10th February
After two early casualties of the harsh Australian summer we 10 fearless intrepid Must pioneers set out for the far away snow fields of Japan in the creature comforts of a Boeing 737. Easily maneuvering through the perils of Sydney 's chaotic airport the team said goodbye to English and welcomed the cultural experience of JAL airlines. 9h 25mins later we landed in the clasps of Kansai airport near Osaka in central Japan where we set about satisfying our basic needs. Cash, airport hotel, food and sleep, in that order.
11th February
With our connecting flight not until the afternoon we decided to stick together and take a skip hop and jump to the first station out of the airport (insert name here). This turned out to be the Frankston of Osaka as we walked straight out of the platform and into a rather large factory outlet centre which hosted all your big name stores from Adidas to Lego to Bose. But my favourite was definitely the store which appeared to be the Japanese equivalent of Dangerfield, though I don't doubt that all the shoe stores were also very pretty.
But all too soon we were on the plane to Sapporo in north Japan and our last stop before the snow field but there was plenty of snow (and turbulence) at the airport to wet our appetites. Its like seeing that first lil bit of snow as you drive up mt. Buller, except to make it all better we were still virtually at sea level.
Following advice we used taxis to get the last little way to our hotel in Sapporo , the Blue Wave Inn. However we soon discovered the taxis were so small that board-bags only just fit in diagonally and that those taxis which had roof racks didn't have straps long enough to get around the board bags. But worst of all the Blue Wave Inn was not as well known as we hoped and when you don't know any Japanese that blank stare for a cab driver is fairly heart shattering. Never the less we all made it there eventually and we soon realised why the Blue Wave Inn wasn't so well known, it was in the Red Light District of Sapporo, so that one cab driver that knew exactly where it was ... well no comment.
As planned we were in Sapporo just in time to catch the end of their snow festival which consisted of incredible sculptures of animals, and mythical creature and resulted in lots of photos being taken. There was even a life sized sculpture of Flinders St. Station with clocks and all. There wasn't some random standing on the stairs preaching religion but there was a Japanese lady screaming some jibber jabber into a microphone, making it just like a little piece of home away from home. But it didn't take long for the bone chilling wind and rumbling stomachs to force us into a nice little restaurant.
Here we began to learn the wonders of pictures because pointing at a line of symbols can lead to some very interesting foods being served. Also it was surprisingly hard to order Sake as it sounds very similar to Asahi, ah well beer is alcoholic too!
Next on the list of things to do was the ancient Japanese art of Karaoke. So after some wandering, a warm Bailey's and a lobby stop to warm up we found a karaoke bar. Apparently the Japanese don't do the whole sing in front of strangers thing but instead it's more of a family outing. So we all ended up in a little room with a TV and two mics singing to each other, definitely not as daunting as singing in front of a couple of hundred ppl at the Hawthorn. But it is very cool walking past door after door down the hallway knowing there are families and friends in each room belting out their favourite Japanese punk hits to each other.
Unable to find something which resembled a pub to enjoy some Japanese beverages we opted to visit a bottle shop and go home for a hallway party. I must say that the temptation to get absolutely plastered is very tempting when 750ml bottles of JŠgermeister are only 20AUD, but walking around home past places like the "Sexy Pub Nurse Station" and pimps on the road side offering a "masaaji" being drunk could really mean ending up in the wrong place.
12th February
We met up with 6 more Must travelers last night who had taken a longer route to reach Sapporo so as to visit the city that never sleeps, Tokyo .
Now with a day to spend in Sapporo we broke off in small groups to find our own adventures in the picturesque little town. Though mainly we were all focused on finding the various snowboard stores in town to stock up on all the essentials, goggles, pants and toe caps.
Dinner however was interesting as it appeared that only the lunch menu was in pictures and apparently the simple little words CHICKEN, RICE, VEGTABLES aren't readily known by all Japanese waiters.
13th February
At last the snow was only a matter of hours away with an early bus ride to ferry us to Furano. But probably my best memory of the vending machines in Japan was our toilet stop on the way there. When we had all first stepped off the plane in Osaka carrying 10grand notes they were just pretty looking things. But getting off the bus to find a toilet and beside it, where one may have expected a café there was simply a line of three vending machines offering all assortments of HOT and cold milk drinks, energy drinks, the power of 77 lemons and god knows what else.
Enough said and by twelve we had all dumped our bags and hit the slopes. Foolishly on one of my first runs before I had really got my legs back I ducked rope only to find myself tumbling through more powder than I had ever seen and the big goofy grin of my face wasn't helping me stay upright let alone to dodge the trees. But I think I can categorically say that everyone had a totally "that's awesome and you know it, fuck the puppy, go race club" sort first day on the slopes of little town Furano
Dinner that night was just as satisfying at one of those traditional sort one restaurants where the tables are only just above ground height and you sit on cushions, but most of us found out the hard way (by falling in) that there is actually a hole under the tables to give some leg room. Now with mister Leeroy by our sides ordering was a breeze and we actually knew what we were ordering but I think he got sick of "Lee what's this mean", thanks Lee.
Then to make sure Funano knew we had arrived we hit up a bar called "Boco", enjoyed jager shots and dirty danced to Jack Johnston, yep we were definitely at the snow. And as if that wasn't enough for the night some fearless/drunk adventures enjoyed a late night onsen. Lee had made it very clear that the onsen was a very respectful place where guys and girls got nude and washed in separate bath houses, but apparently a little cross pollination isn't against the rules, apparently...
14th - 19th February
Well our first day in Furano was overcast and snowing and the next six weren't any better but that's exactly what we wanted so we had beautiful soft fresh snow everyday. We spent one day taking a trip to another mountain called Tomamu where we actually enjoyed a bit of sun and plenty of fresh lines in pow pow. I don't think that there is a better feeling than carving first tracks down a slope and then being able to ride the lift back up and find that your mate and you have carved a perfect figure 8 with your two criss-crossing tracks.
Being able to ride the mountain non-stop from 9 till 9 is rather cool but doing it for 7 days straight is definitely impossible. I think everyone achieved a 9 till 9 day during the trip and at the end of it you have to take 30 mins to sit down and relive everything you did and learnt during the day. But there are two downsides, one that your legs kill like hell the next day, understandably; and two that you get those damned Japanese pop songs which they pump out over and over again from the chair lifts stuck in your head and at the end of the day you can't help but belt out at the top of your lungs, "Samurai Soooooooo-ul, eh-eh-oooooo"
On top of the snow Furano was a really nice little place to be. The staff at North Country Inn where we were staying tried their hardest to speak English with us and were always keen to find out how the day was and when the boss has a nickname as cool as Gonzo it's no wonder we were always talking to him. At night there were plenty of nice restaurants to fill our stomachs which ached with hunger from a hard day on the slopes and a couple of nice bars to enjoy a drink at. Of course none spoke much English all of which added to the cultural experience.
To give us a break from the rigors of snowboarding we did a 2 hour snow mobile tour which answered the question that snowmobile are just as fun as they look, made all the more fun by the fact that our guide also only knew a little English and so the instructions consisted of: "left side, brake lever, slow, no fun ... right side, accelerator, fast, yay!". And when your instructor is wearing a pair of wrap-around sunnies on the outside of his beanie I don't care what country you're in, you know he's a little crazy and that you're in for a good time.
To soothe our sores we also spent an afternoon in a real onsen where the hot water actually comes from a natural source. They had like 7 pools ranging in temperature from comfortable to unbearable. One pool was even made of 300 year old wood and claimed to heal all health problems, and I was relaxed enough to be convinced. You definitely know you're alive though when you go from a 40(C sauna to a 15(C pool back to a 37(C onsen and as the numbness wears off your body stings all over.
After our last day on the snow, finding more fresh powder of course, we finished off the trip with an all you can eat and drink Mongolian bbq at North Country and feasted like kings as usual.
20th February
Up and out by 9am Furano farewelled us with a beautiful blue cloudless sky and we at least realised how pretty a location it is, especially with smoke lazily rising from the opening of their local volcano. Bye bye lil town Furano.
Anyway all that needs to be said about the return trip is that 27 exhausting hours later we arrived home.
Paul Beuchat, Melbourne University Snowboard Team