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'Foreigners' overrun with misconceptions of the orient invade Niseko looking for a past that was never there -- meanwhile Nozawa tourists ignore the hypermaterialistic present of Japanese cultural arbiters, young people modeling the latest snowboard gear and snow wear, and see instead the fictitious reality half of their own making half a marketing campaign directed towards urbanized youth fed off of soda-pop dreams of nostalgia.

 

Next time I visit Australia I'll be sure to post some nasty comment asking why it is that a country with aboriginal culture whored itself out to the international opera community instead of fighting the good fight alongside the Mennonites and the Amish. Why oh why did they adopt a hackneyed offshoot of English culture when they cannot even get the accent right!? It's a shame they didn't stay in the Bush, oh those romantic noble savages!

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LOL @ nuejam.

 

lol @ Stemik....I also heard if you catch a train to the border you can get some GENUINE Rolex watches and Prada Handbags for whatever price you can best haggle down to - a bargain for Missy! rollabout

 

Honestly - we are more interested in hitting the snow than buying a Rolex. However we had thought for the novelty sake we would buy the kids a swatch each while we were there - better than a paperweight statue or boxed genuine piece from the Matterhorn!

 

I am more than happy with my Suunto for now.

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Originally Posted By: nuejam
'Foreigners' overrun with misconceptions of the orient invade Niseko looking for a past that was never there -- meanwhile Nozawa tourists ignore the hypermaterialistic present of Japanese cultural arbiters, young people modeling the latest snowboard gear and snow wear, and see instead the fictitious reality half of their own making half a marketing campaign directed towards urbanized youth fed off of soda-pop dreams of nostalgia.

Next time I visit Australia I'll be sure to post some nasty comment asking why it is that a country with aboriginal culture whored itself out to the international opera community instead of fighting the good fight alongside the Mennonites and the Amish. Why oh why did they adopt a hackneyed offshoot of English culture when they cannot even get the accent right!? It's a shame they didn't stay in the Bush, oh those romantic noble savages!


I thought most of the foreigners looking for Madam Butterfly and samurai go to Kyoto. As for the Aussies, did you ever see the movie 'Bondi Tsunami' where a group of young, sexy Japanese go and fetishize Aussie surf culture? I thought it was a good movie.
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Originally Posted By: nuejam
'Foreigners' overrun with misconceptions of the orient invade Niseko looking for a past that was never there -- meanwhile Nozawa tourists ignore the hypermaterialistic present of Japanese cultural arbiters, young people modeling the latest snowboard gear and snow wear, and see instead the fictitious reality half of their own making half a marketing campaign directed towards urbanized youth fed off of soda-pop dreams of nostalgia.


That's called juxtaposition, and is kind of cute in it's own way.

Originally Posted By: nuejam
Next time I visit Australia I'll be sure to post some nasty comment asking why it is that a country with aboriginal culture whored itself out to the international opera community instead of fighting the good fight alongside the Mennonites and the Amish. Why oh why did they adopt a hackneyed offshoot of English culture when they cannot even get the accent right!? It's a shame they didn't stay in the Bush, oh those romantic noble savages!


I'm an educated man, but that went way over my head... wakaranai
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Originally Posted By: keba
And you won't be disappointed by Zermatt, unless you are going there to buy a watch - they're way too pricey - or if you are a boarder, as there are a lot of traverses...

Or unless you want good snow.
Europe... Bah! grandpa
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I have to laugh at all this "Niseko in the poo" talk.... one would imagine that taking a step back and getting rid of all the hype and media fun, it is doing considerably better than many/most other ski area towns. Ski area towns who were probably already in the poo and now getting deeper and deeper in it.

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Not all that long ago, the predominant theme in these threads was that global warming was the biggest threat to ski resorts, who would have thought that it would be greedy corporate execs and overzealous mortgage lenders that would seal their fate?

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Seriously though, with all the fear and loathing going around at the moment, I wonder how much of an impact the credit crunch will have on the operations of ski resorts everywhere. Some, particularly in Australia, are running on pretty tight margins, as far as I am aware, and are probably dependent on credit for their seasonal upgrades, maintenance, etc. I doubt it's just the owners of accomodation that should be worried.

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This might come as a surprise to some but there have been recessions before and the world didn't end. So far as Japan is concerned, there are hundreds of resorts in the country, they still exist some 20 years after the Japanese bubble burst. Only a handfull ever benefited from the international market. Nothing much will change with the Aussies gone. Niseko land prices will drop back, but they will still be higher than prices down the road and everything will return to business as normal. The real pity will be that the services developed at Niseko to cater for international visitors will erode as people and business drift away and we're left with the base line Japanese model.

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Originally Posted By: Rag-Doll
This might come as a surprise to some but there have been recessions before and the world didn't end.



I recall one in the 1930's, and the world didn't end, but there were certainly some tense moments... wink
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Originally Posted By: keba
Originally Posted By: Rag-Doll
This might come as a surprise to some but there have been recessions before and the world didn't end.



I recall one in the 1930's, and the world didn't end, but there were certainly some tense moments... wink


That wasn't a recession it was a Depression. Not saying it can't or wont happen, but to compare a recession and a depression is like comparing the common cold and the flu. Similar I suppose, but ask the person with the flu if he'd rather have a common cold!!!
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There might be an economic 'downturn' in Australia at the moment, and I think we're all sure that it will effect Niseko...

 

For a moment, take out the wider implications for development, finance, and restriction on services and consider this:

 

Australian resorts still rely on snow making systems to guarantee enough snow to get from top to bottom (without having to skate across some icy patches of grass)... Niseko (and other Japanese resorts) don't. If you love the snow, and want to ski some of the best conditions in the world, economic downturn or not... you are still going to find a way to make it to Japan for a few turns!

 

Just a thought smile

 

 

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I think I saw it on Mish Shedlock but aren't Sing and HK in recession too? Haven't their currencies fallen against the Yen as well? S Korea's has.

 

Personally I don't think we'll see a downturn this season, but a reality check is definitely on the way. The other one, especially for Australians, is that I presume skiing in Japan is no longer much cheaper than N. America. If you can go to Whistler or Jackson Hole for pretty much the same money as Niseko....

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