snotrag

thanks for all the viewpoints and tips! let it snow!

Do you think this plan has any loopholes? 1. Buy the day pass w/ JR for say, Dec. 7th: roundtrip shinkansen (Tokyo to Nagano) + shuttle bus (Nagano to Hakuba) + 1 day lift tix at Hakuba 47. Early season package price: 11,400 yen 2. Go up to Hakuba on the night of Dec. 5th by buying a separate 1-way shink from Tokyo to Nagano (8,000 yen) + shuttle bus to Hakuba (1,400 yen). Stay overnight in Hakuba. 3. Buy separate lift tix for Dec. 6th for Hakuba 47. Ride all day. Whee! Stay overnight in Hakuba. 4. Use pre-purchased JR lift tix for Hakuba 47. Ride all day. Whee! Use pr

Good on you. I regretted not helping out a girl that had a black eye and was with her asshole boyfriend who was yelling at her to keep following him. The situation was very obvious. That was three years ago in Thailand, and I still think about it. This is an interesting story. My friend "B" was standing in a crowded Tokyo subway car and saw a man stroking a young Japanese woman's leg. The girl was softly crying and huddled to the other side (so not facing the man). On instinct, "B" told the man to leave the girl alone. The man and the girl both said nothing, but the man stopped str

yes, i do realize how silly it is to tip 10% for bad service/food. but, tipping is obligatory as gift giving is to the Japanese. sometimes you just have to give that damn omiyage to that person you don't know or like. tipping 10% is a message to your server that you were completely dissatisfied. not tipping at all is like not paying for your bill. as for taking calculators to restaurants... you think you're making a joke, but tipping calculators are not uncommon to keep in one's purse! for the record, i do agree that tipping in the US is a bit overdone.

okay, here's the breakdown, coming from someone who used to wait tables and who dines out a lot when in the US. restaurants: 10% if the meal and service was absolute crap, i.e. you got food poisoning or had to wait 2 hours for your food. 15% if you're european, a senior citizen, or if the meal/service was crap. 18% is standard, expected, and automatically put down for meal/service that was "fine." 20% if it's too hard to calculate 18%, you've been/are a waitress/waitress (the whole karma thing), your company is paying for it, or you're loaded. bars: tip the bartender/wait

yeah, don't judge a username by it's cover. or something like that.

i'm innocent!! and i'm a girl!! it was actually listed on facebook as "most popular hits", next to "star wars according to a 3 year old." when i looked it up, it just showed the video. but when i copied the link onto this forum, all the other "related" videos showed up, that were more of the perversion genre. i just want to clear my name...

you're talking calves; i'm talking thigh. that's funny. i'll try your advice next....uh... season. thanks.

this is something to write home about...

maybe it's a strength issue. the chair always win. i'm a lightweight.

kagura mitsumata was pretty fun-- wasn't icy and wasn't sluggish for spring conditions. not too crowded either. so in the States, the lift ops slow down the chair by holding it back as you get on. how does one avoid getting smacked in the back thighs here in japan ski resorts? i've tried everything, and all i have are bruises to show for my efforts.

thanks, guys! that about sums it up. very comprehensive link there, mike pow.

i have a couple of months off in june/july/august, so i was thinking of being a snowboard bum somewhere with snow and with a good nightlife. new zealand and chile come to mind, though i haven't ridden in either places. any suggestions? sort of looking for a tahoe, whistler, vail atmosphere.

ha ha. yeah, we tend to overtip in the states. when i used to wait tables, we knew to only expect 10% from european and asian customers, but 20% from american customers.

well, there's a few ways to make/save money working at a ski resort. one is to get a job that tips well, like waiting tables or bartending where the custom in the states is to tip 20% on meals or a dollar extra for every drink you get at the bar. (on a slow night, i'd make $60 in tips, on a busy night, i'd make $200 in tips, on top of minimum wage.) the other is to work overtime, as many international staff did. they were able to save up and buy houses in brazil or travel indefinitely. and then there's all the free drinks, food and discounts you get cuz you always have a friend who works