Good read, thanks.
Where are you going this year?

Oh, i'm still in the same town, so i will most likely be doing Yachiho again. It was fun, no reason to stop.

Although i wanna move to west Nagano next year, so who knows after that.

Keep up the good work dude. Sounds like fun.

Thanks for the article (brought me to this site)
Nice one.

I'll be needing someone to teach me. Thanks for the insight, sounds like, er, fun!

I don't know if Yachiho is convenient for you to visit, but i also go ride at other hills in Nagano pretty frequently. Depending on the time and place, i can also meet people for lessons.

But like someone else said, there are also English-speaking instructors in Hakuba (and Karuizawa, but i can't really reccommend it to beginners).

nice one oyuki!

ditto

I was under the impression that Karuizawa was good for beginners as it wasn't difficult. You mention it not being so - that because of crowds Oyuki?

It was interesting to read about your experiences.

More than the crowds, its the quality of the snow.

Karuizawa is almost totally manmade 'snow', which is basically just ice crystals, not snow. Because it is icy and hard, its good for carving, or making a base for the natural snow to fall upon, but by itself it is hard for beginners to learn on. Plus it hurts more when you fall.

And thanks for all the kind words, everyone.

Very important point, especially for beginners. My first time I went out in bad conditions = bad idea. It nearly put me off completely. Nice & fluffy is what we need.

Karuizawa sucks big time. They must have some decent marketing going on to fool all the people who go - unless of course they are just mainly going for the shopping..

Shopping? Surely somewhere with a lot more shops like, hmmmm, TOKYO would be a better shopping ground?

Enjoyed reading that. I am thinking of quitting my job and heading for the hills to do something completely different. I need an "experience".

Do it. You have one life only.

I'm doing a lot of thinking about the life plan while I am here actually this time. A few events here have made me think about things and the future more than I have for a while. (I will go into more detail sometime soon when I'm settled back in Japan).

be careful. In places like Whistler and banff in Canada, that one season "experience" can easily become a full lifestyle change, and you might end up staying. i almost did, and sometime in the future i hope to go back.

I'm sure there could be worse things

Thanks for the article, that was an interesting insight into the world of working in Japan, and a far cry from the images of 'Fear and Trembling (Amélie Nothomb).

Since I've accepted an offer to train/work at a BC tour company in Hokkaido this coming winter, I was especially glad to hear that everyone is relaxed. Well, the company I'll likely be working for is headed by a foreigner, but still

Speaking of which, I'll be hiking in Hokkaido probably the 1st to the 5th of May, in the Niseko area. Anyone interesting?

A bit too far in the future that but certainly interested.

I'm in the process of getting a few trips planned now.

Thanks for sharing those experiences Oyuki.