the powder room

Gorgeous blue sky day today, a real treat here in Niseko! I had my final lesson with Lisa today and had a great time, she’s skiing really well – I’ve really enjoyed skiing together and was sad to see her go.
As it was such a great day, we all sat outside and topped up our goggle tans while we ate lunch. Just a really nice spring vibe going on!
Didn’t have work after lunch, so hit the park with Matt – perfect conditions, soft snow, warm sunshine. There were quite a few good riders so I grabbed my camera and scoped out the kickers. Found myself a nice spot right by the lip and ended up laying down in the snow as guys whizzed past my ears.
Awesome day, topped off by the prospect of 2 days off. Unfortunately the forecast is for rain, but that means we’re gonna head out tonight for a few celebratory drinks instead!

Had a great day today, I’ve been teaching a nice Aussie lady, Jasmine, to ski for a couple of days, taking her from first timer and now she’s wedge christie turning, so I’m pretty pleased. We were joined today by another Aussie, Lisa, who is equally as enjoyable to ski with and have generally had a great day skiing around and working on their turns. I’ve found it really helpful for my skiing too as it’s made me focus on more basic things and refine my free-skiing. I’ve not taught a snowboard lesson for quite a while now and whilst I’m a little annoyed about that, I’ve also been really enjoying teaching skiing and finding it very rewarding. I think the fact that I’ve passed my exam also gives me a stronger sense of confidence in my knowledge and ability. I get on with all my guests, but there are just some times when you click with them and it feels like skiing with friends. I guess what I’ve really enjoyed about skiing with Jasmine and Lisa is that I feel comfortable in what I’m doing and much more able to be creative with my exercises and lessons – although I’ve taught skiing for a long time, it just feels like I’m doing a good job (on a par with my snowboard instruction), which is very satisfying (although I’ll have to leave it to them to pass judgement on whether that’s the truth!!)

Hurrah, I am now an official, bona-fide ski instructor! Woohoo. So I only just scraped through on my riding, but a pass is a pass. Out tonight celebrating with everyone (who all passed!).
We had just about every type of weather over the last few days, chucking it down with rain, blowing a gale and then heavy snow and wind on the last day. Poor Gavin and Brian had to stand around outside in freezing and horrible conditions.
My skiing was pretty sketchy for most of the week, but something came together at the end and I started to feel that I was skiing like I was in Winter Park, which was a relief.
Anyway, job done – one step closer to ISIA certification!

So I started my NZSIA Level 1 Alpine Ski exam tonight with an indoor session. Everyone seems pretty cool and Gavin, our examiner, is a really nice guy. I’m feeling quite relaxed about this exam although I know my skiing is a little borderline. I’ve been working on it as much as I can, but work has been getting in the way a bit!
It feels a little odd to be doing another exam and very different from my previous ones. Partly because I’ve done it before and partly because it’s not had such an intense build up of training and analysis. I feel a little under-prepared compared to how I felt before my CSI exam, but confident in my teaching and technical knowledge (I should hope so given that I taught skiing for a season!).
The exam is over 4 days:
Day 1 – Progression from first timer to advanced wedge turns
Day 2 – Applying the progression to kids
Day 3 – Wedge demo assessment and freeriding assessment
Day 4 – Teaching assessment

You can’t really fail in the first 2 days, which is a relief. They basically are a course, which gives us time to work on our freeskiing and technical knowledge.

Raku Izakaya, Hirafu having just eaten some amazing sashimi

Me in Raku, grinning like an idiot

It’s my day off tomorrow and a few of the other NISS guys were heading into Kutchan for dinner, but I thought it would end up being quite expensive and kinda wanted to break away on my own for a bit, so I grabbed a map and wandered into Hirafu to see what was going on.
My aim was to find a cheap izakaya (Japanese pub, what we would think of as a sushi bar) with a local flavour and as little Australian as possible.
My first call was Mina Mina, a cosy little place with a wood fireplace – but sadly no seats. After a fumbled Japanese exchange, I bowed out (literally) and wandered off down the road. Next stop was Jam Cafe, not an izakaya, but somewhere that was supposed to be quite good and cheap. I hestitated at the door, then abandoned it as it felt too touristy and bar-like.
Trundling down the snowy road, my jeans getting wetter and wetter, I almost walked past the enormous sign saying Izakaya Raku. Nervously sliding the door open (after a failed attempt on the wrong side!), I greet the staff and try to ask if I can eat something. My japanese fails me and I end up just saying “eat” and pointing at myself like a dislocated Tarzan. It works, and I’m soon sitting at the bar by the chef.
Exploring the menu (in Japanese, but fortunately with pictures), I bravely try to ask what the special is (kore wa nan desuka) and get a long-winded response that is succintly boiled down to “salmon pickles”. Unable to decide if this is salmon sashimi with pickles or some sort of weird japanese pickled salmon, I bottle it and order maguro sashimi (raw tuna), edamame (boiled soy beans), miso shiro (white miso soup), gohan (rice) and nihon shu (japanese sake). The waiter seems to understand and passes my order to the kitchen as I breathe a sigh of relief and take a look around.
The place is pretty much empty, in contrast to the packed mainstream venues. 3 japanese girls sit in the corner chatting and giggling quietly. There’s a bar round the small galley kitchen and several other tables. 4 staff (that look more like samurai than chefs) are busy preparing food. Short banners hang all around with various menu items scrawled in japanese. Some cool chilled out Japanese funk/soul beats. The counter is a light pine and the floor a dark wood of some sort, it feels very natural and warm.
My food arrives and I politely say itadakimasu (a standard phrase that japanese say before they eat). I plonk wasabi into a dish and pour shoyou (soy sauce) over it, before deciding that I should tip it all on my rice. I give the hot rice a mix and eagerly shovel some into my mouth with chopsticks. About a millisecond later, my sinuses are burning as I underestimate the strength of the wasabi. I fight back the tears and only just manage to refrain from exploding rice across the counter and my laptop. Fortunately the pain subsides and I manage to enjoy the rest of my meal, nibbling each different taste neatly and sighing contentedly after each bite.
Taking a look at the menu, it looks like the whole meal will cost me around 1500 yen (about a tenner) – not the cheapest, but a heck of a lot cheaper than other restaurants and a damn sight nicer. Rather pleased with myself, I toddle off back to Unitas, a little wobbly from the sake, but filled with sashimi and a sense of achievement.
EDIT: And on the way back, I missed my bus, but got a hitch from Lina and Cleo from Niseko Gourmet – nice!

Unitas dining hall, large can of Asahi in hand
It snowed today. A lot. All day. Man, I had to shovel my way out of the room this morning. Got to work early cos I was on set-up duty and spent the morning shovelling snow off the magic carpet, then Tom gave me an all-day private level 3 (translation: 7 hours of work, guests that can actually snowboard, generally a free lunch too). Hung around for half an hour waiting for them, freezing my knackers off, but then had a great day, trundling around, teaching them to ride powder and generally exploring. The snow in the trees was sooooooo deep, it was hip deep at least and face shots (when you spray yourself with snow) all round.
Although to be honest, it was bloody hard work and I was complaining about it earlier, but if I think about it, I’m still getting paid to ride and chat to people. I’m physically shattered today, but a bad day on the slopes is still better than a good day in the office!

On my bed at Unitas after ski training

Kutchan

Getting bit more settled now, I live in Hirafu, but made my way over to Kutchan (a nearby town)  a few days ago and hit up the Max Valu supermarket – it was heaven for me! Jap food all the way, so stocked up on lots of things and reckon I’ve saved myself a fair whack with that. Food-wise there’s been a definite improvement here, we’re now getting Japanese food twice a week and the other meals have been much better. Still pretty school canteen, but OK.
Work’s been good too, had my first lesson this season (a nice English girl who’s just on her way back to the UK from 6 months in Toyko)  and been figuring out how the school works. At the moment there doesn’t seem to be a huge amount of work to go round, but it’ll get busier at Chinese New Year. Met up with Tiktak last night, which was cool. Turns out that NISS named our kids program after her. Pretty cool I thought. Been getting to know others at work and feeling quite good about things now. We have training every Monday and Wednesday – so far I’ve just been doing the ski training cos I want to do my Level 2 exam in Feb, but judging by tonight’s performance, I might think twice about that!

Jagatakun, Kutchan's town mascot

Went to Kutchan today to register for my geijin card, a card that foreigners have to get if they stay for more than 90 days – lets me get a bank account etc. Should have one up and running soon. Kutchan Town’s mascot is Jagata-kun – a skiing potato boy?! I kid you not. Kutchan’s main summer produce is potato, so thy thought ‘why not combine the two?’. Because it’s ridiculous, that’s why.
Started snowing again today – huge chunks of the stuff falling out of the sky, it’s pretty wet, but crazy to watch. Even after a short chair ride, I was covered in about a centimetre of snow. 30cm is forecast before tomorrow morning. Sweet!

Sitting on my bed, with my knee strapped up and in ice

View from my room. Check out how deep the snow is on the left.

Went out to Abucha with Francis last night and had proper sukiyaki – was nice, if a little pricey (2100 yen), was supposed to meet James (who I worked with at WP) but I couldn’t find the bar, so I came back. Met two random Japanese guys who jibbered away at me – all I could say was ‘wakarimasen’ (I don’t understand), ‘gomenasai, watashi wa nihongo o hanasimasen’ (sorry, I don’t speak Japanese), to which they smiled and acknowledged, then carried on chatting to me! Unitas is a little way out of the main town, but it’s easy to get around here, lots of free shuttle buses and if needs be, it’s only about 10 minutes to walk back from town. Got back to find our heating had packed in! Not good. So a freezing night’s sleep (although the beds are actually very warm).

My room! Mine's the bed on the left

Woke up today and struggled to get out of my nice warm bed. But I did, pulled back the curtains to see that the forecast snow had arrived and it was gently snowing. It had only just started, so I pottered over for breakfast and chatted to people. Kurokawa, our friendly repairman, came and sorted out the heating and I headed to the mountain. Met Tom, the operations manager at the ski school who was very friendly and professional. Then went for a ride – there was about an inch on the ground and it was coming down thick and fast now.

Snow clearing: Niseko-style. You can see how deep it is on the sides of the path.

My knee had started to hurt a little yesterday, so I took it easy today, but after a couple of runs, it was killing me, so I stopped and decided to rest it today. I’ve had probs with it before, and I guess cos my muscles aren’t up to strength yet, it’s putting more strain on my ligaments, I’m gonna strap it and take it easy. Hopefully it’s nothing major, but it’s a worrying start.
So I’m back here, having found a van that sold gyu-don (bowl of rice with beef and pickles) for a mere 650 yen (about a fiver). Resting today, then it’s someone’s birthday so people are going to karaoke tonight – I haven’t been invited yet, but will probably just gatecrash! People haven’t been quite as welcoming as I’d expected or experienced elsewhere – but I guess I’ve just gotta make the effort though.

Sitting in a dark corner of the dining hall at Unitas
Arrived. Took 30 hours. Got stuck in Hong Kong. We piled onto the plane, only to sit there for an hour an then be told the plane was broken. Not such a problem, but slightly worrying given that it was the plane I’d just sat on for 11 hours from London!
Met a nice Aussie family on the bus and chatted away. The bus took a brief stop at a 24 hour toilet and I got to experience the delights of a heated toilet seat. On the way back out, there was a vending machine selling coffee and hot chocolate in cans! The best invention ever! Sat at the back of the bus drinking hot coffee and grinning smugly.
Arrived at Hirafu late (about 10.30pm) and was met by Kate (one of the ski supervisors), who took me to my accommodation in Unitas, where I met Francis, a friendly Singaporean guy that lives in Australia and is my new roommate. The room is small, but cosy – it’s basically a log cabin.

Yotei-san from Hanazono

After getting a half-decent night’s sleep, I hopped on the free bus and spent today exploring the mountain. Niseko is divided into 4 areas, from West to East: Ann’puri, Niseko Village (renamed from Higayashima), Hirafu and Hanazono. I’ll be working at Hanazono and Hirafu. It’s a medium sized place, easy to get around and looks like a good place to learn and to teach. It hasn’t snowed for a few days, so it’s surprisingly scratchy in places – but I found some trees on the leeward side that had held the windblown snow. Was nice to dust off my snowlegs – although my first few runs were a bit ropey!
Rather randomly bumped into Sam and Sara at breakfast – Sam worked at Winter Park with me and Sara joined him the year after. Was nice to see some familiar faces, which took the edge of the scary loneliness!
Food is an interesting challenge here – I was really looking forward to lots of yummy Japanese food, but my (expensive) rent includes food here, which is basic, stodgy Western food . At lunch I had an explore and found that most places cost an absolute fortune and the food didn’t look that great. But I found Seicomart (a supermarket type place) and they had triangular rice ball things for 100 yen (less than a quid). I put my hiragana skills to the test and did quite well in deciphering the labels. Wasabi-nori for me then. It’s a little frustrating to not have a kitchen, cos I reckon you could eat well very cheaply here by buying fresh food from Seicomart and cooking it yourself. I’m sure I’ll figure something out – have already bought miso and genmaicha!
So I’m here now. It’s not quite what I expected, but then what did I expect? I’m feeling a little worried and lonely, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before I get settled and find out all the little hidden gems!

I suppose I should explain this whole Japan thing really. Having been back in the UK for 18 months, trying to lead a ‘normal’ life, I finally had enough of office life, for a whole host of reasons. One way to sum it up is that I feel out of sync with the conventional workplace. A square peg in a grid of round holes. Stifled. But the most simple explanation is that it was making me miserable. Deeply so. So I’m leaving that life, sort of. I am torn between two worlds – one of trying to make a difference, change the world or whatever; the other about following my heart and seeking personal fulfillment. Is it possible to find a balance?

For me, the only course of action was to do something that makes my heart sing and keep open to opportunities. So I decided to go back to the mountains, shoved some proverbial career irons in the fire and let life take its course. Having applied late, I wasn’t very hopeful – then I got offered not one, but two jobs in Japan. I had one of those life moments where everything just falls into place to make something happen. Within 2 weeks, I had a job, booked my flight, let my flat out and got my visa. Fate? Wu wei wu? Chance? Does it matter – I’m off to a land with an average of 15m of snow each season! A land of bonsai, sushi, origami, cherry blossoms – all things I love – and finally getting the motivation to learn the language. Rock on. Sugoi desu ne?

What happens after the season? Who knows, we’ll see what the winds bring me, all I know is that I feel like I’m back on the right path for me, wherever it may lead.