Japan: 3 weeks in Hokkaido.

P3133133 This photo is what we came for… unfortunately only a few days.
Our Hokkaido adventure started with our car which we had again arranged through Mark. It was at the airport but it was -10°C and windy. The car would not start, we suspect due to the electronic key being frozen. We trained into Chitose and walked the 800m to our hotel. Next day we managed to get the car started but our 2 hour journey to Niseko/Kutchan ended up taking 7 hours as the roads were blocked by too much snow.

This might sound fantastic but we were both too sick to go out and spent the next 3 days sleeping and resting in the backpackers in Kutchan. Thursday we did venture out to see Harro and took our skis but ended up going back to the backpackers.

Finally Friday we did go out for 4 hours. I found it very cold and tiring.

Saturday we drove up to Furnano where we were booked in to the same Pension we had stayed in the past 2 years: Young House.

There had not been much fresh snow and even if there had been I was too sick to go out. Annette ventured out a few days without me.

It wasn't till Friday (11th March) that I started feeling a bit better and probably not till the following Tuesday that I was back to 80-90%. About 17 or 18 days of being crook.

Sunday (13th) we headed out to Fukiage and finally got a day of backcountry. We took it pretty easy and hiked up for about 2 hours and then took a very enjoyable run down before an Onsen (spa).

P3133065 P3133078 P3133083

Tuesday we met Ben, a snowboarder we had met last year and he coaxed us to go off-piste to the skiers left at the top of the Kitanomine Gondola. We ventured there again on Wednesday for some fun short side country powder.

P3153152 P3163160 P3203164
Annette to off piste to left of Gondola……A view of Fuano and Tokachi in the distance….The view from our Pension window.

The rest of the week we only skied for about 3 hours a day as it was all on piste, groomed run skiing.

Monday we said farewell to John Morrell and to Furano and drove to Chitose Airport, and would you believe when we arrived it started snowing.

Here is our skiing Record for Japan:
day
date
place
Gary
Annette
comments
Gary SICK
Tue

2

left Sydney arrived Tokyo





Wed

3

Tokyo





Thu

4

Akakura: Myoko Kogen

ski
ski


Fri

5

Akakura: Myoko Kogen

ski
ski


Sat

6

Akakura: Myoko Kogen

ski
ski


Sun

7

Akakura: Myoko Kogen

ski
ski


Mon

8

Akakura: Myoko Kogen

ski
ski


Tue

9

Akakura: Myoko Kogen

ski
ski


Wed

10

Akakura: Myoko Kogen

ski
ski


Thu

11

Myoko Suginohara

ski
ski


Fri

12

Akakura: Myoko Kogen

ski
ski


Sat

13

car to snow Monkeys





Sun

14






Mon

15






Tue

16

Happo-One, Hakuba

ski
ski


Wed

17

Happo-One, Hakuba

ski
ski


Thu

18

Myoko Suginohara

ski
ski


Fri

19

Madarao

ski
ski


Sat

20

bus to Nozawa





Sun

21

Nozawa Onsen

ski
ski


Mon

22

Nozawa Onsen

ski
ski


Tue

23

Nozawa Onsen

ski
ski


Wed

24

Nozawa Onsen

ski
ski


Thu

25

Nozawa Onsen

ski
ski


Fri

26

Nozawa Onsen

ski
ski

sick from noon
Sat

27

Nozawa Onsen


ski

v. sick
Sun

28

bus to Tokyo




v. sick
Mon

29

drive to Kutchan




sick
Tue

1

Kutchan/Niseko




sick
Wed

2

Kutchan/Niseko




sick
Thu

3

Kutchan/Niseko




not as sick
Fri

4

Kutchan/Niseko

ski
ski

a bit better
Sat

5

drive to Furano




tired and lethargic
Sun

6

Furano


ski

tired and lethargic
Mon

7

Furano




tired and lethargic
Tue

8

Furano

ski
ski

tired and lethargic
Wed

9

Furano

ski
ski

tired and lethargic
Thu

10

Furano


ski

tired and lethargic
Fri

11

Furano

ski
ski

little energy
Sat

12

Furano

ski
ski

feeling okay
Sun

13

Furano Fukiage Onsen

ski
ski
backcountry skin & ski

80.00%

Mon

14

Furano




90.00%

Tue

15

Furano

ski
ski


Wed

16

Furano

ski
ski


Thu

17

Furano

ski
ski


Fri

18

Furano

ski
ski


Sat

19

Furano

ski
ski


Sun

20

Furano

ski
ski


Mon

21

drive Chitose Flight home





Tue

22

arrive Sydney








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