A few pictures taken by our intrepid front desk man Yabu-san yesterday.  At this very moment he is making his leave for the daytime hours (he's our resident nightshift specialist) and is making his way to the slopes... grinning from ear to ear!  Happo-one is open and not a moment too soon!

 

Edit:  Yabu-san just returned, with a few snaps of his day.  A fabulous day for intermediate to advanced skiiers, a little tough for beginners was his verdict.  Snow still falling, so presumable we'll have everyone covered in the space of a few days!

Our home mountain is finally joining the party and opening their slopes for the 2010-11 season!  See some of you on the hill tomorrow!

Apologies for being a little short on the updates around here.  The first week or so of December saw us working like beavers around here giving the building and facilities the odd nip and tuck in preparation for the season upon us.

 

We are now up and raring to go…   the snow has been teasing us somewhat unkindly, but…  we do have some action on the slopes.  The top section of Goryu and Tsugaike have been open since the 10th and it is snowing outside as I type.  The outside temperature is still veering a bit on the side of rain down towards the village, but the six day forecast is pointing towards a continued slow easing in to winter, though we are still hoping on the "big bang" of a big storm to really start the party.

 

If you want to take a look at some web camera shots of the local mountains, you can find them here.

 

The information is only written in Japanese, but the pictures along the bottom are, in order from left to right...

"Base of the mountains", "Hakuba Village", "Sanosaka Resort", "Goryu Resort", "47 Resort", "Happo-one Resort", "Iwatake Resort", "Minekata Resort", and "Hakuba Highways".

 

Detailed, up to date snow forecasts can be found at

Happo-one, Goryu, Tsugaike, Hakuba 47

 

The blog as well should see a bit more focus now and I'll try to keep you updated both on current conditions and to some of the attractions to be found in and around Hakuba.  We very much look forward to seeing everyone here this winter enjoying some of the best of what Hakuba and Japan have to offer!

On December 12th we had the pleasure of opening our Bar Marzen for the season.  Plenty of representatives from other lodges and hotels in the area were kind enough to stop in and sample the hospitality of Takagi-san behind the bar, as well as Chef Shinoda serving up delicious burgers, piping hot pizzas and "Sanzan" curry.

 

Bar Marzen serves up comfort foods in a relaxing environment, and we have somewhat of a rarity in Japan, a non-smoking bar.  Feel free to bring your children and yourselves in after a day on the slopes and relax with a drink, hot or cold, and dig in.  A wood burning fireplace, a foosball table and darts machine, as well as sports on the big screen help complete the mood.

 

Open from 16:00 until 24:00 daily.

A short cycle around today showed the snowline trying desperately to make it's way down past the autumn foliage... and the lifts at Goryu sedately stretching up into the white stuff.  Won't be long now!

As a long time Tokyo dweller until this past year, I often found myself feeling a bit nostalgic for the simple chores around the house. Cutting the grass, shoveling snow or raking autumn leaves are some of life's little rituals that are lost when you make the move to city apartment living.

I suppose every boy goes through the same stages... when your father first entrusts you with the handle of the lawnmower, it is a feeling of power and responsibilty that befits your growing independence. As you progress through the teenage years, it quickly becomes a drag, as it takes away from time better spent moping over girls and wiring the new stereo speakers in your car (usually, at the same time).

And then finally, upon reaching full adulthood, the realization hits you. Raking the leaves is no more about tidying up the yard than going fishing is about catching fish. No, these little rituals are about taking an hour out of your day from time to time, prescribed by necessity, where you can be alone with your thoughts.

And the space around us at the Hakuba Springs Hotel was clean for another day...

In what is for the most part a pretty quiet season around Hakuba, it was nice to see Echoland Street teeming with families and onlookers enjoying a little Halloween fun. I just had a brief look in on the way by, but lots of excited youngsters in a variety of costumes, all doing their best on the annual candy grab. Many thanks to the lodgings and businesses in the area for their support.

With the first snow the other day, and autumn looking like it's, well, here and soon gone, we decided to take a few hours to drive up towards Otari Onsen and Kama-ike.  Otari Onsen is about an hours drive out of Hakuba, and the Springs Hotel, up a little towards the sea of Japan, and then a quick turn up and up into the mountains.  The snow that had come and quickly disappeared down here in the valley was still very much apparent as we wound our way higher and higher towards the jumping off area for trekking up Mt. Amakazari.

Trekking as such was not on our minds this day however, though there were still a few hardy souls tackling the clouds and the sky, as well as the muddy earth underfoot. 
Near the pass, and before the road proper turns into an unpaved forestry track, there is a small pond called Kama-ike, which is ringed with trees in all their autumn glory.  A relaxing hour or so spent on a log drinking hot tea was the reward for the slight slog in through the snow and the mud.  I think at least one member of our party is going to think long and hard about her choice of footwear before winter proper sets in :)

On the road back down, we took an hour at an outdoor bath, lightly ringed in by trees and with fabulous views onto the valley below.  I had been here once before in the Spring, and it can be slightly disconcerting to the shy among us, as a hiking trail runs about 5 metres away from the men's bath, but on this day we had it to ourselves.  The Otari spring water is very very hot, even by Japanese standards, and it's up to the bathers to regulate the temperature themselves with the help of the hose from the cold water spring nearby.  After about 5 minutes of hopping around trying to get it Goldilocks "just right" I was rewarded with, well, a perfect bath...   very nice afternoon excursion in the summer or shoulder seasons, and one I aim to repeat by bicycle come next spring!

Autumn has charged along rather quicly this year it seems, though I'm personally hoping for a few more clear, fine and warm fall days before the real snows set in.  Still, we had our first flakes of the season last night, and the mountains have donned the first stages of their winter garment.

 

This shot taken from along the Matsukawa River, just up from the Hakuba Springs hotel, looking back on towards Happo.

A couple of weeks ago I was proud to take up the Mikoshi for the first time (in Hakuba) for the Happo Matsuri (festival).  Festivals in Japan take a number of forms and some are more elaborate than others.  Most often concerned with harvest or "fertility' in some way, the main binding thread between all of them seems to be carrying an extremely heavy "portable shrine" around the neighbourhood whilst stopping every 200 metres or so for a fortifying slug of Nihonshu (sake) or beer.

 

They are a perfect opportunity to see a Japanese neighborhood working together, as the planning and execution of these festivals is a treasured rite of passage for all of the locals.  You'll often see sons labouring along beside fathers under the weight of the Mikoshi (portable shrine) and mothers cheering on their daughters as they showcase the same dance ritual their mother probably performed 20 years earlier.

 

As a relative newcomer to my neighborhood, I was quite proud to be asked to join in this years fun.  The weather… well, the weather was a tad on the inclement side to say the least, and a cold cold rain persisted through the morning.  One of the nice things about the Happo Matsuri however is that it is tied to the Onsen, or hot spring, tradition.  Warm waters from the local onsen are trucked along behind the revelers and those not immediately tasked with carrying the weight help out by dowsing the bearers with hot water.  Cold water, hot water, heavy heavy weight, frequent beer and nihonshu breaks!  If that doesn't bring on a sense of community and shared struggle and responsibility with your fellow man, I don't know what would!

 

Somehow, our intrepid cameraman managed to not get ANY shots of me actually carrying the thing (I was towards the middle of the group), but I think you can read the agony and ecstasy on my face near the end.

 

Good fun and looking forward to a "warm" next year!

With some of the summer holiday crowd down off the mountains and dutifully back at work in the cities, attention this past weekend in Hakuba turned to the FIS Grand Prix Ski Jumping, or "summer jump" at the jump stadium in Happo.

 

The event is a nice opportunity to pack away a few snacks and head up to the lawn by the ski jump and take in some world class action as twilight turns to evening.  The event saw not only some good jumping, but was punctuated by a terrific lightning storm that passed through the area Saturday night.  I hadn't seen such displays of sheet lightning in years and it was awesome to behold…  but, it certainly posed a bit of a problem for Saturdays jump.  Luckily, it passed through fairly quickly, and they were able to forge ahead with only minor schedule changes.  Sunday night, the event came to a close with some spectacular jumps and some wonderfully pleasant evening temperatures.

 

At the hotel we were happy to host some of the officials and judges taking care of the event, and we'd like to thank them all for an lovely week and weekend.  Already looking forward to next year!

Last Friday August 13th saw the annual Hakuba Fireworks take place at Hakuba Green Sports.  Of course, being the busy summer season in Hakuba, most of us from the hotel weren't able to make it down in time, but a couple of us did.  A bit of fog and light rain put somewhat of a damper on the proceedings but we still managed to have a good time.  The fireworks don't compete with some of the major ones you'll see in other parts of Japan, but the relaxing atmosphere and easy access more than made up for it.

Storks are flying overhead! Or, were yesterday here in Hakuba. I have to admit my grasp of the story is still a little weak, but apparently it was a huge deal to see them in these parts, and judging by the multitudes lining the sides of the roads taking pictures yesterday.. must be so. I have to admit, it's not exactly unusual to see, well, mostly elderly people taking tens of dozens of snapshots of the mountains, so I didn't really think too much of it when I drove and walked by a bunch yesterday. Only after Chef Minohara here at the hotel filled me in on the story, and of the big stir it caused, did I realize what was going on. Only a day late, which I have to admit, is pretty good for me... Now, just in the past few months, two couples I am good friends with up here announced that they were expecting... coincidence I ask you?? Well, probably :) And so it goes in Hakuba on this July 30, 2010.

Blues skies saw a few people getting ready for the upcoming Paragliding World Cup, May 22 to May 29. More information can be found at the organizer site. Think I'm going to try one of those this summer!