Hakuba Iwatake and Oze Iwakura

I've fallen a little behind in posting about my ski trips. Possibly because it feels like we take so many and I don't get enough rest between trips. Each trips leaves at some ungodly time in the morning....for Hakuba we left at 2am and for Oze we left at 3am.....we ride for four or more hours on an uncomfortable bus, ski all day long, then ride four or more hours back on an uncomfortable bus to get home by 10pm. Don't get me wrong, if we didn't leave early, it would leave us no time for skiing and snowboarding. We get there right as the resorts open and leave when some of their biggest lifts close. However, it does take a lot out of you. We got back yesterday at 9pm, went to bed about 11pm and slept until 9am this morning.

Well, I'll get right into it and tell you about the two places we went this weekend and the previous weekend:

Hakuba Iwatake

Hakuba  is a huge mountain area with several resorts at its many summits. The resort we went to was called Iwatake. The weather was pretty bad the entire time we were there. Lots of snow, low visibility and it was pitifully cold. To top it off, we got tired around lunch time and took a long break to sit inside a cafeteria and rest for awhile.

However, when the clouds did finally break in the late afternoon, it was beautiful. We could see the other ski resorts from the top of the mountain.

John on the lift.

My skis and John's snowboard.

One of the lifts at the top.

The lift at the top.

It was hazy like this all day.

The mountains in the background could be seen once the clouds started to break.

John plays around with my ski poles.

Oze Iwakura

For this trip we were supposed to go to Joetsu Kokusai. However, when we arrived at the Outdoor Rec center in the morning, we were told that Joetsu was completely snowed in and was not accessible by bus. Instead, we'd be going to Oze Iwakura. This ski resort is located in the Gunma Prefecture and is about four hours from Yokosuka.

The snow was perfect and the weather was perfect. The fun thing about Oze was a two mile intermediate ski course. The course was long, steep, and had a ton of fun features for snowboarders. We also got to ride a gondola to the top of the mountain, where the weather was not very good, and then ski/snowboard down to the village where the weather was sunny and a little on the warm side. Oze also had a great bunny slope for beginners. John won't let me spend all day on the bunny slopes anymore, but if I were still a beginner, I would have loved to spend most of my day practicing on their flat bunny area. I would love to come back here again sometime and spend more time on the two mile course.

John and his snowboard on the gondola.

View out of the gondola.

I look so concerned here, but really the sun was bright and I was squinting.

I'm not sure what part of the course this was.

John and his snowboard outside the gondola line.

A fair warning...

If there's one thing you should know about Japan....one thing that is slightly different than how we live our lives in the United States, but not knowing this fact could really cause you some discomfort....

The Japanese like their ambient temperature to be a few degrees warmer than we do.

Most Japanese homes don't have central heat and air....most places of business don't either. So in the summer indoor areas are uncomfortably hot and in the winter they are uncomfortably warm with body heat. If you could understand Japanese (and I can somewhat), you'll hear Japanese women most commonly saying inside our American facilities on base, "Samuiiiiiii...." or "It's cold!!!!" Often when they say this, the temperature feels perfect to me.

I wouldn't have said something about this, as it's easy to overlook. So what if it's hot inside all year round.....it's just how it is....BUT one place you're going to be the most uncomfortable is on buses and airplanes.

Buses:

This category includes the buses that go to/from the airport from the American base. The Outdoor Rec buses, the MWR buses....all buses that are contracted out to Japanese companies are going to be HOT on the inside....especially in the winter. The bus driver will often disable the indvidual seat air vents, so you have no choice but to silently smolder in your seat.

Airplanes:

This one surprises most Americans....but Japanese based airlines (Japan Airlines, ANA, Air Asia, etc.) DO NOT have indvidual seat vents (the fans above each seat) in their airplanes. The ambient temperature in the jet is set to "summer sun", I swear. I flew 9 hours on Japan Airlines with no overhead seat fan, the airplane cabin temperature was set to "nursing home hot" and I thought I was going to pass out from heat stroke.I had to ring the attendant and ask for some ice. Meanwhile, the Japanese people around me slept soundly and comfortably under several airline blankets.

We flew to Sapporo on ANA airlines, and once again there was no indvidual overhead seat fans. The Americans with us on the trip didn't anticipate this and dressed in their tightest winter clothing that couldn't be easily removed. They complained, and complained, and COMPLAINED and then searched for the seat fans (which clearly weren't there) and then proceeded to get snippy with the flight attendants because they were too hot.

My advice.....

• Wear layers than can easily be removed and added. I usually start with a tank top, t-shirt, hoodie, and then a jacket. In the summer just a tank top and t-shirt. 
• Bring a fan. In Japan you can find paper fans on plastic handles in almost every store. Spend the 100 yen on one and bring it with you when you travel.
• Don't search for overhead fans in the airplane when they're clearly not there. I promise the fans aren't hiding inside the ceiling or under your seat. They're simply not there.
• Don't complain. Yes, it is hot inside the airplane and bus, but look around you. The Japanese people are comfortable. They're not going to bring down the temperature for special little you because then they'd have hundreds of other people complaining about how cold it is.
• Prepare your children. Children tend to naturally run hotter than adults. It might be worth it to invest in an electric hand held fan for your child. Bring cold water or ask for ice to help with any heat issues.
• Don't fly a Japanese airline. Now that I know that the Japan-based airplane will most likely not have overhead fans, when traveling back to the US, I try to avoid flying Japanese airlines as I'd prefer to pay a little more for a ticket and be comfortable.

Snow Festival Part III: Beir Garten, Susukino, and the Sapporo TV Tower

Well, we're at the last and final installment of my Sapporo adventure. If you live in Japan long enough, I definitely suggest making this one of your trips. The Snow Festival was absolutely amazing and I'm really glad I got to the chance to see it.

Sapporo Beir Garten

Sapporo is probably most famously known for making beer. Our tour included a paid dinner at Sapporo's Beir Garten. It was 90 minutes of all you could eat and drink. The tables each had a sizzling charcoal skillet and you cooked your meal right there at your table. The protein selections included: lamb, beef and seafood. The veggies were: cabbage and sprouts. Every time you ran out of food or drink, you called over a waiter who eagerly supplied you with more. You could sample many of Saporro's beers and other drinks. At the end of our meal John and I bought t-shirts and beer mugs to take home.

The Sapporo beer museum and factory were close by, but were closed by the time we arrived for dinner. We had the option to go back the next day, but unfortunately chose to take a bus an hour to a ski resort which turned out to be closed due to bad weather.

Right outside the beri garten entrances

Don't know what this says, but it was cool.

Our skillet.

The seafood selection.

All the food.

Yum!

Susukino

Susukino is the bar district of Sapporo. There's lots of nightlife there. During the Snow Festival, there's also ice sculptures lining the streets. We took a cab to the district and then walked back to our hotel. The walk is about 30 minutes or longer because you're constantly stopping to take pictures.

One of the ice sculptures.

There was a kids area where people could climb on the sculptures.

Fish in ice was a popular theme.

It's not Sapporo unless there's an ice beer.

The Susukino district.

More lights.

This is a beer made in the Susukino district. The can says: Susukino Beer

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Sapporo TV Tower

I can't tell you much about the history of the Sapporo TV tower. Basically, it was the tallest structure in Sapporo at one point, but other high rise buildings have taken that honor. It used to broadcast important television signal, but with the advance of technology, it now broadcasts radio signal. At any rate, it is still open to tourists who can buy a ticket to the observation deck located high above Sapporo. We paid about $15 to take the elevator ride to the top. It was really neat to see Sapporo from the sky!

The tower at night.

The view.

This is looking all the way across the Snow Festival.

A snowboard competition venue.

Ice skating rink.

Snow Festival Part II - The Snow, The Festival

Snow

Of course at the Snow Festival you absolutely expect to have some snow. I was unprepared for the actual amount of snow. I mean blankets of snow, layers or snow.....snow so thick you couldn't tell what was under it. It was also extremely cold. Almost everyone wore waterproof snow pants and snow boots. Some Japanese women, forever the fashionistas, were just in skirts and boots up to their thighs...I don't know how they survived.

The last day we were in town the snow and weather was so bad our flight was delayed because the runways were snowed over. A piece of advice, with the snow comes ice.....there were a few instances where people had slipped and fell and needed help. Good grippy shoes and careful walking are a must.

This was a road. Yes, many, many, MANY people were driving in these conditions. You can't even see the lines on the road!

It's hard to resist making a snow angel.

What is under all that snow?

Huge snow piles everywhere!

The Festival

If you're reading this blog, you probably already have an idea of what the Sapporo Snow Festival entails. Basically, you walk for blocks looking at impossibly large and intricate structures made of snow. People and groups come from all over the world to participate in the Snow Festival. We saw groups from Oregon, Sweden, Thailand, Malaysia, and some of the Japan military bases, making snow sculptures. Unfortunately, it was actively snowing the entire time we were there, which meant the new snow falling on the sculptures distorted them and made them look not as great had they been fresh.

I'll let the pictures explain the rest.

Many sculptures doubled as a stage,

The main sculpture celebrating Hawaiian Airlines.

The team from Thailand finished their sculpture.

Malaysia's sculpture.

Singapore puts on the finishing touches.

One of the most elaborate snow sculptures. Easily three stories tall.

Ice house.

...to be continued...