Tokyo to Nagano

Day One

We made an easy trip by cab to the Incheon airport. Suzanne took off this Friday and we slept in a bit before we took off. It was nice not to get up at 4 AM for an international flight. We arrived at the airport, checked in the snowboard and luggage. The counter staff informed us that there was an upgrade performed on our tickets so we were no in the economy plus section which sports 5" extra legroom.

We and then rolled off to the lounge. We can't claim to sport much bling (bikes excepted) and seldom roll like big money but Suzanne's numerous trips to Asia for work provided access to the Star Alliance lounge and that is a fine thing indeed. Free beer, wine, spirits, food. We were set for a comfy flight.

We arrived at the Narita airport in Tokyo (tO-kyO), made our way to the train and reserved a seat. This train is pretty plush and guarantees you won't have to stand for the next hour or so. I watched the countryside roll by, short steep hills punch out of the landscape and are woven with 6' wide roads with perfect pavement and no cars. I dreamt of my road bike. Only the rice paddies reminded me of South Korea. Houses instead of high rises. The absence of burning plastic smoke rising up to the polluted sky at least in this part of Japan.

We exited at Shinjuku and made our way to the hotel. It struck me as we purposefully walked along that people walked in such an orderly fashion, not like machines but there was certainly a rythme. Signs embedded in the sidewalks warned smokers that this was not accepted on the streets. Small streets accommodated people and cars easily. Pavement was in perfect condition. Zero litter. Hybrid taxis abound.
We unloaded our gear and called our friend Miki for dinner. He met us on a corner not far from our hotel. He waved down a cab and off we went. We drove through one Ku (ward) then another until we arrived. We dined at a place Miki really enjoys. The was indeed fantastic. I think I second-hand smoked a pack of cigs during that meal. You can't smoke outside but there are no holds barred inside. Smoke ém if you got ém!

After dinner we hit a real karaoke joint. Suzanne had actually been there years ago when she lived in Tokyo for a summer. The sake was smooth but the operation of the machine was not so easy. The quality was not great either. The only saving grace was
that their systems precisely measure exactly how many calories you burn for each song. Crap-tacular! However, South Korea has done itself proud with the high quality karaoke experience know as Noraebang (노래방) or song room. Go Korea!

Day Two

Saturday we spent the entire day with Miki. He met us at the shrine and showed us more of this wonderful city.

As we walked the streets my eyes caught a small alley pub with a Belgian beer list. Tears welled up as I saw the place did not open until 5:30. Miki promised another place after we see more of the area. I would not be let down. There are at least three places in Tokyo featuring Belgian beers. One had over 300 different beers. This is how I know God loves me AND Tokyo.

During our day we had the pleasure to see a performance artist rocking to his brand of hypnotrance music and energetic art. Only 100 meters away in a quiet park setting was hundreds of young people, dressed in Alice in Wonderland style clothes and beyond. All were doing a some sort of group dance in small clusters. it was curious to say the least. You gotta take a picture right? Well that prompted a couple people to approach us and ask that we not post pictures. It was safe to assume that many of these kids do not want to be found here or found at all. The kids weren't hurting anything or anyone, only one or two seemed to have alcohol, and they were exercising. I say more power to you freak fest! The picture attached should not give away too much, I hope.


We also did a bit of clothes shopping. Japan is very hip to used clothing and fashion unlike some countries that insist on having brand new, poorly made crap. No furs were bought but admittedly they look OK and work well. The reality is a bit much though.

We ended our day in the company of Miki's parents. I should add that their energy and love was contagious. It was refreshing to see an older couple display such warmth and affection. Although our respective languages seldom matched, Miki led us through a fine evening of upscale sushi and saki. On an interesting note, Mr. Matsumura displayed a fine grasp of the Korean language which he took upon himself just for something to do. We live in Korea and can only say a few polite things and order beer.

Day Three
Sunday morning we awoke to the alarm. Actually I was already awake. I just can't handle knowing that the buzzer is going to happen at some point so my neurotic self lies there, awake, all night, waiting. It finally happened and we readied ourselves for our trip to Nagano to ski. I lugged some junk down to the lobby and looked for coffee. A man in running clothes entered the lobby and got a cup of the lobby brewed coffee that I was not keen on sampling. He slurped then "Ahhh"ed with each drink, making sure he stepped on my very last nerve. Suzanne arrived and immediately knew who was getting my goat. We enjoyed a great cup of coffee at the restaurant next door. later, outside, we stood in the calm until Mr. Slurpee joined us. He flung himself hither and yonder in an unabashed display of Raggedy Ann-takes-PE class. Flailing was accompanied by various grunts, phlegm clearing, and other sounds. The topper was his tossing of a used facial tissue into the immaculately clean bush edging the sidewalk. Those kind are everywhere, right?

The cavalry arrived in a Honda (Miki) and took us towards Nagano. Breakfast was truck stop food with the Yakuza. We bought our meal tickets from a machine then claimed our meals. I joked a bit about their presence (I mean really, where is written that if you are in the mafia you have to dress like that and comb your hair with buttered toast?) but Miki was adamant about withholding comment and kept his eyes low. I flashed some gang signs with my chop sticks, by accident, and they knew to stay clear of me. We took off and I dreamt of riding my road bike over the hills and along the streams that the highway cut through until the snowy mountains stole my attention.

We dropped the car and luggage off at the small, cozy lodge and headed for the resort base for an afternoon of boarding. Miki had a care package of food for us. It was a big box full of staples to get us through the trip without him. The man took serious care of us. He claims he appreciates the care Suzanne and Lisa gave him when he lived in Kansas going to school. Now we owe him back. I hope it never stops.

Miki brought Suzanne a board to use so could to try it out. Miki spent the entire time instructing her and proving encouragement while I went off on my own. As expected, boarding did not come naturally and the icy conditions did not help. Bruises gathered but Suzanne remained a trooper. A night at the local hot spring was in order after a genuine Chinese meal.

The meal was good but the hot springs were divine. Segregated, we showered then dipped into the rocky pools to ease our ills. An hour later we were ready to head back to the lodge and see our friend Miki off. He drove us 4 hours to Nagano, provided free boarding lessons, then drove back to Tokyo. We had stolen a long weekend from our friend but we are glad to have gotten so close. We are looking forward to spilling him in April here in Korea.
Day Four

We woke up late, grabbed some cereal and headed to the sloped bright and early, say eleven-ish. Suzanne rented some skis from a local shop and we hit the slope. The small snow from the night before offered some relief from the icy surfaces the day before. The snow continued a bit throughout the day but never made it perfect. The rains from the week before had crushed the snow and it will take a half meter of fresh stuff to fix the damage.

Day Five
More skiing of course but we moved over to a smaller mountain rumored to have better snow. The jury says the snow was no better and the layout of the mountain was horrible for boarding. Winter Park Colorado and numerous where snowboarders must dismount and dog-leg it or walk. This place had 3 such places requiring bullet train speed to cross but all of them were designated slow areas. One such place was ice ruts and narrow. This section caught a boarder's edge and landed him on his ear, separating his shoulder. Suzanne took off for the medic area and radioed me to confirm that they were coming. Two crusty skiers showed up in no time to provide med-assist. Both guys were from North America and seamed well seasoned.

The end of our ski adventures fell up on us. We turned in the skis and fancied a drink to cap it off. We hit a pub at the bottom of the lifts and perused the beer menu. Hmmm, Yona-Yona. One taste and we knew there would be more to come. A real ale with a handcrafted taste like we have at Schlaffly's in St. Louis. I don't particularly care for this flavor over something like a Trappist style ale but by-golly it was fine and a long time since I'd had similar.

The crowd at the pub was decidedly Western or English speaking and having a good raucous time, especially the snowboarding Aussies. I think I threw out a slur about some one's mom and we became fast drinking mates. They were drinking RedBull and Jeagermeister until they ran out of money...shortly after we ran out of money and begged a few Yen to buy more beers. They understood and felt our pain. One guy, Steve, was hip to mountain biking or anything off road. Suzanne mentioned that she is a fan of Crusty Demons and the boys all swooned. Aussies love Crusty Demons. The beers and drinks dried up, hugs were exchanged, and home we went to ready for the next day.

Our stay at the lodge was pleasant. The owner, Yoko, makes no bones about the place being simple. Each room was ready to sleep up to 6 people in the matt floor. Bedding was a well padded futon mattress with a massive comforter. The room was heated by it's own gas stove which is pretty common in Japan. If we left the heater off all night the room would easily be freezing in the morning making it tough to escape the bed. Yoko provided a small continental breakfast of toast and cereal with fruit. Works for us.

The best part of the lodge is the stories Yoko has to tell and that is definatly part of the charm. She lived in Steamboat Springs, Colorado while racing on the collegiate team. Look closely at the hat picture. I guessed whose it was before I looked inside. It gave me goosebumps.
Yoko has ski racing in her blood. Her father AND aunt were both slated for the Olympics but Japan's financial state was not yet recovered. Her father went on to design one of the other ski areas locally. He is also quite a legand with the town's people. Only a few nights earlier he had had a "few"and then crashed his car. His landing pad happened to be none other than his childhood friend's house. What are the odd of that. Well, I guess pretty damned good with that guy on the roads. You gotta give a hero a bit of rope occassionally. If you like to ski and you like good stories and pictures, hang with Yoko.
Yoko drove us to the bust stop were we caught the plush ride to Tokyo. We stopped every hour at truck stops and were duly reprimanded when were returned. "OVERTIME!". It became a joke with the other English speakers. I watched the snowy road turn to smooth black pavement, perfect for riding all the way back to Tokyo.

Back in Tokyo we caught the train to Narita. My neck hurt from watching out the window for the last time until the sun finally turned down and the landscape went gray. The roads were gone now.

Short summary

The good:

1. Our friend Miki
2. Cleanliness and orderlyness of Japan
3. The polite and well manored people
4. The Belgian brew pub + the local micro brew was delicious.
5. Skiing in Nagano where the Olympics were held
6. Getting to Japan was cheap ($260 RT)

The so-so:

1. Smoking inside restaurants....but not outside?
2. Getting around Japan once you are there is pretty expensive but it works well.
3. A few more fresh veggies with meals would be nice.

The bad:

1. Ski conditions were not great
2. The cost is pretty prohibitive in general due to the dimished dollar and already high prices for some items. $12 beers hurt.

Conclussion:
Do the math. We can't wait to return. Maybe we will go in the summer with the MTBs.