Mid January in Snow Country

Been fighting a cold since last year, I think the frozen toes and constant runny nose make the environment a cold loves to grow in. But I spent a hundred dollars on new shoes yesterday and am spending my current 3 days off going slow. Eating, emailing and onsening. So hopefully near 100% when I get back on the road in 2 days.

Interestingly though, I do not find it seems cold anymore. minus 3 seems balmy after a minus 15 night.

Have had no snowfall and cloudless skies the last couple of days, and a full moon. Incredibly beautiful night scenery, not to mention being able to see the surrounding mountains, a rarity, both day and night. But moonlight snow covered landscape is something spectacular to be sure.

Snow Cats in Hokkaido

Went and helped a friend get his Snow Cat going today. Frozen Diesel doesn't work so well.. then we drove up to his house in the forest. SO much snow even the cat had trouble. The cat being designed to groom ski slopes rather than force it's way through deep drifts in the forest.
Then the bleeder valve, which was broken by another driver who meddled, started leaking air and we konked out and had to walk back home.
While I was diggin the cat out before we left, I stepped off into the 2m high powder snow and simply disappeared! No snow shoes (those tennis racquet things) no chance of standing or walking on this stuff. At least when we walked home we had the compressed snow the cat had made on our way up. 10 mins would have been over an hour otherwise I think.

Kamakura

This pic doesn't do the setting justice. There are candles inside this hole in the snow, real cute Jack 'o' Lantern stuff.

Xmas and NY went by in a blur as I was working right up till 2005 ended but a few days off to let me chill have helped. Went to a fantastic onsen in Rankoshi, near Niseko, and then to Sapporo for a night.

Feeling better but still not sure about having to jump back in the saddle tomorrow oh well. Need the Yen.

More pictures of the whiteness here.
http://tinyurl.com/77yos
http://tinyurl.com/8th2b

Hope your new year is all it can be.

D

Niimi Onsen Ryokan

Spent the 1st of January at Niimi Onsen, about an hour from Hirafu, Niseko. One of the nicest Onsen Ryoukans I've stayed in so far in Japan. The meal pictured is for two people, took us nearly an hour to work our way through it!

Hope you're warm wherever u are :)