Skiing - after a long hiatus from the sport (thank you college sports) we decided it was about time to hit the slopes again. The Japan Alps were drawing us in. Greg craved the mountains and I just wanted to see something other than concrete. British friends of ours, Daniel and Claire - who are avid skiers, came along with us. Greg skied the first day while Dylan and I played around in the snow. We reversed roles the second day, and I got to see just how long it had been since I skied last. It turned out Greg got better snow, but I got the better weather. The Alps were stunning. So different than the hills in MIchigan.
We stayed at a reasonably nice resort not far from the lodge that sat back in the woods called the Sierra Resort - Hakuba. It's billed as a luxury resort, but don't get your hopes up. The place is in need of renovation. The pictures on their website are very gracious to say the least. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but it aint "Luxury" either, as the Japanese reviews will have you believe. We had dinner there one evening, and the food was very nice, and better than expected. Despite the facilities not quite being at a luxury level yet, the setting back in the woods is very serene, and a wonderful escape from Tokyo. There is an American who started working at the hotel this summer who recognizes what this place could be, and is swimming the upstream battle to make it that. My guess is that we'll see some kaizan, but not the transformational change the place will need to really reach its potential. Enough of the hotel review.
We had a great time and can't wait to get back up in the mountains again to strap on our skis and let Dylan explore something other than the back streets of Tokyo.
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