Every year when it snows for the first time and the landscape is covered in this magnificent blanket of white I am amazed at how different things can look. Almost nothing else can compare to this as mother nature paints the ground white and finishes its work of art with small dabs of snow in trees, on top on fences and in amongst everything else. Then the final autumn leave fall and the sun pokes out form behind the storm and yes it is spectacular.
The winter of 08/09 is hardly in full swing here in Japan, but today was the first day to wake to a foot of fresh in the back yard. Last night as I rode my bike home from work at 9.30pm I cursed the snow flakes and the cold, nothing had really settled and as I hurried home I dismissed the elements as nothing more than a pain in the arse. However this morning when I looked out the window and saw the blanket of powder smothering roof tops and mountains it was a different story. Snow changes the mood of the landscape and as the hills turn white thoughts turn to snowboarding skiing and powder.
For some the wait for snow was over last weekend as Kurodake opened its gates for the winter. It was a fittingly snowy weekend for opening day and although access to terrain was very limited it was none the less a great opportunity to get an early taste of Hokkaido powder. Kurodake is situated in the middle of Hokkaido just north of the Islands largest city Asahikawa. At the peak of its winter operations the ski area provides hiking access (via a 50 person cable car) to some incredible terrain both above and below tree line.
I was lucky enough to be going south and to do so I was flying from Chitose. Since a friend was going the next day but coming back the same day I decided to catch the train. I jumped on at Kutchan since service is more regular there than Niseko. The journey was relaxing and a great change to the drive that I would have usually done. The train crosses the mountain pass from Kutchan to Yoichi on a different route than the road allowing me to see a different part of Japan, beautiful forested mountains, small countryside train stations and rice paddys.
So your gear is ready and mother nature is co-operating so now all we are waiting for is the mountain to open.
Annupuri and surroundings gets a taste of winter
So here in Hokkaido Japan the snow has begun to fall, all over the island the tops of peaks are turning white, beanies are being put on and shops are filling with the latest gear, mouthwatering 08/09 gear. All the new innovations are being showcased and peddled to willing punters. All those fresh colours and styles that year after year somehow seem to appeal that much more than what you had the winter before.
Buying clothes can be difficult in Japan if your are an average sized foreigner, all I wanted was a pair of black strides, nothin' fancy just a pair of pants. I found perfect styles,fabrics and prices but no perfect fits so I changed tack and wandered away from mens wear departments and into Murusaki Sports a skate, surf, snow shop. I found a pair of DC pants straight away, perfect everything. As I paid for them my mind wandered to snowboarding and a picture I'd seen recently of Mt Yotei in Niseko with its first skiffle of snow and then I saw the snowboard DVD rack.
Another week has ended and another one has begun and here in Hokkaido the days are still still and the weather fair yet in just a few weeks the first of the ski resorts will open. It’s hard to believe that the landscape will be turned white by seemingly endless snowstorms. However autumn is drawing to close but is not over yet.
