First Ski Trip in Japan

Saturday we left Jacob with a sitter and headed out on our first ski trip here in Japan. For our first adventure on the mountains, we opted to take an organized trip through the Outdoor Recreation Department here in Misawa. They sponsor several skiing trips throughout the winter. The benefits of taking a trip like this are that they provide bus transportation, you can sleep on the way there and back, you don't have to pay the tolls to drive on the highways, you don't have to worry about getting lost, and you can take advantage of a group rate with the lift tickets. We and our friends (Kourt and Missy) and a bus full of Base Families left Misawa promptly at 7am and drove about 90 minutes south to Appi Kogen Ski Resort. Appi is a large resort, comparable to Colorado-sized resorts. They have a large (yellow) hotel, a ski lodge, several ski-in-ski-out villa's and an onsen.

The resort has 2 Gondolas and 10 lifts. One of the Gondola's travels over 2 miles in distance to the top of the mountain. The mountain has 20 main trails and runs, the longest being 5 kilometers long (Suzy loved this one! It had beautiful views.) The skiing is comparable to Vermont or Colorado groomed powder and for the most part, the trails were solid Intermediate runs. There were not many Black Diamonds death-defying enough for Jason, Kourt and Missy's taste. =) They felt they needed more of a challenge and attempted to ski thru the tree line for awhile. Thankfully, no one got hurt! Since Suzy took last season off pregnant with Jacob, she enjoyed the easier runs to start out with. We all had a blast and all came back with no broken bones. Jason and Suzy skied while Kourt and Missy snowboarded. We had delicious noodle bowls for lunch in the lodge (the best cold weather lunch!) Speaking of cold.....it wasn't that chilly. We had a beautiful sunny day with hardly any wind and 20-25 degree weather. After we skied and snowboarded, we took advantage of the onsen. For all those who enjoy cold weather sports.....finishing the day in an onsen is the way to go!

For those who don't know what an onsen is, here is our course, Onsen 101 -- ONSENS FOR DUMMIES.

A significant part of the Japanese culture is public bathing centers, called onsens. Theses bath houses are centered around major hot springs with mineral-enriched water from active volcanoes. Onsens are found all over the islands. There are AT LEAST a dozen major onsens just here in Misawa and hundreds throughout the mountains. Most Japanese homes have very small shower areas, as they do most of their bathing at these public hot springs. You have to pay to use them (usually about 300 yen, or $2.50 for local ones). Onsesns can be difficult for Americans to get accustomed to, as one is naked with many other bathers. Most onsens have 2 sides which are segregated between genders, although there are some onsens that are family style or meant for social gatherings. After you arrive at an onsen, you pay in the lobby and then go into your particular locker room (men or women). You then undress and go into the shower area. Don't forget your onsen kit! You bring anything you would have with you in your shower at home, like shampoo, shower gel, tooth brush, your razor, shaving cream, etc. You then grab a small plastic pedestal and find an empty shower area. Take a seat, wash down the mirror, and shower in the mineral water! After you are completely clean (and the Japanese take this part seriously.....you have to be COMPLETELY clean--one may bathe for up to 45 minutes), head on into the many mineral pools which are kept at different temperatures. Some are ice cold, some no warmer than a luke-warm bath, some the temperature of normal hot tubs, and some quite hot. They also have outdoor pools, saunas, electric pools (which sounds somewhat dangerous but nice once you get the hang of it), and steam rooms. They even have mineral water pouring from pipes to give you a massage!!! There are also warmed meditation areas. One can spend hours at an onsen. When we go, Jason and I usually spend an hour at a time. You can go by yourself or make it a social occasion. Yes, that's right.....grab your friends, co-workers, and neighbors, and go take a shower together!! We usually get to an onsen 2-3 times a week, sometimes by ourselves and sometimes with our pals. Many Japanese people visit onsens daily. Our mama-san, Tanaka (our wonderful 75 year-old house keeper who is almost as small as Jacob) goes to an onsen twice daily. This is one reason that Japanese people have such beautiful skin, even into their 70's. Eventually, Jacob will join us, however, he has not gone into the showers yet. He usually hangs out in the crib area just inside the locker rooms with glass windows looking into the shower areas. Suzy keeps an eye on him while she's in the bathing area; he is normally the main attraction in the locker room with all the Japanese ladies. We have definitely become addicted to our relaxing onsen trips (and soft skin), and will miss this cultural amenity once we leave Japan.

Back to our ski trip......It was a great day!! The next time we go to Appi Kogen, we may drive ourselves so we can stay longer. There are over 20 ski resorts within a 3 hour drive of us here in Misawa, so we are planning several trips this winter. We are going on a 2-day trip in just a couple of weeks when our friends Scott, Casey, and Chris come out to visit us! We are also trying to plan a 4-day trip up to the northern island, Hokkaido, later in March. Enjoy the scenic views and stay tuned for more beautiful pictures as the winter progresses. Sorry everyone, you will get no pictures of us in onsens. That is for the Japaneses' eyes only!!!

You can see the resort (yellow buildings) from the top of the mountain.