Second day at Japan was spent at the Japanese Alps. To get there we boarded the overnight bus from Shinjuku and started the pretty looooong journey
to the Nagano, where the nearest ski resorts are. In the middle of the night,
as we near the mountains, I started to feel through the bus wall the freezing weather outside. By day light, we were welcomed by the thick snow on the
ground as we hastened to enter the still deserted ski resort. We got there at 6:00am
and the resort will not open until 8:00am.
 |
| See how thick the snow was? :) |
 |
| Snowed vehicles |
With very little sleep, we tried to
rest on the couches of the resort's lobby until Archie found the sleeping
quarters. The locals headed straight to that room as soon as we got there. It
was a big, comfortably warm and carpeted room where guests can sleep while
waiting for the resort to open. Among the early guests, we’re the last bunch to
enter the quarters (around 7am already) so there were no more available
blankets and we have to make do with the limited space left. Despite those
conditions we still managed to sleep well and woke up more refreshed and ready
to brave the snow.
Before anything else, we had brunch
first at the cafeteria. Adrin got Shoyu Ramen while I ate Katsu Curry. I
enjoyed each spoonful of Japanese rice (oh yes, I love love love Japanese rice)
together with the breaded pork that I lavishly coated with the curry sauce.
After eating to our heart’s content, we went to the gears rental area so we can
already change our clothes and meet the ski slopes. Archie took care of the
forms we had to fill out while Adrin and I started choosing for our suit and
boots. The custodian also handed us our bonnet, gloves, mask, and most
importantly our boards!
 |
| Before changing into our snowboarding suit |
After dressing ourselves, we stored the
rest of our things in a locker and proceeded to the base of the ski resort.
Archie, being a second-time snowboarder, taught us how to strap our foot onto
the board and slide on a flat surface. Goodness, it was not as easy as it
appeared to be. As I glided my left foot with the board, I need to keep my
other leg firmly planted on the snow to temporarily carry my body weight.
 |
| Adrin with his board |
 |
| With my board |
We practiced on the flat surface some
more, then Archie asked us to ride the board down an inclined area. Adrin
went first and had a wobbly stride that ended with a fall, but in no time, was
he up and about calling for me to go next. Archie, standing next to me, also
cheered for me to do it. Anxiety caught the better of me so I let him go next. Several
more deep breaths were needed for me to be able to follow. As soon as I stepped
my right foot on the board, I instantly moved downwards hence I tried my best
to keep my stance and balance. And with the boys now only a few meters away, I
suddenly panicked that I might crash into them thus I just crashed myself onto
the ground. My biggest challenge though is learning how to get up. All my
efforts to follow the move demonstrated to get up were futile. With no choice
but to learn and do it without them pulling me up, Adrin had to think of
several steps for me to try until I finally was able to do it.
Whew! Effort! Haha!
We had a few more tries before Archie
asked us to strap both feet for the next go. Since Adrin and I were already exhausted,
we wished to rest for a bit and so we let him roam and enjoy the resort freely
As soon as he left, Adrin and I amused ourselves on the snow and observed the
other skiers and snowboarders. We saw adults and kids confidently skiing all
over and some parents patiently teaching and guiding their young ones on how to
do it properly (just like how we see parents teaching kids to bike or swim here
in our country).
 |
| The "parking" area where one can leave his board or skis |
 |
| It was snowing hard that day, thus the grey skies. |
We leisurely basked under the grey
skies, lain down on that powdery soft but freezing ground, and threw snow balls
at each other. Suddenly Adrin decided it's time to get moving again and wanted to
ride the lift and snowboard our way down the higher slope. Once we reached the
upper landing for the beginners’ area, we chose the area where we'll be of
least nuisance to experts. He led the slide down with me lagging a few feet.
Both of us would glide and fall every so often until halfway down the slope,
realizing that it was indeed a very long one, my stubbornness kicked-in. I just
won't step on my board anymore. No matter how encouraging Adrin's words were, I
did not continue on. I'm drained feeling nervous every time I’d take a stride
down, consequently enduring the fall and struggling my way up again (sounds so
dramatic. haha). So as he continued snowboarding downhill, I walked behind lugging
my board without any care if I looked such a loser to the locals. Haha.
Since snowboarding is not my thing, I
decided to swap my board with a plastic sled. Given that I just have to sit on
it as I slide down the slopes, control is better and good balance is not
required. Yipee! Similar with the board, I first tried it on a short slope.
Once I got the hang of it, I now excitedly took the lift with Adrin and began
riding down the hills.
 |
| My sled |
Hours have passed before we found Archie who was
apparently looking for us too. In an hour we’d be boarding the bus back to the
city and so we hurriedly took snaps out in the snow. I’ve been meaning to make
snow angels too so I grabbed this small window and urged Adrin to join me as I
do it. Archie dutifully took pictures of us as we enjoyed ourselves out there.
Thanks Archie!
 |
| Making our snow angels |
 |
| Pseudo-prenup. :P |
 |
Another pseudo-prenup shot.
|
Knowing that it will again be a long
ride back to the city, we ensured to grab another heavy meal before we finally
returned our gears and fixed our things. The bus arrived a little past 5 in the
afternoon, and expectedly, I’m knocked out all the way to Shinjuku. Oh what a
fun experience it has been. Uncomfortably chilly yes, but definitely
unforgettable!
 |
| Playing with snow while waiting for the bus |
'Til the next one,
No comments:
Post a Comment