Greenroome

How quickly we forget! This is not the first time Joshstar has post and run. Remember when he left us at the dance... in the mountains... near the beer vending machine... waiting..........

Great report Mike. Thanks a lot. I can't wait to get started! Wind just swung to the north in Sapporo. Is this the big chill? The real deal? Six snowmen in a row on the JMA website look good.

Originally Posted By: Rag-Doll And why is Japan anymore exotic that France or Canada? It is a funny mind set. Just as people seem to be ok travelling to Hong Kong, but to go all the way to Japan (!) seems like a major undertaking. For some reason in many people's minds Japan seems to be much further into the Far East than Singapore or Hong Kong. Go figure. Quite simple - Japan was spared having the British colonial 'bland wand' waved over it.

It only got up to 7 here today. Nice bit of sun though. I'm already wearing thermoz under jeans. Forgot how doonariffic they feel.

I agree with GN and Ez. No need to wash after a slash, and the proliferation of anti-bacterial cr@p is a fraud. It's creating weak kids, and the mind-freak about germs is leading to weak play.

Let me know if you luck out. There are plenty of others around. Woody'z (under Parco in city centre) has some bargains, plus a comic bonus of being able to laugh at Burton's pissweak effort to revive eighties jacket fashions this year. Honestly, how could they mess that up? You can almost hear the voices in the creative directions strategy meeting making lame compromises. There's also a big'un on the main drag in Miyanosawa (or was it Kotoni?) called All Sports (or was it Alpen?). Anyway, more super-accurate help available if you need it.

Hate to rain on the parade, but Tim Tams don't contain any actual chocolate. The chocolate taste is concocted from six different food additives, some of which are banned in other countries.

I have struggled to find another country with such an affronting contrast between its' own people. I have seldom felt as relaxed and warmed as I have whilst chatting and giggling away with an Indonesian Mamma when there's been no swell. At the same time I've never felt as furious and flattened as when I've seen the Bali Bombers getting yet another media spot on TV. They're a ratings drawcard, and it makes me ill. Plenty of Indonesian males see them as war heroes. I wish I could visit an Indonesian island of only Mammas (with sick pits goin' off, of course).

Hang on hang on, you can slow down on the sadface smilies there mate! Isn't that you pushing soft pow around only a few clicks up the page? Geez!

Tomorrow's forecast is strange here - 'cloudy becoming snow' (70% chance of snow between 6:00 and 12:00) Min 9 Max 14 Tomorrow night's low is 0 so they must be thinking of an early Friday max, then a quick plunge to get snow before 12:00.

Hey Mike, are you copping it down there at the moment? Clear skies here in Sapporo but big lightning show from the south west.

Absolute w@nkers. Bali isn't even Muslim. I've seen far more strip joints up in devout Sumatra than I've seen in Bali. Fundamentalist Islam - the religion of hypocrisy.

That's sales-speak for 'selling close to cost'. Don't worry Ez - no bumcheeks out.

Give us this day our daily shred

The high yen has effectively priced a lot of Japan's exports out of the market. You'll see a lot more new Hyundais and Daewoooooos driving around Perth than new Nissans and Toyotas. The Japanese government is trying to replace some of the lost overseas demand with some domestic demand.

Hi Lydia, I can recommend Xebio Super Sports, a massive sports barn in the south-east of the city. They are currently dropping their pants and clearing out last year's stock. I think they could try a bit harder and coming weeks might see them getting busier with the red pen. My wife and I actually just got back from buying her some (entry-level) Burton Casa snowboard boots for 13,200 yen, down from 18,900 yen. Plenty of socks, frocks and electric jocks available in other parts of the barn too (okay, I lied about the jocks, but I wouldn't be surprised). Address is: Shiroishi-Moiw

Thanks heaps for the info Ez. I really appreciate it. I was pretty sure getting to Teine would be quicker if I avoided the ekimae during peak hour, even though it means an extra change. There is a liner to Rusutsu, but it stops at a dozen hotels before finally hitting the road. Yawn... Thanks again, and see you up there.

I'm swiftly losing confidence that it's possible/feasible. I asked a lady at Bus Center Mae this arvo if there were any buses from Hokkaido to Honshu and she said "no - take the train" (very politely, of course). Thanks anyway Ez. If you find anything out, I'm still keen to know. By the way, thanks also for suggesting (back in June) that I stay in Sapporo and get stuck into the local ski hills. I've decided to do pretty much exactly what you suggested. Sapporo is definitely cooler than it's big population suggests. I'm getting a Kamori season pass so I'll go to Teine about three tim

Congratulations Mike, and thanks for the pics and the regular updates during this early start to the season. I'm so excited. What a day! I started the day hooting at the Niseko and Furano pics on my laptop, and then I nearly fell off my bike on the way to work when I happened to glance up at the mountains and saw a very decent blanket of white right there on Sapporo Teine and its sisters!!! Needless to say when the lights turned green I lit up the back tyre of the Momma Charry and did the monsterest wheelie all the way to town! First break I got I was straight down to Odori

The live volcano is at Asahidake. There are (longish) day trips available from Furano. I haven't been, but researched it recently. The Asahidake Ropeway leads from Asahidake Onsen to within a two hour hike of Mount Asahidake's summit. Only a couple of runs, but there is an attractive, 30-60 minute circular trail from the ropeway's upper station, past some ponds and sulfurous vents. There are some wacky photos of steaming pits next to pistes if you search online.

Yeah, it'll be long alright. Not too sure about driving, cost wise. By the time I pay for fuel and tolls etc...

Hi all, I've heard that there are good value long distance buses that run from Sapporo to Honshu, but my internet searches and feeble attempts at getting info about inter-city bus services using my lame Japanese have so far come to nought. I want to get from Niseko to Nozawa Onsen in March 09, and the train looks pretty pricey. I don't want to fly as I want to see the countryside. Wife gets seasick so the ferry's out. We will have plenty of gear (snow and luggage), so the idea of sticking it on a bus and not having to change trains five times appeals. I could send gear via Takkyubin but I

The big sports stores here in Sapporo certainly are offering some big discounts on last year's gear at the moment (especially Xebio), but I reckon second-hand is where the real action is. I haven't been looking at ski prices, but on Monday I got my wife a barely-used Arbor snowboard with bindings (50,000 yen new) for 3000 yen. I couldn't believe it. You can't hire a board for a day for that cheap! We also got a top condition board bag with all the trimmings for 900 yen. There were mid-range snowboard boots for 2000 and Burtons for 3000. Top name boards and models were around the 15,000 to

A very patient mate taught me. He wouldn't let me progress until I could do turns fakey as well as I could natural. Later in the season when I was packing my cheds in steep chutes that he dragged me into, I thanked him for it. I always keep my ears open when instructors are imparting knowledge to their students on lifts too.

Okay, here's the fluffy-arsed little dude: The wings are a beautiful lavender blue, but the colour doesn't show in these pics. Here's a shot of one getting big air: