andrewyxlim

[andrewyxlim]

Skiing for fun?

“Zoe, I really don’t want to step in dog shit.”

“I’ve covered it up, don’t worry. Stick left, then you can also grab the rope.”

“But I can’t see it though, I don’t know what to avoid”

“Ok, just skip the third step – 1, 2, 3. Skip that one. Ok?”

I’m spending the next five days camped out at my friend Zoe’s in the French ski-resort town of Meribel. Zoe and I had met at work, and bonded over shared interests: skiing, books and running, but the real commonality was a sense of humour. We loved bending the regular to the absurd and were both keen fans of hijinks and pranks. Zoe spent so much time near my desk that HR left her a notice thinking that their seating records were out of date.

Earlier this year she’d quit, the mountains calling her back for a 3rd season in France. She slotted quickly back into her old life and  job at the ski-school, who had also provided the place where she was staying: a cosy, standalone hut perched on a small crest just away from the main resort, a short walk away from the last bus stop down from the mountain.

We stomp our way up the path, Zoe’s friend Ren impressively shouldering my double ski bag, Zoe and I with backpacks on and groceries cradled in our arms. The air was cool, and the night was quiet. Our isolated position on the hill gave us a longer eyeline than you’d have from an apartment in town. Being up in attitude, the horizon was a jagged line of mountainous peaks, and on this cloudless night, the dark blue sky stretched over us like a tent.

Zoe’s big ambition was to write a novel. She’d taken serious steps in this direction, she was enrolled in a writing course at university, and had already entered (and won) competitions for her work. Part of the reason why she was here was to carve out more time for her writing, swapping the noisy urban life for one a bit more stripped back, and where spare time to think was easier to come by. She noted however that the ski-bum lifestyle was not without its shadows.

“Honestly, this lifestyle is toxic.” She tells me one night out at Tsaretta, her favourite pizza place in town, a short skip away from her place. The Premier League is playing on the widescreen across from us, and the waiter unhesitatingly greeted us en anglais in bouncy British tones when we opened the door. On the wall next to us is a portrait of Robbie Williams, bare chested, peering up wide-eyed like a puppy, holding between his teeth glittery blue lingerie sequinned with the Union Jack.

“The problem with living in a ski town, is that whilst everyone else is here for a week, you’re here for months, or years if this is your full-time career.”

“And because people are here for a holiday, for fun, life’s a party, and drinking all the time is normalised because of the environment – but you can’t keep up with it if this is your normal life.”

I’d also often thought about this irony of the ski-lifestyle, that such a wholesome activity sits side-by-side with so many unhealthy elements.  The institutions are set up for it (the bars are only open for five months a year), and drug use is common – almost cultural.

“Even though parties are fun, there’s something sad about people whose life is one endless party.”

She’s speaking here from experience, of the people she’s seen battered and bruised, but who are still caught up in the wave. If all you’ve done is be a ski instructor for 15 years, you are undoubtedly a master of your craft, a real screaming ace. But simultaneously, your area of expertise has also grown narrower and narrower. I’ve spoken to people like this, and they’ll joke that it’s too late to get a real job. You laugh, and banter with them about living the dream, but I suspect for a good chunk of them it’s inertia rather than an honest drive that’s keeping them going season after season.

***

A couple of days later, we’re having a great morning. It had snowed yesterday and we’d skied the entire day, spending most of it cutting new tracks in fresh snow (Zoe declared it her best day of the season).

On this morning, the skies are clear and blue, the weekend crowds have retreated and we are tearing down the freshly groomed piste, revelling in the suction and throw of every railed turn, willing our bodies to go faster and deeper into every turn.

The terrain of the three valleys, the world’s largest ski-resort, stretches itself out beneath us. On a chairlift back up, Zoe shares how wonderful she thinks everything about this is. She’s done this often on our trip in the small spaces of silence, telling it to herself as much as to me, and although I miss her at work I’m glad she’s made the decision to come and be here instead. As the charlift rises over the park-jumps, the totality of this industry suddenly hits me. What is a ski-resort but an absurdly large playground? The lift network, ladders from one play-slide to another? The clothes, protection so that we can stay out a little longer? The gear, toys to give us more options for play? This entire industry trades wholly on fun.

This idea on its own is wonderful. What is purer than play as a human? It’s an idea that I’ve tied a good portion of my time, my income and my self-identity to. However, my friend Alec pointed out another dark duality of this lifestyle, a week before when skiing together in Chamonix.

Many skiers and snowboarders would call ourselves lovers of the environment, yet our carbon footprint is probably larger than most of the population’s. We chase winter around the globe, often flying to remote locations which have the difficulty of access both for visitors but also for the food and resources required to service us. We spend the whole day being carted around by a network of cable-cars and chairs so that we can slide down machine-sculpted slopes. There are a huge amount of resources burned to let any resort-rider indulge in their passion, and the more we indulge, the more we reduce our, and anyone else’s, chance of being able to do this long-term.

***

As I write the rest of these words I’m sitting in a small food-court at Toyko’s Narita airport. As foodcourts go, it has an air of civility, people chatter but there’s no wailing outbursts, and they’ve thankfully held back on forcing any sugary top 40 into your ears. I’m waiting for the 3rd leg of my inter-continental flight and I can’t stop my hands from reaching up to rub my eyes or stroke my patchy stubble. My connecting flight will link me up with Garry, Simon and Alex. We’re all school friends, and whilst I originally hadn’t been able to make this part of the trip, I’d jumped at the chance when circumstances changed, knowing that these opportunities are rare, and will only get harder to come by as life goes on.

Skiing with my friends is my number 1 favourite way to hang out with them. I love the ease, the rhythm, and how it grabs you to be in the moment.

I think there’s magic in the word-less way you can feed off each other, how you can see the mountain through another’s eyes if you follow their line, or how races of speed can start up unannounced mid-way through a descent.

When riding with others, you read bodies. You speak in whoops and hollers when a friend sends a drop because you saw their hesitation, and their subsequent mustering of courage all before that launch into space.

Skiing is a beautiful dance with speed, with nature, with life and with danger. It’s only all the more beautiful because for us amateurs, we play this game only for fun, to experience purity in brief, tiny flashes.

That airborne instant where for a heartbeat gravity forgets you. Where time slows and stretches itself out like a rubber band, before you’re snapped back to Earthly forces.

When, already at speed, you sight and sting through a tiny gap in the trees, the action automatic, the body responding faster than thought.

Or those moments of pause when in a break from the action, you peel your eyes away to contemplate the gigantic peaks that frame you, and you feel shrunken and tiny like a drop of ink on a piece of paper.

Skiing. A call for adventure, a space for day-dreaming, and a place to let the body and mind play with gravity, amongst that which gravity has created.

One simple activity with so many sides for reflection and experience.

Photo of the author by Laura Wright.  Niseko, Japan. 2015.

[andrewyxlim]

Swimming

Last year, my friend Nathan and I started doing weekly early morning swims.

We kept this up for quite a while. He lives in Melbourne now, but whenever I think about him, this little bond we had springs to mind.

He’d gotten interested in swimming after we’d been chatting about what we'd been reading recently whilst on a hike together. I’d just read Swimming Studies, and whether stealing from the book, or inspired by the writing, had gushed about the quietness of the pool and the smooth sensation of gliding along whilst being enveloped by water. Nathan, a beginner swimmer but avid cyclist and committed runner, was keen. He had never been one to let being new to something stop him. We began swimming together.

We each had our own goals. We’d turn up within a few minutes of each other and we’d wait until the other was finished so that we could leave together. Our own practices though were uninterrupted; we didn’t interact in the pool, but the company kept us motivated and we always had something to talk about afterwards about our sessions, maybe each sharing a small thing that we were  working on, or just commenting about how the pool was getting chillier as we moved into Winter.

Like swimming, and like a lot of things in life, friendship is best when you’re not trying too hard.

Photo by Aquabumps

[andrewyxlim]

What’s Andrew Reading? 2015 year in review

So a few years ago I realised that I hated reading.

This was a surprise to me. I didn’t think that I hated reading. Growing up, I was the kid who knew my library card number off by heart and would check out 6 books at a time. I’d be just as happy reading at lunch as running around with my friends. I remember my mum once told me off when I invited a friend over and then spent the whole time trying to finish Harry Potter.

But fast forward to early University days, and there was no chance of you getting me to sit down and read a book. Even when I’d try, the whole thing made me restless, I’d lose track three sentences in as my own thoughts overtook whatever was happening on the page. 

I’d reserve reading for time on the internet or studying; but that’s a different sort of reading, more objective driven, more about filtering through information to find something you want vs slowly sinking into a book and getting invested in characters and plot - letting your imagination and the writer’s words play against each other.

And so a few years ago I began tricking my brain. I started going to libraries and book stores, and browse shelves, letting my curiosity pick out things of interest. I started recording down every film that I viewed and every book that I read, which a) gave me something to judge myself on, and b) has proven to be a really valuable reflective piece.

And the result today is great! I’ve hit that same zone as a kid where I’ve got an appetite for reading. In 2011 I read 11 books, in every subsequent year I’ve read more than double that. More importantly it feels natural, just another part of my life.

Here is everything I read in 2015, as well as some short thoughts on some stand outs. Books that I thought were extra special get a cover shot.

2015 - 26 Books

Hollywood - Charles Bukowski

The Age of Doubt - Andrea Camilleri

Out of Shape - Mel Campbell

Alone Together - Sherry Turkle

The Stories of Breece D’J Pancake

Trout Fishing in America - Richard Brautigan Okay, I just didn’t get this one. If someone reads this and loves it, please let me know why - the person who recommended it to me was fawning over this but I was pretty much going ‘WTF just happened’ and then turning to the next page.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X For a long period of time this was my favourite book, but the re-read didn’t hit as hard. Is this a good thing? Have I moved past some of those things and chilled out? Who knows.

IQ84 - Haruki Murakami

I really like Murakami. Even though the wrap on him is about his surreal and dreamy world, I really enjoy his description of the everyday - it’s very grounding. Right after a fantastical adventure to a Japanese village where everyone is a cat, he’ll put a starkly simple description of a character preparing a simple dinner alone in an apartment. His memoir ‘What I Talk about when I talk about Running’ is one of my favourite books.

Insanely Simple - Ken Seagall

Bleeding Edge - Thomas Pynchon

Brilliant! Sharp and quick witted, you get swept up in the story and the characters. For non-readers, it’s like playing Grand Theft Auto or watching a Tarantino film; it’s got that familiar yet hyper-real feel to it - a stylish, funny detective mystery/satire that really chugs along.

The Utopia Experiment - Dylan Evans

9 out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistake - Dave Macleod

The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

I feel like I will re-read this every couple of years and gain something more about the characters and their motivations. He masterfully leaves just enough unsaid. A special book.

The Rosie Effect - Graeme Simpson

This is How You Lose Her - Junot Diaz

The Rosie Project - Graeme Simpson

Eyeshield 21 Volume 18 - Riichiro Inagaki My favourite manga series, came across a copy at the library and slammed it - still great fun.

Seconds - Bryan Lee O’Malley

Perfume - Patrick Suskind This one was hard. It took me ages and I read so many books in between. I wasn’t enthralled by the main character and I just really don’t enjoy books set in ye’ old times of horse drawn carriages and cobblestone streets.

White Teeth - Zadie Smith

My favourite book of the year! Zadie explores a bunch of ideas: racial identity,  migration, generation gaps, families; but all filtered through her characters, and all coming about through their clashes and developments and breakdowns in their relationships. She doesn’t give them needless idiosyncrasies to mould them as individuals - she gives them heart. Like any great piece of art, it becomes larger than life. You’ll cheer and commiserate with the characters right through to the end. This was also the funniest book I read this year, I’d constantly burst out laughing while reading this on the train.

The Opposite of Loneliness - Marina Keegan

Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg Its clear voice cuts through. Sheryl simplifies and crystalises the need for a more equal representation of women in positions of power, and dispels the false ideal of a meritocracy that those against change cling to.

Sex and the Single Girl - Helen Gurley Brown It’s basically an old advice book from the 60′s for single women. I liked it.

The Snowball: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life - Alice Schroeder Its fucking long man. And filled with Warren did this, and after that he did this, and then he realised this and did that. Still, it was interesting and revealing, you definitely come away from it with a greater feel for what investors are actually doing

The Martian - Andy Weir A sci-fi book without aliens or mythical technology. Fun and funny, yet gripping.

Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut Ah Kurt you’re so tricky. I love reading about him and his thoughts - His interviews (Like Shaking Hands with God with Lee Stringer is pretty brill), His letters, His speeches - they’re all great. And I really enjoyed Slaughterhouse 5, but I read that first and everything after has felt disappointing in comparison and Breakfast of Champions was no different for me.

Books that I abandoned

The Origin of Species - Charles Darwin

Really hard. Darwin loves nature, and it means that he’ll go into great detail about the patterns underneath the wings on the Horned African Pygmy Flyer-whateverer Moth and their relation to hunting. It’ll be some time before I tackle this again.

The Myth of Sisyphus - Albert Camus

Dense, dense, dense. The sort of book where you need momentum to carry you through the speedbumps. Might try again this year (currently reading ‘The Fall’ and am liking it so much more).

Skin Game - Jim Butcher

The Dresden Files have been fun, but I think I’ve outgrown them. Reads like a Detective show/Action film but I was bored 50 pages in and not at all invested in the characters or story.

Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy

Sitting somewhere in a house in Nowra, probably wedged in that trap zone between bed and wall. Oh well.

A Brief History of Time - Steven Hawking

First section was riveting - relativity of time? It’s like real life-magic! But I’m stuck in the middle section where he’s breaking apart the minutae of scientific theory around black holes, one school of thought vs another, and its dragging: Elmo did this, but Bart disagreed and teamed up with Ernie to come up with another theory etc etc. Yes, I’m blaming a science book for focusing too much on the science.

Ongoing Projects (Things I don’t expect to finish for ages) and Reference Books (Things I flick through fairly regularly)

Performance Rock Climbing - Dale Goddard and Udo Neumann (Reference)

Light on Yoga - BKS Iyengar (Reference)

The Chairs are Where the People Go - Misha Glouberman (Reference)

Rules for My Unborn Son - Walker Lamond (Reference)

The Art of Looking Sideways - Alan Fletcher (Ongoing Project)

Meditations - Marcus Aurelius (Ongoing Project)

Cool, thanks for reading. I hope to push these out more regularly and go into more detail about certain books, as well as drop more opinion pieces about anything and everything. If I ever do a yearly list again it’s going to be way more listy.

[andrewyxlim]

Camping in the Adirondacks

Over the thanksgiving weekend a small group of us went to the Adirondack mountain range in New York State, for a weekend of camping and wandering. The weekend was pretty much what you’d expect from a bunch of Australian city folk in rural America, we marvelled at some things, made fun of others and found ways to amuse ourselves.

We woke on our first morning a little bit later than expected.

Dave had already got a fire going, so we got our breakfast together and got ready for our first hike. Notice the competing methods for campfire toast

Eventually we made it over to our chosen trail. It was very scenic.

We found time for lighter moments too

And we couldn't have picked better conditions from which to view the top

We had dinner that night in town at a restaurant called liquids and solids. It was amazing, and the star of the show were these.

Brussel Sprouts! Look at people's food faces.

We spent another day checking out the local town, Lake Placid

Lake Placed has actually been the host city for 2 Winter Olympic Games, and is most famous for being the host venue for the ‘Miracle on Ice’

Cassie got her hands on (half) a hockey stick, and attempted to create her own miracle.

You had to be there.

We also had a few brief explores of the surrounds. 

Ipad selfie amongst the trees

Lake Placid

Girls goofing

The local golf course

The next morning was our last. We packed our bags and we were off.

[andrewyxlim]

Toronto

A group of us exchange kids went to Toronto for a few days. Most of the highlights came from self amusement, which isn’t at all a knock on Toronto, a city that has the special quality of feeling very welcoming, familiar and friendly to first time visitors.

It was a dreary bus ride from Montreal, and we arrived sometime after 1:30am. Me and Cam slept in the next day and after finding some food, wandered aimlessly and managed to tick off two of the big landmarks of the city before meeting up with the others.

The rest of the day was just as easy going. We took advantage of Toronto’s grid structure and walked the streets. Cam and Marie found the building used for Suits and were pretty excited.

Cassie and Erin, not so much

We made our way to the markets, met up with Will and Seles; and ate, peered and poked around

We then hopped on over to the brewery, conveniently located next to the baseball stadium (town planners take note).

We had a few inside

And a few outside

And then it was off to see the hometown Blue Jays take on the Baltimore Orioles

Unfortunately the home team lost. 

But we shook off any blues outside the stadium

The next day we were off to the Niagra Falls. The town itself seemed to be a monument to anything but the falls

iPad selfies cracked us up while we waited to board the boat

But the wait was definitely worth it

Perhaps if only for this next photo. Look at Dave and Marie here. Loving it!

We ran to make it for the bus back to Toronto, and on our walk back to the hostel we stumbled upon our first celebrity moment on exchange, running into stars here for the Toronto International Film Festival.

It was bewildering, strange and I had no idea what was going on. But it was hilarious listening to conversations, making jokes about celebrities and just getting caught up in the general pandemonium.

On our last day, I managed to catch up with Amanda, my constant saviour in China, essentially my big sister and guardian

She had serendipitously just arrived in Toronto a couple of weeks ago to take up a new job at a school in the city. From Melbourne to Beijing to tripping around China and Asia, and then to Toronto, I reckon she’s had a good year.

And then after just a few days it was all over. Thanks for having us Toronto!

[andrewyxlim]

Beijing

So I’ve just finished up a 5 week stay in Beijing. I spent most of my time as a student enrolled in a 4 week course at the Beijing Language and Culture University, studying Mandarin and taking full advantage of my fellow students' appetite for fun and the high Australian dollar – dining out for every meal and running through menus upon menus of cocktails and shots.

This made me extremely lazy as a tourist – a trip to the Bird’s Nest stadium loses a lot of its shine when it’s 4 in the afternoon and your brain still considers the notion of upright motion as something too ambitious to attempt.

That being said, here’s some annotated photos of a few things I managed to see. Maybe it’ll give you some ideas of what its like to be in Beijing.

------

If you're going sightseeing in Beijing, make the most of the good weather. If the pollution is really bad, it may be best to reconsider. It's not too hard to make do with poor conditions for an hour or so, but a full day of exposure will leave you weezing.

We were lucky enough to get good conditions for the Temple of Heaven. An impressive place, but also a leading contender for happiest place in Beijing.

The surrounding areas and courtyards are packed with citizens having a bit of a jive, cardsharks playing a few hands and even a social choir giving a rousing rendition of old Mao-era propaganda songs.

------------

Street Markets are fun, and not a waste of time! Some of them such as Wanfujing, are more established: Others are more Guerilla affairs, mystically appearing outside subway stations at a post dinner hour, before vanishing by midnight.

BUT skip the indoor markets. They are a trap, a condensed packet of desparation where vendors will pull you ino their stores if you so much as glance at their wares.

-------

Bike rides are amazing. I’m a huge fan of bicycles, and a huge fan of using bicycles to explore a city. Riding around Beijing on a bicycle at sunset was the highlight of my trip. It’s actually the closest you can get to certain areas like the portrait of Mao at Tiananmen Square. The dedicated (and wide!) bike paths mean that you beat out the pedestrians when it comes to navigating crowds. 

Zai Jian!

[andrewyxlim]

Hong Kong

So he's been in the blog before, but now he gets a special mention.

This is Alex. 

Owner of cool jumpers 

Fan of cheesey photos 

Pack Mule

We were travel buddies through Japan and Hong Kong for just over a month. Alex carried on to Thailand and I think he's back in Melbourne now getting ready for his final year in a medicine degree. Thanks for putting up with me dude!

So I've been in Beijing for almost two weeks now, but I'm rewinding the clock and recapping our time in Hong Kong.

An interesting place Hong Kong! It seems like one for the urbanites and lovers of a neon light lifestyle

It's easy to get overwhelmed. Luckily we had some help! Here's local boy David,

He took us round to a few food places and was our tour guide for the day. We managed to knock off all the key spots in a single day, a highlight was the view from the peak that needed a 25 minute walk, passing some of the grandest houses in Hong Kong.

I also managed to meet up with Rex and a few of his buddies to check out the local climbing scene. Here's Rex and Joelex.

Yes, Joelex. He was a bit of a character, he gave himself a name of his own creation because his original name sounded similar to 'bad luck' in Cantonese.

The local crag was pretty amazing. All a 30 minute ferry ride out from Hong Kong. 

Rex was pushing some hard routes. Here he is on a scary one, aptly named 'The End of the World'

My last big meal in in Hong Kong was a treat, and a combination of everything that's good about eating in Asia. Spacey outdoor seating, beers picked up from the local convenience store and damn tasty, uncomplicated food. 

Alex’s uncle Michael and cousin Aaron were super accommodating and fine hosts. A dinner with them always feels like a feast.

That's Aaron in the background. He plays the bag pipes and likes to ride bicycles.

Yep. That's sort of a turtle.

Til next time folks!

[andrewyxlim]

Eating in Japan

Eating has to be one of the great joys of travelling. A friend in school told me in his own way that you can see photos these days of all sorts of things, but one thing that you can’t come close to recreating is the taste of food. 

In an appreciation of food, is it too much to also say that a cuisine carries traces of a culture’s history?

The history of the regional Chinese people as rice growers must surely be linked to rice featuring as a staple item in the Chinese diet; as modern Australia’s thirst for espresso coffee is a gift of café owning immigrants out of post World War 2 Italy.

What then can be said of the Japan and its attitude to food?

Well for one there seems to be an emphasis on tradition, even accounting for regional variations in style and flavor there is an observable base for most cuisine – most dishes on a menu will be instantly recognizable.

When comparing grade, there’s a similarity in style observable from the low end to the top – the difference, rather than being measured in originality or creativity, seems to be on the quality of the produce and the application of technique; a difference in approach similar to the dichotomy between arts and crafts.

Whereas the zeitgeist in modern Australian cuisine is that of re-appropriation and original flavours, the most fascinating element of Japan’s food culture is that of refinement.

In the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi, food critic Yamamoto when speaking of what makes Jiro’s sushi so stunningly special, describes the philosophy as “ultimate simplicity leading to purity”. 

Eat in Japan and you’ll be amazed at how the simplest food is crazily delicious. Let’s have a look at some photos.

----------------------

Bukkakedashi Udon in Hiroshima. Along with Daiwa sushi that I’ve mentioned before, this seemingly simple dish is one of the best examples that I experienced of tradition and refinement leading to ace, high-five, super tasty food

Street Fooding in Nagasaki during the Lantern Festival

Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima

Izakaya's in Sapporo and Nagasaki. 

Kobe Beef in Kobe. Call me ungrateful, but the analogy I draw when I think of eating Kobe Beef is that it’s like climbing a mountain. 230 grams of the most fatty, most buttery, and least ‘beefy’ tasting beef that you’ll ever have in your life and you’re done, dusted and beat, thankful for the experience but not able to handle any more.

Ramen in multiple cities

When you look up from your counter seat at the dish placed before you, rather than instant delight you approach with tempered expectations. You’ve spent the last 5 minutes watching the motions of the young chef in front of you, each individual action so routine and so ordinary that you’re wondering how special and how tasty this dish could actually be.

But don’t worry. Eating good ramen is like catching a flavor wave, and don’t be surprised if you get to the bottom of the bowl and realize that you'd been totally zoned out, and haven’t touched your drink or said a word to your friends.

Special Mention: Convenience Stores.

Talk to a fellow traveller about these places and you'll see their eyes cry hallelujah as they think of their constant saviour. Open 24/7, stocked to the brim with surprisingly decent food (and drink!), and super cheap.

Extra Special Mention: Asahi vending machine, and combined ketchup and mustard. Sydney, make these happen.

Recommended for more information:

#1 Jiro Dreams of Sushi. 

#2 Going to Japan. It's so pleasant that you'll find something everyday that makes you smile.

[andrewyxlim]

Hokkaido

We just wrapped up a week and a half in Hokkaido, where the name of the game was snow and lots of it.

Our first port of call was the Niseko snowfields, famed for the quality and quantity of its powder snow.

Some, such as my sister Laura, took an instant liking to it

I spent much of my mountain time with these lovely folks. Garry, Alex and Kim.

Many shared jokes, sweet runs and super unserious snow adventures ensued!

Here’s Garry hitting the box clean at speed at the terrain park in Hirafu 

And Alex grabbing backside off a kicker in the hanozono park

And here’s Kim having a go at the halfpipe

And then there's me. Riding the magic carpet.

Nah, someone managed to get footy of me doing something. Here's a grainy shot of me having a bit of fun off piste in Hirafu

My favourite times on the mountain though were at a run called Strawberry Fields. Look at the trees and powder mounds behind Garry! It’s a playground! 

Regular visitors to Niseko will recognise this scene instantly. I’ve dubbed it the ‘demon chair' - a single seater chairlift sans safety bar or usable backrest up at the top of the mountain. It's frequently exposed to the worst of wind, fog and snow.

Now we weren’t the only ones enjoying Niseko. We had a huge travelling party going - 3 families and then some! Here’s them enjoying a tasty dinner.

This is my mum and my Aunt Lesley hamming it up for the camera. My Aunt is 65 and was out hitting runs from day 1! Unfortunately she had a nasty accident towards the end of the trip and had to fly back home early, but don’t worry - nothing can knock the smile off her face!

After Niseko we travelled over to Sapporo. The common theme? Definitely the cold.

We did our fair share of the sightseeing hotspots. We visited the beer museum

And the chocolate factory

And the ski jump built for the 1972 Winter Olympics!

We even got to ride up

And play pretend...

What deserves a mention is the quality of food in Sapporo. We enjoyed a range of foods, from hamburg style steak

to the famed fugu, the Japanese pufferfish

Garry and Alex were staying in a capsule hotel, so I checked it out 

The berths are cosy but not the worst!

Our trip to Sapporo also coincided with the annual Sapporo Ice Sculpture Festival.

It was a happening place with an easygoing vibe. There was also plenty of fun with a park jump demonstration. Our fascination with the pros may have led us away from the main event a little.

But fun in the ice festival was there to be found for all ages 

Hokkaido was a blast and for us winter hounds it had just about everything we needed. Thanks!

[andrewyxlim]

Tokyo

As the central face of Japan, Tokyo is the target of many projections and expectations of Japanese culture.

Sushi, shrines and zen contrasted with maid cafes, horror rides and rush hour subways; for the first few days you’ll be weirded out as either extremes of Tokyo bash against your preconceived notions of what it is and what it isn't.

But come to terms with it (and come to terms with it you will, for charm exists in bounds in Tokyo) and you’ll find a place that is delightfully unique, so proud and so comfortable in its own image and the way it presents itself to the world.

---------------

NK, handling pop culture overload in Don Quijote department store, purveyor of everything ever made in human history.

Signs at the Tsujiki Fish Market. Giggle worthy.

Line at the Daiwa Sushi Restaurant in the fish market. 2 hour wait in the rain to get a seat. If you ate their sushi everyday of your life you would be a nicer, happier, more well adjusted human.

Tuna nigiri at Daiwa. A lesson in deliciousness.

Found some time for the local sports.

Tomodachi at the wine bar. We were there 4 nights in a row, what a bunch of folks!

Ken taking care of business.

Hollywood Hayes. being a star. NK and Ishan tell me that they were with him when he was approached by a Japanese talent scout interested in getting him to model.

Small art gallery in Harujuku. Impressed.

Meiji shrine, Harujuku. Zen time in the middle of the city.

Outdoor bouldering wall in Shibuya. Zen time continues.

Nagi ramen restaurant. Seats about 7 people in a tiny dingy room with a broken radio and burnt chopsticks. Best tasting ramen stock of my life.

Cup noodle museum

After a schooling in the stupendous sizes of train stations in Japan, We found Dee in Yokohama!

It was the beginning of a heavy night.

This is Kaira. she likes skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing! We got along fine.

On the way home us three lads managed to find the time to take a group shot. At least that’s what my camera told me, I have no such memory.

Thanks Tokyo. You are beautiful.