Jan27 Home from Japan already!

Hard to believe that I/we are home already and that I need to pack for the Olympics. I really want to savour the experience that I had in Japan. It was pretty incredible.

For the last two days we went with Andrew and 2 clients to two ski resorts near Sapporo. (He skiied with the clients and we did regular runs). I saw them do crazy (for me, anyways) jumps off the avalanche fence catchers that are perched up the hill keeping the snow off the road. Makes a good jump, I guess.

Then we stayed at the hotel Mercure where Yui works at reception. A first class international hotel and we enjoyed seeing Yui at work and being so well treated.

On the last evening Andrew drove his clients back to Niseko, Yui worked and Trish and I were treated to a wonderful evening with Yui's parents. Norry, Yui's Dad, speaks a little English and Nor, her Mom, speaks very little. So we had so much fun with a little translator calculator, gestures, smiles, etc. Yui's Dad is pretty expressive with his happiness and it is such a treat to see him. The kindness in Nor comes across so well. You can say so much and enjoy lots together with very few words. Tonight was yakitori (grilled skewers) and we tried all sorts.

I found the whole trip a pretty emotional experience. I am so grateful for the opportunity to see and understand more of what Andrew is doing. I see him working with all his heart. He has created a job that you have to be passionate about if you are going to attempt it. There is a lot of managing, juggling, planning, responding to the moment, and interpersonal connections. Spending time with Yui and her family with also pretty special. Also all of the friendly staff at Black Diamond and Freeride. So it was time to leave but not without tears, tears of joy for the opportunity to enjoy all of these connections and opportunities and to see Andrew in 'his space' living his life to the fullest. Being with Trish after all these years was amazing...I enjoyed being with her so much. Hard to believe the twists and turns and opportunities that present themselves in life. I look forward to skiing again in Japan and reconnecting. I am thankful for the experience.

Jan 21 Snowmobiling

We wandered around and had a quiet day yesterday as it was pretty wet snow - rainy snow at the bottom and so pretty wet so the skiing would be pretty icy. We went out for and all you can eat meat bar-b-q with Andrew driving the bus. It was great fun grilling your meat, fish (including scallops, oysters, prawns) and veggies including 3 kinds of dense mushrooms. Today it got colder but earlier in the day not enough new snow to stick to the icy layer underneath. By tomorrow it should be amazing everywhere. So we went snowmobiling and zoomed around for an hour. Andrew ran two tours today to the snowmobiling park in the bus. It was a blast for an hour going up and down the hills and through the trees was the best part. It is not as good as skiing but great for a day out when the skiing was not to be spectacular. The legs should be well recovered and ready for the powder slopes tomorrow. We may get on Andrew's bus if he has space tomorrow and go to a resort .5hours from here. If not it will be great here.

Tuesday Jan 19

Yesterday we caught the bus to the local station and then the train to Sapporo with Yui. It is a good thing that we got on the right bus! A smooth train ride to the old city of Otaru where we wandered around, had lunch and watch the glass blowers - world famous and along the calibre of Venetian glass. We arrived at Sapporo station around 6pm to masses of people in the new huge mall. We visited the food area - lots of samples - pickles, and fishy things and sweets.

Then Andrew picked us up after dropping off clients in Sapporo. Sapporo is a city of 2 million and lots of cars. We worked our way through various side streets that had one lane snowplowed through and finally arrived in the north of the city at Yui's parents home. They were so welcoming and hospitable. We enjoyed sushi, pot stickers, fried noodles, potato salad and deep fried chicken. We sat around a table that is 18inches off the floor. It has a skirt around it and you can extend your legs under the table. This is great because there is an electric heater attached to the underside of the table. I liked the warm...on the feet and legs....even though the house was pleasantly heated. The home surprised me in terms of size and wonderful new and modern design. The big open kitchen eating area with a massive tv in the sitting/eating area. Upstairs are bedrooms and a loft. It seems that you heat the areas that you are in and not the others. Everything is such clean lines and so clean. The kitchen sinks are one massive sink. Food is enjoyed slowly and seems very social here. You take a piece at a time much like our Chinese style. It was a comfortable relaxing evening. Yui did some translating, Andrew spoke some Japanese and it was all extremely comfortable. Nobody tried too hard and we all seemed to enjoy the experience.

Andrew then drove us back to Niseko. It takes a long time to get out of the city - it seems to sprawl on and on.

A slow start this AM. I am starting to understand how the snow drives everything here. Now I understand why they all went skiing the first evening that we were here. It was dumping!! I have never thought about snow conditions before like they do here. When it snows they know where to go. Today is grey and warm - possibly rain/snow at lower elevations. Probably better tonight or tomorrow or at higher elevations. So now I sound like a local. I am hoping for that powder fluff snow that was so heavenly that we experienced earlier in the week. It may be a common occurrence but not everyday. I guess that Andrew specializes in knowing when to go where...for the deep white stuff.

January 18

Well, after 6 days out of the past 7 skiing, we are loving it. The legs definitely required easier runs today. Hope that the snow flies really heavily again and that our legs are ready or recovered for it. We had an easy day today but still keep trying to head out to the powdery or not so powdery stuff. That is more work. And the wonderful lifts - covered chairs quite often and then the antiquated thing that is like a chair without a back. Hang on. We went night skiing last night.. It is truly incredible how far the hill lights up at night - bigger than Sunshine or Louise, I would think and that is just the stuff available at night. The light is really very good for skiing and it looks like a fairyland lit up. ....you really can't ski too far out of the main runs though....tough when your legs are screaming stay on the main run and then I will perform for you. It was mystical watching the snowflakes fly in the light as you go up the lifts. Then the all inclusive lift pass has a shuttle service that we were able to get back to our accommodation.

Yesterday we skiied hard in the am and then relaxed in the onsen before skiing in the evening. Hardly a moment to eat or rest though the legs are starting to complain. Loving the skiing and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Sunday January 17

Well, I can hardly believe it! The sun is shining this minute. I have never seen so much snowing and snow. We will be able to see for at least a few minutes now. Took the day off yesterday. Time for a rest and to encourage us it was -17C with strong winds and all of the gondolas closed because of the swinging. So we read, stayed warm and finally got out for a short wonderful walk taking photos of all of the snow and realizing that we are in Japan.

Andrew took a group to Sapporo and will be back tonight. He seems to change his plans on the fly and no one except him seems to know what will actually transpire. I am surprised at how cold it is here. I am now wearing my down jacket under my other jacket and that seemed to work the other day. Indoor heating seems a challenge. There is no insulation anywhere - not in the roofs, single pane windows, etc. There are room heaters and they must consume a mountain of energy. For all of the technology it is surprising that there is not better insulation.

January 13 Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan

We had a second super day of skiing today. We both woke up early today and yesterday but managed to ski all day and stay awake in the evening. Hope that we can mostly skip jet lag..... We saw a patch of blue yesterday but not today - though the visibility was good. The snow is incredible - dry and light and we like to ski the glades. It is truly incredible and we have never seen snow like this. .....I am so glad to finally see what Andrew does and where he does it. Last night he offered a seminar to all interested on avalanche awareness. He did a great job. He is good at getting the group to participate. That is the way I also preferred to teach - rather than just give the information... He did say that he is working so hard and needs to find some time to sleep. He has an office in a bigger village that is a five minute drive from here this year so every year there are changes and growth.

There are quite a few young people staying at Black Diamond that are taking photos or making videos. People trying to make a living following their passion. It is great to be here - skiing and meeting a few people.... The lodge here is wonderful - Japanese style with the wicker on the floor and quilted type mats to sleep on. Friendly people, lots of wood furniture, good food.... I must say though that the indoor heating is uneven. I don:t think that the windows are double glazed. But it is relatively warm except for the bathroom.

The main slopes are pretty easy terrain so we prefer the glades - going between these trees that have no leaves or more specifically no needles. It is not green trees but there are bamboo shoots coming out of the ground. There are no lines and the ticket checking is all automated and your ticket is read through your jacket. There is someone there sometimes with thin gloves and an almost bow and always a few words as you get on the lift or sometimes they sweep the chair or gondola free of snow. There are a lot of directions or instructions for the Japanese. Often there is a loud speaker giving information across some slope or sometimes a nice quiet female voice giving instruction as you get off the lift. Sometimes there is an area where you hear rap music or some other music. I am glad that I can not understand the Japanese - it reminds me of the safety regulations on a plane - they are always the same and constant.

Buying lunch is fun. Yesterday we looked at samples at a machine, paid the amount of money into the machine, received a ticket and then take it to a human being who then makes up the order. Today was a little different - all sorts of lines and you choose the line for the food that you want - soup, salad, ramen, pizza, steak, curry and then stand in that line. They put your item on the tray and then you go to pay. So many little ways to make it seem quite efficient and quite fast.

I had fun in the toilet at lunch today. Besides the heated seat, warm water bidet spray if you want, I pushed yet another button and presto I had air drying my behind. It seemed to have 5 levels of air pressure intensity. So even going to the toilet can be a cultural experience! And then some live kind of music to entertain the people during lunch.