Category: Japan 2023
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All Shrined Out in Kyoto
Kyoto was the Imperial capital of Japan until relatively recently (796-1869), consequently it has many cultural sites to visit and is spread over a vast distance. I was up early and training my way to Fushimi Inari Taisha Senbon Torii (Thousands Torii Gate). Getting here early was a great idea, because I got much of…
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Street food and good friends
There has been some protests from readers that I’ve been on radio silence, which just suggests to me that I’ve been spoiling you all with far too frequent blog posts! On Friday I travelled down from Kanazawa to Osaka to catch up with a good friend Cindy, and spend the weekend with her on Awaji…
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Just a little walk in the snow
Prior to arriving in Kanazawa, I had googled the distances to all of the main tourist sites and had calculated that I could walk most places, or borrow a bike from the Ryokan and ride most places. What I hadn’t put a lot of thought into was winter! Which is rather ironic when you consider…
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When every run is fresh tracks!
Siberia eventually arrived in Nozawa Onsen, albeit it a touch late. When I headed up the mountain on Tuesday morning, it looked like this: This gave me a few times for some quick runs and then down the back run for a hot chocolate at the bottom of Skyline. By the time I got back…
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Eat Sleep Ski Repeat Nozawa Style
I would imagine from a reading perspective, this is the most boring part of any trip, reading about someone’s skiing each day is about as interesting as talking about toenail cuttings…! Which is why I’ve just been posting about dogs and shrines, pictures are far more fun!!! Also, dogs on snow… what is there not…
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Dogs and Shrines of Nozawa Onsen
Dinner: Tentoji soba prawn tempura and Onsen egg 1,100 yen $12.20 Temperature: -8 degrees Celsius (up top) Snow depth: 1.75m Snow Forecast: The light snow showers will start tomorrow night and continue onto Tuesday bringing a huge dump of snow during the day. Hopefully by the end of Tuesday we will have more than 50cm…
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A kind reintroduction
Two bluebird days in a row is really quite a kind reintroduction back to the ski hill for me. It means all I’ve had to worry about is the last two days is muscle fatigue, and knowing when to take a break. That’s a godsend. If I was adding that to foggy poor visibility, high…
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Great to see you again Tokyo
Transit days are always long and mine started on Monday, with an overnight in Melbourne due to flight changes. Though it’s easier to sleep in a hotel than on a plane, I still slept in fits and starts, worrying about alarms et al. 4am alarm, 5am airport…. Delayed takeoff (of course). Flying was uneventful, however…
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Will I be able to walk tomorrow? This is the question!
Due to Covid, the last time I skied was in 2016. I’ve had to move this current trip I am on, three times due to the pandemic, that means that it is seven years since I strapped a pair of planks to my feet…. Which means, muscle memory does not exist, and pain is in…
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It should be familiar, but it’s not!
Those that know me, know that most days start with a big walk in the morning. I spent last night close to Tokyo Station, which is also close to the Imperial Palace. So on my walk this morning, I decided to make the Palace my destination. You really can’t see a lot of it during…
