Scouting

Nozawa Onsen at this time is still relatively undiscovered. There are places where you can sit and chill. These little lone trips into the silence was a wonder of my stay. I miss it a lot.

Mystic Clouds

Again, the little green UFO

It's cold

Naski

Naski is the mascot for Nozawa Onsen. There's a winter vegetable grown all over here call Nozawana. It's no doubt the town took it and made the towns 'to be famous for' item. It's like a thin stringy asparagus. They have an ice cream with that flavour. Not bad actually.

Fire, more fire

And what a wonderful end to the night. I spent it with Rei who came from Canada. It was warm, very warm... a little bit scorching actually. Flames, warmth, stars. I didn't want that night to end.

Nurturing the flame

Send in the "haiku" tower

Tower destroyed

Everything destroyed

The Party Begins

There's a crowd, there's a film crew and it's centered around a big structure made of wood that's gonna get burnt down. The thing that makes it interesting is that there are a bunch of 42 year olds standing on top, 25 year olds guarding it and all the rest trying to burn it down. If you want to see it, come here on the 15th of January. Rain, snow or shine, it'll happen.

It started somewhere around 1863. Well, the festival did anyway. The idea goes way back when language and superstition started. See, the numbers 4 and 2 in Japanese can be read "shi" and "ni". Together, its "shini" which appropriately means "death", so all the 42 year olds of the village get to stand up on the structure and await... or avoid their 'fate' and live to see another year of their happy lives. On the other hand the 25 year olds should be ready for marriage and have established their career. That's considered a bad luck year anyway.

This is the Dosojin festival. Lots of fun to be had here.

An ode to sake

Crowding the platform

Getting in close

Into the fire

Dawn of the Fire Festival

And tonight is the start of the what is possibly one of the coolest, craziest festivals in Japan. In Japanese, it's called the Dosoujin. In English, The Fire Festival. I've been trying to piece this one together for a while. A lot of things happen. First they build a 20 meter high, wooden, very flammable structure. About 3 or so families with new borns make long decorated poles for their youngest child. All the people of the village attach their best wishes and proserity for the future of that child. Everyone gathers, gets hammered on sake, have a battle, then burn everything down. There is some meaning to all of this but I need sleep. I'll do it next post.

Free sake

They ask you to please drink as much as you can. They knew I worked at the ski school so they were eager to see me pissed.

Walking a light torch down the street

These guys are wasted and fumble that fire stick damn close to you. If you plan on giving this place a visit, lest you want your ass to be on fire, I suggest you stand the hell back, well away from these guys paths.

Sake on ice

Pretending to Snowboard

And pictures to remind me of a sour reuniting and lack of reasonable talk, still in chaos and grief - a partner and the sister of Kei, who recently passed. Mucking around in the snow. Nothing serious. I got some free time to enjoy the trees and the silence again though. Good things would be coming for me later that night. At this point I was becoming sick of it all. They hold on to him so tight when all he wanted was to be free.

Kei's poppy little sister.

That little green UFO is back probing her tummy.

Ah, peace at last.

The Town of Nozawa

Nozawa Onsen is one of the most traditional of Japans skiing areas. Its one of the only places where the slopes are reachable by foot from the township. You ski during the morning and have lunch in town during the day and have another crack at it during the afternoon. The place isn't ultra popular yet so it doesn't really get crowded. Here's a few previews of the town.

Mail box still in use until buried in snow

Last shops before the slopes

Natural hot springs used for cooking

It usually smells like veges around here

Japanese Unkai

On the top of special viewing point mountains at roughly 5 am in the morning you'll meet bunches of expensive super camera weilding Japanese folk waiting for the sun to rise above the clouds. When it does, you'll see a beautiful array of colours shining upon an ocean of clouds. Thats what "unkai" means, not to be mixed up with "unko" which means 'a shit'. Here at the ski school, it's common to see this. We wake up early and get out to have a bit of fun and snow testing before we take on students. It's quite disorientating starting with a hot sunny day at the top, freezing cold and misty day in the middle then rain at the bottom. It's just over a kilometer from the top to the bottom. The weather changes a lot between.

Japanese Unkai

Flamable and portable good luck resolution shrine

At night this shrine is going to be swayed from here to there then dropped into a house sized bon fire. People write their new years resolutions in hope that they'll come true.

Sake bearing stick people

When I grow up I'm gonna be a tank!

The cars around here have to wear tracks should they want to travel over the snow. This is the very first time I've seen one... except for the last times I've seen one.

With the pros

These are my teachers. These guys jump high, spin, and scrape. It's dangerous but it's a lot of fun. They give me a lot of encouragement. They're not heroes, very humble, no ego. Well there was one fat headed jerk but there always is right? Anyway, definately good to ride with these guys if you wanna get some confidence... or loose it for good ;)

My capable teachers

Nozawa Onsen

And this is Nozawa Onsen. Again. Although this time it felt as though something was missing. I guess I just bruise easily. But enough of that. Today is a holiday but I can't remember why. Me and Rob went for a scout into town. Not much to see but snow really. I picked up some nice apples :)

Yes, my hands are warm

I wouldn't recommend eating them

Can't drive through that one

Shrine before the slopes

Welcome to 2009

Goodbye 2008 and welcome 2009. New years resolutions, fix myself, get on my feet, get better. I can't complain though, I'm snowboarding every day, I've got a place to stay and I'm well fed. It'll only last the season though. I've been keeping my eye on Gaijin Pot (A website for foreigners in Japan looking for a job). The receptionists get paid more than the ski/snowboard instructors. All of those hard worked qualifications are getting put to use for such rubbish pay. All good, I'm just doing it so I can snowboard every day :) Well worth it. Happy new year!

Psychadellic Moon Surface Shadow

Happy Snowey 2009

The fireworks

Pop, pop, bang