Comically small hotel room in Tokyo. Literally.
Lugging our bags through the trains of Tokyo. We later found out $40 would have shipped the bags. We did not repeat the pack mule act on the way back through Tokyo.
After a thirteen hour flight across the international date line and carrying 3 bags each (including the skis) through three of Tokyo’s busier stations the last thing we wanted to see was unavoidable stairs. It was brutal. I’ve never been closer to death by divorce.
Piss Alley. Seriously. It’s where the foodies go. Again, seriously.
Loaded up with gear. The passenger had to sit behind the driver. Sleeping arrangements at the Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn). Bathing arrangements (Onsen hot spring) at the Ryokan. You can buy hot coffee in a can from vending machines! It’s pretty terrible tasting. Skinning up They were short about TWENTY FIVE FEET of snow compared to average so the vegetation was just starting to get covered. Jen skinning over some kind of grabby bamboo that was everywhere. Skin track After a couple hours skinning up, we finally ski down. Lift tickets.
