Hello Sumo ....Goodbye Japan

Sunday morning started with a breakfast raid on one of those French/Japanese bakeries - that almost get it right - toasted ham and potato salad baguettes, schnitzel burgers, rolls with sultanas that are really red beans etc 

The raid was a good one - they probably made their daily profit after the 8 of us and the boys filled up on breakfast.

We then realised we had got a bum steer on the timing for the Sumo tickets (lucy and I thought it was a conspiracy) - but it turned out to be  a blessing - we didn't get the cheap western seats - we ended up with a "Japanese box" - a little square area with 4 cushions - and we got the last 8 seats or 2 boxes sold for the day - and they were absolute crackers of seats.

If you ever go to Japan - make sure there is Sumo on. We had such a good time. The bouts got bigger and bigger - and the drama more and more exciting. Lucy's special topic is now Sumo - and can work out how senior a referee is from his sandals, what sort of hair style means what etc. It was a lot of fun

Jem and Charlie checking exactly where they were standing

We ate Sumo food - beautifully presented

 

In the box early in the day before everyone else had arrived

The arrival of the sumos 

warming up before the bouts

Part of the ritual

We bet between ourselves on each round

I love this - thirsty work obviously

we were here for the ceremonial entry as well...

We did sneak into the Edo Museum for 2 hours - it was captivating - recreating scenes from Edo area Japan. Gorgeous

So thanks to all the fellow travellers - a very special trip

Until next time ....

Leaving Niseko ... Saturday

So according to our friends at 360Nisekoblog 164.5cm of snow fell whilst we were in Niseko. That is way more than snow than I am tall - even at my height that is a great measure.

We were sad to leave Niseko on the Saturday. On the morning we left we spotted the Japanese man across the road who every morning got up to feed the birds making his way through the snow to the bird feeder    - that would be the 35cm night!

We made our way from Sapporo back to Narita. At the airport we had one of those funny moments when the high tech japanese doesn't quiet seem so high tech:

So having read the directions and mindful we are on the first floor - this is the box you jump into - ah, after you Robert .....

A fluffy pooch in Tokyo

We stayed just around the corner from the Sumo centre with the plan that we would leave our bags at the hotel on Sunday and go and buy general admission tickets and watch the sumo - and maybe also get to the Edo museum. So with the plan sorted and the hotel having told us we didn't need til queue til 9am - we went out to dinner. The area around Ryogoku is filled with Sumo stables and Changko restaurants. These restaurants serve protein rich soup that Sumo's love - so the plan was to go and eat up. We walked to a little area with these restaurants, and were passed by a couple of sumo's riding bikes - Rob and I weren't fast enough with  a camera - but that was a funny sight.

We didn't end up eating Changko as they seemed booked out  - so we ate at  a funny little pub and had a crazy night with lots of public cheering and chatting to the table next door to us. The staff of 3 all seemed to be wearing onsen towels on their heads!!

Ym - beef tendon yakitori

and yes - in reception at our hotel was another - sock monkey -and you could buy ties for your sock monkey!!



one more post to come .......

Songs will be written about today ....

Borrowing from the Niseko360blog guys: Yesterday a mind boggling amount of snow came down throughout the day amazing even seasoned locals. The evening night session in Hirafu was rumored to have been the best in years ( a big call ). This morning the wind is minimal and it looks like the sun may even come out!!! In years to come this day will be the stuff of legend – songs will be written about today…concepts born…minds blown…GET UP THERE!

and so it was that Lucy  and I traded up skis - wider, fatter - mine were Madonnas and Lucy had the Trixies,  and we had a powder lesson with Guillaume - French Canadian, pastry chef /food stylist in the summer and ski instructor in the winter - handsome, debonair and charming and did we have fun. We were on the first of the gondolas for the day and did some under the rope runs - the first one was probably the highlight - deep untracked powder through trees - wee ha

It was soo much fun. We even went up the pizza box lift to get to the top

We'd been picked up by NAC and dropped to a lesson - leaving Rob with everyone else. Unfortunately they had one of those bad luck mornings and didnt get a bus for a while etc. However - they had a wonderful ski day - although stack of the day might go to Rob who face planted in such deep powder that he lost his goggles and had to buy new ones. Lucy did lose a ski in one of our powder runs - but Guillaume dug it out (v gallant); and Paddy came off a jump and planted into a snow drift so that apparently only his head was visible (luckily I missed that).

This is Paddy post jump - at least we can see him now

Charlie with the hanazono duck (or platypus???)

The duck getting extra friendly!!

How much snow is their banked beside the roads - way over my head

Our house - we have the left hand side

A few photos of our house - 3 stories and fab> we will be sad to leave it.

'
Charlie and Jem learnt some new skills in the terrain ark and can now grind the box. get the lingo!

Back to Tokyo tomorrow

Meg

Annupuri

There was some sun this morning and we had Cameron and Paddy back with us after their back country adventures yesterday. Paddy does have  a good bruise/bump on his leg from skiing into a tree - but is otherwise OK.

They probably found it a bit boring given that they didn't need probes, beacons or shovels - but we headed up the mountain to get high enough to get across to Annapuri. We skied down the most amazing powder off the Ace Pair Lift no 4 - it is actually a wonder that we still have Charlie and Jem as the snow would have been up to their waists!!

We did some lovely skiing in Annupuri - I remain amazed at the amount of powder everywhere. I have gone back and got even fatter skis tonight - I am skiing on Madonnas now. Lucy and I are getting picked up in the morning and we have a powder lesson. Go girls. Just to make the boys jealous we might need to go through some gates as well ...

Lunch was a very welcome break from the cold - and delicious - for less than $12 each this was lunch:

Tonight the girls went for a much more traditional Japanese onsen at one of the Japanese hotels. You could sit in the outside bath and there was a ski run on the other side of the little fence. It was heaven.

We had dinner in a lovely little restaurant that we have been to before. One time with Karen and Pat, Kate and Emma we ordered 8 skewers of chicken hearts. We didn't do that tonight - and it was all delicious including the sake.

Paddy thinks stack of the week should be voted on by all - today's stack of the day was probably Olivia either skiing into a fence or into a tree.

On the mystery of the plate of sashimi from Kamakura - no one guessed right - it was  .... horse ....and the creamy looking one was mane. We actually assume it was the cartilage that holds the mane. Jem or Charlie ate it several times I am told. I couldn't watch.

Tomorrow is our last day of skiing - so we are hoping for a bit more snow and possibly another 20cm of fresh snow.

 For those wanting some video - you need to paste the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwk3bG1QxFw

19.5cm of new snow in the last 24 hours

*19.5cm of fresh snow as fallen in the last 24hrs in Hirafu -14°C.

url for Cam's videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/Cameron3521/videos

embedded links to ydays videos

Cant get the third one to embed  they are all on cameron's youtube account.
URL for the third one is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fchGv9b3h2s

Back country skiing by Cam, paddy and the Becks

Check it out - looks amazing. So this is the resort further across than Annapuri. Apparently you go out gate 2 above Annapuri and ski where no one else skis ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO4Lien799U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fchGv9b3h2s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31y-Civy3YA

Wednesday and it hasn't stopped snowing

WOW - what a day. It has been snowing non stop.

Cam and paddy headed out with the guide and the Becks - hopefully there will be go pro footage.

We did some new runs - and we used the hooded chairs where possible. The plan was to get to Annapuri but it was crazy at the top. So we did these runs where every single run was powder powder powder. I can't believe that this afternoon going back to the Gondola on what would be the main drag we came across stashes of powder. There was a ridiculous amount of snow.

Stack of the day: Paddy thinks he is a winner - reckons he front flipped over and into a tree (check the you tube footage of similar runs) and he has a huge egg on his leg an reckons he was out for a moment or 2.

Charlie: Skiing down beside the hooded chair in deep powder, hit a stash of powder, lost both his skis and landed 10m down the hill and slid down the hill (for the sake of controversy he slid not flew through the air).

Charlie and I ducked through a rope and did a black run on the run home

The boys and I had a hot chocolate amd some steamed buns at the 1000m hut - it was terrific.

Rob took some great photos

the big thermometer - minus 15

Jem and Charlie did a couple of runs by themselves at the end of the day. They had fun.

Cam and Paddy got home late - and crashed. The rest of us went for an onsen. Fabulous - although the little boys had to have  a lie down as they got a bit hot.

All fabulous.