White Christmas

We spent our first white Christmas here in Hirafu. Had a great dinner with our housemates. Everyone pitched in and we put on quite a spread. We were so happy with it we had to put up some photos for you all to see.

Niseko!

This is Mt Yoeti San on one of the few clear days we have in the winter. In the foreground is Hirafu village where we live.

We have been in Niseko Hirafu for about 3 weeks and already riding some of the best powder in my life. What a contrast to Kushiro. We share a house with 5 others (all Australians) and in the village it must be about 70% foreigners. We almost had reverse culture shock as we found it hard concentrating hearing so much English spoken in the bars. This place has so many bars and restaurants. We live only a few hundred metres from the first lift so spend our lunch breaks and evenings on the snow. Although I thought that I had broken my wrist this week. Or more specifically the scaphoid bone in my wrist. But after a MRI today I go the all clear. So lucky not to have a cast on for 6 weeks!
These are the two Apartment buildings Sarah and I mange.

Leaving Kushiro

Last Days

The last week or so has gone by in a blur of sashimi, sushi and beer! We had a farewell party at Shu-sen (of course) last Wednesday night (public holiday on Thursday!) And partied to the small hours of the morning. Nights like this make us wonder why we are leaving, although maybe it’s good to go out on a good note. Friends and karaoke, what more can I say? Thursday night was one of the more memorable days in Kushiro and not because of the hangover. Nahoko-san, one of Sarah’s students whom she has become really good friends with took us out to dinner. We went to one of the finest Japanese restaurants in Kushiro. It was amazing, our own tatami room with rice paper sliding doors and amazing service. We were treated to 8 courses of fine Japanese cuisine and tried several different types of local sake. Brilliant! First course was crabs eggs wrapped in cucumber, followed by sushi. Course number three was sashimi of a local fish, then honey glazed salmon. Number 5 was some sort of potato and fish soup, followed up with a leg of king crab. Just when I couldn’t take any more number 7 was served, containing rice and salmon eggs with miso soup and some pickles. Dessert was a small serving of toffee coated ice-cream. Are you jealous yet? You should be because it was some of the best food I have ever had. This was followed up with a Friday lunch with one of my classes! Again sushi was enjoyed by all. It has been a nice week, and we will miss our students and friends. We must have done a good job! Pity about our boss who is continuing his childish and un-professional manner. He has resorted to responding to us in grunts which must surely be a new time low. Plus he has declared he cannot afford to pay us all of our final wages! A heated discussion ensued and it seems that we will now get paid what we are owed. Well today is our last in Kushiro, we finish work at 9pm and board the 11.30pm night bus for Sapporo. Arriving around 6am where we find a train taking us through to Kutchan and then to Niseko-Hirafu. To say we are looking forward to the change is clearly and understatement. I especially am looking forward to being surrounded by mountains once again and feeling their positive energy. Plus the ski-fields open this weekend so the timing is right. To those in Kushiro, ja ne and kutsukete. We hope to see you again in the future.

Yaki Niku

November 06

Had a great weekend. Some of our students took us out to a Yaki Niku place for dinner. Yaki Niku is a Korean version of BBQ and is really popular here. They bring small charcoal fires to your table and you cook your own meat. The meat is served in small cuts and is easy to pick up and retrieve with chopsticks. The only downfall is that it gets really smoky and your clothes smell for a while. There are a few different cuts that we probably wouldn’t eat in New Zealand, like pig intestines, cows tongue (I was apprehensive but it was really good) and of course liver. It is an all you can eat and drink in 2 hours deal…fantastic. A great concept that I can’t help thinking of as a challenge! After having a huge feed of meat and beer we headed to another bar before going to our local, Shu Sen.

Kushiro Climbing Competition

November 2006

On Sunday Sarah and I were invited to attend the Kushiro Climbing Competition. It was held at our local wall at Seiundai. In total about 30 climbers attended from Kushiro and the surrounding areas. Sarah and I did really well. Sarah placed fist in the Women’s Middle Grade, and I managed to get into the open finals and gained 5^th place overall. Lots of fun and laughter. With the short climbing season here and the fact that there is only 1 climbing wall in all of Eastern Hokkaido the level was not as high as in New Zealand. Which was good for us as we could do well in the competition. We were both happy to receive prizes.

Me-Akan Dake

November 2006
We had a long weekend and on Friday went to Akan National Park to climb Me-Akan Dake 1499m. It is an active volcano that had been closed to hikers since our arrival but opened again in September. However it still seemed very active, approaching the summit there is a constant noise that sounds like a jet flying overhead. It was a nice hike, through forest and then into the moonscapes higher on the mountain. Very smelly though.

November 2006

November 2006
Well for those that don't think we do any work over here, these are some photos of teaching in Kushiro Public Schools. We do this about once a week and teach 4 lessons to between 20 and 60 children per class. It is often fun, but exhausting and frustrating. All the kids want to touch you and laugh at you when you try to speak Japanese. I've had First Graders hanging of my arms and legs while I tried to leave a classroom, and the teacher just stood back and watched!

October 2006

SHIRETOKO
Shiretoko is acclaimed as Hokkaido’s (and one of Japan’s) most beautiful National Parks. It is a volcanic mountain range jutting out of the Sea of Othotsk on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. We were a bit apprehensive about exploring the park as it has more bears per square kilometre than any other place in Japan! We traveled up the eastern coastline and stopped to watch fishermen at the river mouths trying their best to catch Salmon. We then traveled over the mountain range via Shiretoko Pass but had little to see as strong winds and clouds obscured the view. Once back down at sea level we looked for a place to camp in Utoro. We were again amazed by the number of deer everywhere. We had to stop on the road to allow a hind and fawn to cross and looked out the window to see two young stags happily grazing by the road. In the town itself there were deer grazing in the grassy areas between the hotels and restaurants. The campgrounds are closed this time of year as they tourist season is slowing down and generally people consider it too cold to camp now. This didn’t bother us much and we kept up our trend of camping for free. We did our bit to protect the National Park and had venison curry for dinner at a small café. Next day dawned clear as expected and had a nice sunrise at 4.30 am! We went back to bed for a few hours and got up at 7’ish to head for Rausu-dake. At 1661m it is the highest mountain in the National Park. We suppressed our fear of bears and climbed about half way up the mountain. We didn’t go all the way because of high cloud and enjoyed the view we had. For me it was great to see the autumn colours, something you can’t really appreciate in the New Zealand Mountains. Afterwards we found a natural outdoor onsen (hotspring) and also walked around the famous 5 lakes.

Map of Hokkaido

September 2006

Autumn is upon us. Been over in Hidaka rock climbing at Akaiwa Segankyo for the weekend. Driving over the Hidaka range and around the boulders the beginnings of a yellow tinge are appearing in the leaves. In another week or so they will be a blaze of orange, reds and yellows. Plan to head over to Shiretoko in the next couple of weeks to get a good look at the autumn colours. Had a good time climbing and can’t help thinking that will be the last time we go climbing there. Sarah nailed a project and led it with ease. I also bagged a 5.11a that has been eluding me a little so we felt pleased with ourselves. We only have a couple of months left in Kushiro and want to make the most of the car and the good weather to explore. Well excited as next weekend Tracy is coming to Sapporo and we have a long weekend!

Just had a 3 day weekend in Sapporo. It was a bit stressful negotiating the motorway then downtown Sapporo to get to our Youth Hostel. Once checked in we walked down to Susukino, the restaurant and bar area of Sapporo. After walking around for a bit we ended up in a Spanish bar. Was more than a bit strange hearing “por favor” from the waiters! Got to talk a little Spanish with the staff, which was fun! Paid 3000 yen for a beer and a couple of slices of quiche and realised it was out of our price range so moved onto a really nice Soup Curry place. Was delicious and is my new favourite food. It has only become popular in the last 5 years or so and originated from Sapporo. Afterwards we walked around wide eyed a bit more, soaking in the bright lights of a larger Japanese city. Spent the next day walking around downtown Sapporo and shopping a little. Odori park was looking beautiful and many people were enjoying the sunshine. Had dinner at a Mexican restaurant that was also delicious. Was great to have burritos! Next day we packed up and headed to Chitose airport to meet Tracy who was arriving midday from London, via Germany and Nagoya.

August 06

Aug 2006
Had a job interview over in Niseko Hirafu for Ski Japan. Great drive over, went to Hidaka after work on Saturday then on Sunday carried on over to Niseko via Sapporo and Otaru. Decided to have a crack at the motorways and they were great. We could actually sustain a speed of around 100km/h for more than 5 minutes. Was a great way to by-pass Sapporo quickly. Cost around 3000 yen all up so a bit expensive but worth it as it saved us heaps of time. We stopped at a beach in one of the bays past Otaru on the road to Niseko. It was beautiful, made up of rocky bluffs and jagged coast with sandy beaches settled into the bays. Had a quick swim in the surprisingly warm waters, but was disappointed at the amount of rubbish on the beach. Niseko Hirafu was a sensory overload for us coming from Kuhsiro. Hirafu is a tourist resort town, which is pretty laid back in the summer but really takes off in the winter. It is at the base of a mountain containing 4 ski resorts on all its different aspects. All resorts a linked together and a full mountain pass gives access to all three resorts different chair lifts. There are western style cafes and restaurants and to our surprise menus written in English! Even English speaking staff. We stayed true and of course ordered in Japanese all the same. We spent the afternoon exploring the village then found a campsite and relaxed in the sunshine with a great view of Mt Yoeti. Mt Yoeti is Hokkaidos Mt Fuji. It is a classic dome shaped volcanoe that stands out on its own, and in winter remarkably resembles its southern cousin. After a rather poor nights sleep we had the interview with anAustralian guy. We were shown around the lodges we would be managing and the staff accommodation.

August 06

OBON HOLIDAY
Ahhhh…good times. Back home after 9 days of climbing, camping and road tripping around Hokkaido. After work on Saturday we drove to Hidaka to meet Drew and Maiko who had arrived there from Tokyo via Tomokamai. Unfortunately it was raining, so we quickly put up the tent and went to bed. Next morning dawned clear and we all headed to Akaiwa Seigankyo. We had a great days climbing, really hot and muggy but in the shade of the trees was not too bad. Great to see Drew again and to get to know Maiko. The usual faces were at the crag, a few more people than normal due to the holiday but not too crowded. Did many of the same climbs as before showing Drew and Maiko around. Tried another 5.11a but found it pretty difficult. Afterwards we had an Onsen and drove to Obihiro to see their fireworks display. Bit of a mission as it was 2 hours driving each way but the show was pretty amazing. Next day Drew and Maiko witnessed a ground fall! A climber was attempting a 5.11b and was attempting to clip the 3rd bolt and fell, hitting the ground. He was unconscious for a short time and initially had a lot of bleeding from a head wound. Sarah and I were unaware until we heard the ambulance and went over to see what had happened. Put a bit of a dampener on the day, a bit scary for them to see. However we continued climbing, I tried working a steep and hard 5.11c. Will need a few more attempts yet!
Next day we packed up and started heading northwards. We hoped to meet Rick in the morning at either Tomamu or Furano but he could not get a train until the evening. The train system in Hokkadio seems to be a bit random. Infrequent trains with long waits at some stations. So we spent the day looking at the lavender farms that Furano is famous for and drove up to look at the waterfalls at Tenninkyo and then to Asahidake town. These areas are in the Diasetsuzan National Park and were quite spectacular. There are huge rock walls on the way into Tenninkyo, and close to the road. A little amazed that there are no routes there. The summit of Asahidake, the highest mountain in Hokkaido remained out of view in the clouds. We returned to camp at a free site near Yamabie and picked up Rick from the train at 8.20pm. We wanted to climb Asahidake the next day but a bit of a late start and because of poor weather up high we decided to head to a rock climbing area near Asahikawa. Its name is Kamui Rock and is about 20 or 30 minutes from Asahikawa on the road to Sapporo. A short hike (20 minutes) brings you to the base of the crag. It is about 60-90 metres high and surrounded by forest. The rock felt and looked very similar to the schist of Wanaka. Although it was again very hot and muggy we did do a couple of routes. Sarah and I had managed to leave our rope in the car and didn’t really consider heading back for it, as it was so hot. We all climbed a nice long 5.10a. A great view once you had climbed above the trees. I then led a mixed trad/sport route, which was a bit scary. Some really old pitons and someone had removed the hanger from the bolt just above the crux making for a run out finish. Finding a snake in an important crack meant that I had to do some interesting moves through the run out to get to the chains.
We were all still keen to climb Asahidake so went and set up camp about 30 minutes from the base of the mountain. Next day dawned reassembly clear so we were off earlyish. Sarah, Rick, Drew and I walked from the carpark while Maiko opted for the gondola. An hour and half walking and we meet Maiko at about the half waypoint. It was a nice walk through the bush, slowly gaining height to get into the sub-alpine area near the end of the gondola. Here we could see a small lake and a few vents of steam coming from the mountain. We continued up into the clouds for a cold, wet and windy summit offering no views. However we were all still pleased to have climbed to the highest point in Hokkaido. Afterwards we said goodbye to Drew and Maiko for a bit as they decided to follow the weather and head to Wakkani in the north of Hokkaido. We only had a shopping day planned in Asahikawa so were not too worried about the weather. After a very wet night with little sleep due to the lightning and thunder we went into town. After some effort we finally found the outdoor/climbing store in Asahikawa. We were happy to get some supplies as there are no climbing stores in Kushiro. Then we moved on to Sounkyo, checking out another climbing area on the way but it was too late in the day to do any climbing. As our gear was still wet we opted to stay in a small cabin at the campground. Once set up we went up the road to Sounkyo for dinner and another onsen. Again it rained heavily over night so we were thankful to be in the cabin. The rivers were very high and some of the roads were closed due to flooding. This was a real pain as instead of 3 hours to get to Lake Kusharo it took us 5 or 6 with all the backtracking and detours we needed to take. We were heading to Lake Kusharo to meet up with friends from Kushiro. We had all organised to stay in cabins and tents together and bbq and onsen. The campsite was right on the shores of the lake and the natural outdoor onsen was only a few hundred metres away. It was a great time, drinking beer, eating lots of good foor and onsening and even swimming in the lake. The lake temperature is raised slightly because of the all the onsens on the lake front feeding hot water into it. The bbq was amazing, it was burning for about 3 hours and we ate all sorts of red meat, chicken, fish and even oysters! Fish sashimi was a bit of a treat (raw fish) as were the oysters.
Next day saw me nursing a very sore head but we had more good food before heading back to Kushiro. Drew and Maiko meet us for the festivities at Lake Kusharo but took a day trip out to Shiretoko National Park before coming down to stay with us in Kushiro. It was great that they could stay and see our hometown. We took them down to MOO to find some food unique to Kushiro. Next day they headed out to see Kushiro National Park and thus see all of Hokkaido’s National Park’s on this trip, afterwards they had a long drive back to Tomokomai to catch the 22 hour ferry back home.

July 2006

July 2006
Takaho-san, a student of mine gave me two tickets to her concert so went and checked it out on Saturday night. With the ticket also came free beer and food..,. fantastic. Three free Heinekens later and we were having a great time. Her band is called the Misstones and they dress up in these 1960’s style costumes and do covers of the Beach Boys and other classics. Was really entertaining. Afterwards, feeling pretty good we decided to make a night of it. A few beers at the Earth Bar and a taxi on to Shu Sen where we meet up with Shun. Got home around 2am feeling a bit worse for it.

HIDAKA
Had a great weekend in Hidaka climbing. Left Kushiro on Sunday and arrived at Akaiwa Seigankyo after lunch. Lots of people there again, maybe 30 odd and many of the same faces as last time. It is a pretty hard climbing area, only a couple of 5.10a’s and lower grade. It is all pretty steep and sustained. Started with a couple of 5.10a’s and a 5.10c. Then had 1 attempt at a 5.11a but felt pretty tired. Meet a Canadian guy called Scott and his girlfriend Sake. Also meet the couple that were there last time. Cruised back to Hidaka for dinner and then an Onsen. Meet up with Scott and Sake at the campground and had a good yarn. We were about to go to bed when these older guys came over to have a yarn. They were pretty drunk and we had a great time talking to them. Well they enjoyed saying the few English words they new! Scott and Sake were translating a bit too. They cooked us some “Popeye vegetable sausages!” and shouted a couple of beers. They were so friendly, haven’t laughed so much for ages. They even broke into impromptu song! Went back to Akaiwa Seigankyo early and had an attempt at Wonder girl a 5.11a and got it 2nd attempt. We did a few more climbs around 5.10’s and left for Kushiro about 2pm.

TOKOTAN
Went to Tokotan with Sarah. It was actually sunny, although a bit of a wind. Climb 3 routes, easier slab, Route 44 and a trickier climb at far left of terrace. Was a lot of fun, the rock actually climbs pretty well now that I am becoming used to it. If you stay on line the rock has generally cleaned up a bit, however if you stray on a route you soon find dirty lose rock! Pulling a rope down I managed to dislodge a fist sized rock that landed on Sarah’s foot. A bit of bruising and hopefully no broken bones. The last route was a bit more difficult, 5.10c/d (20/21). Managed an on-sight ascent so was really happy.

CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
Had a good cultural day on Sarturday. Went to a Gold Art Exhibition (free tickets thanks to Nahoko-san). Afterwards we were lucky to view a Tea Ceremony. Sarah and I felt nervous and a bit out of place as we were the only foreigners (me the only male) and the women were mostly dressed in Kimono. The lady running it was a friend of Nahoko-san so the saved us the best sets in the house and told us to relax and enjoy the ceremony. The ceremony is a time to reflect and is actually quite spiritual. It is like a form of meditation as it is done (usually) in silence. It is always fascinating watching the traditions that have formed centuries ago. Japan has many traditions and it makes me realise just how young New Zealand is as a nation. Afterwards we were treated to lunch with good views of Kushiro.
Next stop was the library, where there are a total of 2 small shelves of English books! Nahoko-san was then kind enough to take us to the Kushiro Museum. It was really interesting; I especially liked the more recent history of Kushiro. A quick trip to Seundai gym for a climb finished a very good day.

CANOEING KUSHIRO RIVER
What a fantastic weekend. Went and canoed down the Kuhsiro river with Sarah and Atsushi. First went out to a look out to check out the Kushiro Shitsugen National Park then on to a small town north of lake Toro for lunch. Unfortunately Atsushis favourite restaurant was closed but we found another and enjoyed cold soba noodles. Cruised back to Lake Toro and unloaded the canoe and set off into the lake. 20minutes or so down the Toro river we meet the much larger Kushiro river. Was great, saw deer grazing on the side of the river and many different birds. Very peaceful and relaxing. After about 2 hours we meet Atsushi’s friend at the car park. A quick shuttle back to the car and we loaded up and were off back to Kushiro. Atsushi invited us to his house for a bbq dinner. It was fantastic, great food and great to enjoy the Japanese style bbq. Cooking with charcoal with many small cuts of meat is great. Really social and relaxing sitting around the table cooking and eating. Enjoyed a few beers and tried sake. Atsushi then ordered some sushi for Sarah to do the sushi challenge. Great day out.