mid-December. I was wondering what the best way would be to handle currency. Are there ATM's that accept visa and mastercard debit cards from the U.S.? My girlfriend had problems with this in Tokyo, so we want to make sure that we bring enough cash if ATM's aren't an option. We'll be staying for about six weeks, so we'd rather not bring a huge bundle of cash if possible. Thanks for any advice you can give!

Does anyone know about this town? On a map, it is Northwest of Furano and southwest of Asahikawa. Is it ultra rural? How long would it take to get to good skiing by car/bus (Furano, etc). How long would it take to get to Asahikawa or Sapporo? I've been offered a job there, so am trying to get all the info I can about it before I decide. Thanks for any help that you can give me!

Is there a yearly/season pass that you can buy for either bus or train to Niseko or Rusutsu? And are there options where you can get there earlier than 10AM in the morning? That doesn't really cut it on a powder day- especially since the roads would probably make it later. We're going to be there long enough that we figured it would be economical to get a season pass- probably the one mentioned for Teine and Rusutsu, so the combo deals wouldn't really help when traveling to those resorts. Any more opinions on getting to the snow and also cheap temporary living options would be g

Ok, that makes sense. The plan would have been to sell it when we leave, but that makes sense that we can't register it, etc if we aren't residents. So what is the best way to get to the snow? How much would a car rental be for 6-7 weeks? Seems like that would be a bit pricey!

My girlfriend and I are coming to Sapporo mid December and plan to stay through January. We're looking for some advice on the cheapest place to stay, and the cheapest way to get our powder days in. We're basically there to ski, but would rather live in the city and commute- I estimate 3-5 days on the slopes per week. Lodging: We would like our own place, but may be willing to share a kitchen if there are 'gaijin houses' that are much cheaper this way. Leo's Palace has been suggested to us before. Skiing: I saw somewhere that Rusustu and Sapporo Teine have a combo season pass. D

You actually can change your visa status from tourist to work visa while still in the country- this has changed from previously when you had to go to S. Korea to apply. The ahole school that wanted a single American male was planning on bringing me over at the end of this month, and would help me change my visa status once I arrived- they confirmed that they had done this with a couple of teachers this summer. I've read this other places as well. We'll probably be coming over in December with visas for jobs starting in February, unless we find something better first. We want to arrive

Thanks for all the advice and wisdom. The search has been frustrating because we've been able to find jobs starting in February where we are in the same place, but far from skiing, and jobs that start soon, but nothing for both of us. We certainly know how to present ourselves professionally (I've not only sent my pic, but have made a video introduction), and have had offers from the big chains, and some of the smaller schools too- just not great situations. Ideally, we'd like to find a position for both of us at one location that begins soon, and then look for positions in ski towns (

We definitely want to live and work for a year or more, unless we were able to find something at a ski area specifically for the season, but in order to sponsor a work visa, they'd probably want us for a year. Isn't it hard to keep something like having a beautiful blond haired American girlfriend a secret, especially since the schools hook you up with housing? She'll stick out like a sore thumb. Plus we will both be looking at the same time, so I'm not sure of the best way to job search, especially if we go door to door. I guess that is why I was hoping it may not be as much of an iss

I had a job lined up in Matsumoto, until during the phone interview they discovered I had a girlfriend who would be coming over as well! They felt that she would create competition for them as she would be looking for jobs with another school- this in not BS, this school was going to hire me otherwise. I have to laugh because otherwise I'd be crying. So here is my question, has anyone else experienced this kind of nonsense? Is it as likely that crap like this would happen in a bigger city like Sapporo? We are planning on heading over to Sapporo in December at this point, to find