and this week...HEAVY SNOW!!!!

Back in the carpark after 5 hours snowboarding!

17th February 2007

Unexpectedly I was surprised when I looked out the window to find that a few centimetres of snow had settled on the ground, the trees and my car. A short while later I could hear the lady next door removing the snow off the drive way with a shovel. Naomi and I woke up and decided that we would go out to Nekoyama Snow Resort for a few hours! The sun was trying to come out from the behind the clouds. We set off from home and drove to the ski resort. Half way there the black tarmac turned into a white solid sheet of white snow and the clouds were darker and there was no sign of snow. Eventually we found ourselves driving with heavy snow falling with almost 0% visibility and unable to see where the road as everything was white! I started to feel sick from concentrating on not slipping and crashing into the railing on the side. The snow on the windscreen started freezing up but we made it safely to the ski resort. We bought a 4 hour ski pass and started snowboarding pretty much straight away! There were heaps of people there making the wait in the queue a long one. With people sitting resting and chatting in groups on the slope and trying to avoid collisions, it made it difficult to enjoy a decent run at times. I collided with Naomi for the first time at a fairly high speed but managed to reduce the impact and avoid breaking any bones!

It was time to go home and we walked back to the car. With the amount of snow that fell while we were snowboarding I was worried about the journey back. Anyway those worries became reality and after removing the snow from the windscreen and packing the gear back in the car I put the car into 1st gear and tried to move forward only to find after moving less than a half a metre that my car was bogged in the snow! I only have front wheel drive. Naomi and I got out and move the snow from around the tyres and I tried to move again with no luck. The wheels were spinning but the car wasn't moving!! A guy who was nearby came to our aid and we pushed the car while Naomi manoeuvred the car. It took a couple of tries but we got the car out and started our journey back. The visibility on the way back was quite poor and we were driving on snow half of the way but once arriving back in Tojo, the snow had disappeared and the sun was out. It is amazing how two places only 30km apart one being 300m above sea level and the other 800m, can be affected so differently by the weather.

As I write this it is 8:10pm and a few centimetres has already settled again on the ground. I have parked the car down the drive way and I am sure that the neighbour will be out bright and early with the shovel to remove the snow once again.

And enough to go again today!!

Sunday, 10th February

It is a long weekend here this weekend in Japan so there's no better way to spend a day than spending it snowboarding! Today a few friends from Hatsukaichi where I used to live along with Naomi and myself headed out to the best ski resort in western Japan, OSORAKAN! It has one of the highest peaks of just over 1300m and the snow quality is the best in the area. It is a long trek up the mountains and a 100km trip from Naomi's house but well worth it. With it being Sunday, the ski resort was crowded more than usual. We had to queue to get on the lifts but the course is rather long making it worth the wait. I didn't have the courage to trying jumping and doing a 360 so I just practised keeping control of the board and using my body to manouver about. Naomi improved again from last week and can turn both left and right using the front of the board without falling! I will have to learn some new tricks to keep ahead! It wasn't that cold and with the sun out it was a nice day.

the view from the top of Mt. Osorakan (if you look at the top right you can see the white strip across the mountain. That is the short cut, a single lane road that offers spectacular views.)



naomi sliding down the slope with a serious look!


the short cut back to the main road that goes along a point half way between the peak and the base of the mountain for 13km. You wouldn't want to take your eyes off even for a split second otherwise it's a long drop all the way down!

Finally enough snow to go....SNOWBOARDING!!

Sunday, 3rd February

It has been snowing on and off over the last few weeks with the most snow fall over one night being just under 15cm which is nothing compared to the snow of winter 2005/2006. Nevertheless on the way home from Fukuyama about 60km from where I live it had unexpectedely snowed rather heavily while we were enjoying a movie at the cinema making the drive back a little slower because of the settled snow on the road.


the road out to Nekoyama



the spectacular view just before going over the edge!


The closest ski resort to where I live is Nekoyama (cat mountain literally), a 25km drive. Very convenient if I just feel like going out for a couple of hours! Naomi and I decided to get up early and beat the crowd on Sunday morning but there will always be people quicker than you in Japan and it was crowded by the time we got there and gradually, more and more people came to make the most of the fresh snow fall!


the main run


Nekoyama has a couple of good runs with the advanced course having 42 degree slope, and just looking at it is frightening enough! We stayed on the beginner and intermediate courses which were quite fun where there was fresh snow.


on the ski lift


We only stayed for 4 hours this time hoping to go again to my favourite ski resort in the area, Osorakan for a full day. Having only been snowboarding twice last year, I managed to get the hang of it pretty much straight away improving in a way where I can pick up speed using both sides of the board without falling over


me sliding down the slope