Boarding Gate 101

Who goes first? This seemed to be one everyone's mind inside the locker room.  I just finished my snowboarding session in Hakuba and as an  après-ski I decided to go to an onsen to relax. The owner of the hostel drove me to the onsen amid sub-zero temps, together with a group of Jewish Australians who just checked in the hostel. I made small talk with them while in the car, and they became my sort of instant buddies just as we entered the facility. The village of Hakuba in Nagano Prefecture Going to an onsen - hot spring (and the facilities around it ) in Japanese - is a revered tradition in Japan. The onsen is an important way of relaxing and getting away from a busy life. It is also a way of getting to know the people in the community in a unique way that being naked around them would allow. It breaks down barriers; they call it hadaka no tsukiai , naked communion. For me, it was a chance to experience one aspect of the culture, and also to rest and soothe...

I've always wanted to try winter sports, snowboarding in particular, and the trip to Japan presented an opportunity to do just that. Actually, it was because I wanted to try winter sports that I decided to travel to Japan during the winter. The Japanese Alps Winter sports - skiing, snowboarding, bob sledding, or even the weird sports of curling - are something that I, who was born and have live most of my life in a tropical country,  can only see on television during the winter Olympics, or in the movies, like in James Bond films. I think there's something very exciting zipping across a snow-covered landscape, even without the henchmen of Ernst Blofeld chasing at your heels. The ski slopes of Goryu, as seen from Escal Plaza I arrived in Hakuba late at night after taking the Shinkansen to Nagoya from Kyoto, then taking the Azusa train to Matsumoto, then two more changes on local trains. As soon as I checked in I asked Toshi, the owner of the hostel, where to...

Day 7 A week's been gone now of my 9-day trip to Japan and my activities are winding down. I did saved the best for last. 9:00 am K's Backpacker Hostel I went through the normal morning activities after waking up: breakfast, checking emails and messages, chat with the hostel owners, and a brief walk around the village. The walk made me appreciate how beautiful the village of Hakuba was - all covered in a blanket of snow, with its chalet type houses and alpine trees dotting the white landscape. 10:00am Hakuba I hitched a ride on Toshi's car (Toshi is the owner) to the main village area so I can change some money to pay for the lessons and buy some supplies too. On the way I was able to see the ski slopes of Hakuba for the first time. We went back to the hostel after that, and I prepared for the lessons scheduled for later. 12:45 pm,  Winpy Box I went to Winpy Box to rent some snowboarding gear: waterproof pants, goggles, boots and snowboard. I then p...