HokkAIdo YO!

Being so slope spoiled here in Nagano, it has taken more than three years before finally seeing about all this fuss in Japan’s northern island.  Although there is entirely too much transport involved to manage it in a weekend (or even a week) trip, I’m glad I was finally able to ride the tundra at Niseko.

Although it doesn’t compare to the ornate beauty of snow-dusted branches in parts of Nagano, the runs at Hirafu are much wider and less restricted.  Despite the same level of crowding (which we dealt with on the lifts), I discovered an eerie solitude on the mountain.  I was surrounded by drifts of white and nothing but my board, the powdered terrain, and stillness.  The lack of visibility and blizzard winds might have had a bit to do with it, but it was beautifully panic-inducing and enjoyable all the same.

Niseko has several mountain areas:  Annupuri, Niseko Village, Grand Hirafu, and Hanazono.  All of the areas can be accessed from the very top lifts of the mountain, making an all day all-mountain pass the way to go on a clear day.  However, powder often comes along with high winds, so we were stuck traversing the areas by shuttle bus as the highest lifts were closed.  Although the shuttle is free with an all-mountain pass, the slightly cheaper 5-hour Hirafu pass served us much better in the conditions.

The line for the gondola on the day high winds closed the top lifts

Although we only got to sample the Village and Hirafu during our stay, Hirafu seems to be the biggest of all the areas, as well as the one I enjoyed the most.  On the second day, we lucked out to find the top king triple and ace pair #3 open in the afternoon.  These top runs of Hirafu are wide, open, and scattered with just enough trees to feel like your exploring the mountains’ natural creases on your own.

Although we stayed in Higashiyama pension village area (near the Green Leaf Hotel and the Village’s Bonzai lift), we soon learned that all of the board shops, places to eat, and night life is at the base of the Hirafu area.  It was only a short shuttle bus ride away.  The first shuttle of the morning got us there around 9, with just enough time to enjoy the “big breakfast” at the Green Farm Cafe before hitting the slopes on our 5-hour pass.

The last bus, however, leaves the Hirafu Welcome Center around 8:30pm.  It was enough time for a little board shop browsing, dinner and drinks, but we were stuck to searching the Higashiyama area for our amusements after that point.

Hirafu area at night

steak and cheese pie!

About the only thing in that area (aside from the Green Leaf, a hotel with far too much swank for me) was The Black Diamond Lodge.  It worked out well enough as they had Coronas, taco salad, and a variety of unique soy dishes like the tofu donuts that our group rather questionably enjoyed….

The lodge’s shuttle vehicle was also impressive.

Back at our hotel, The Pension Brook, we could enjoy a small ofuro-style bath to soak our mountain-and-blizzard beaten bodies.  There are two “public” baths on the bottom level.  Public, as they can be used by any guests, but with the ability to occupy and lock each room separately if you’re not keen on sharing bath-time with strangers. Altogether, the pension was pretty affordable and the lack of in-room bathroom wasn’t a big deal – well worth saving some cash.

Our last night in Hokkaido we spent on a bus back to Sapporo, followed by a late dinner and some Sapporo-drinking at a local izakaya.  “AI YO!” was the common exclamation ringing through the place, as servers shouted to each other and answered with the coined phrase, later learned as the name of the restaurant.  It was hard not to answer back with an enthusiastic “AIII YOO!” now and then.

Finally, we made our way – slipping and sliding – through the hard-packed snow of Sapporo’s “sidewalks” to check out the near-finished snow sculptures for the yuki matsuri (snow festival).  Though it was cold and the blocks of sculptures were numerous, the massive size and detail on some of them were definitely worth it!

And that’s that.  Until next time, Hokkaido.  AIII YO!!!