You're really missing out dude....

It's irritatingly boring to hear someone go on long and hard about how good a place is that you're not at.  It's like the guy who always says "you should've been there", or "as soon as you left, it got really good". We all hate that guy.  He's annoying.  Nobody wants their face rubbed in a good time they didn't have.  Well, I'm sorry to say - but I am that annoying wanker.  IT'S SO FRICKEN GOOD HERE!!!  What's even worse, is that it's unlikely that anybody reading this will come here, so they can't even suss out if I am exaggerating just to be even more of a prick.  Believe you me - to say it's a schlep would be somewhat of an understatement.  You have to work hard to get here.  And when you do, you may at first wonder why you bothered.  On first examination there doesn't seem to be a lot to offer.  That's what I like about it.  And that's what makes it so Japanese.  We are staying in a small town called Tazawako. Is it actually a town?  I can't tell as there's too much snow to see any buildings.  It might just consist of piles of snow and a couple of planks of wood.  This supposed town is centred around Lake Tazawa - which is the deepest lake in Japan - too deep to freeze.  It's considered something of a natural wonder - and it sure is pretty - see.....That golden statue represents a girl who got obsessed with being beautiful and got turned into a dragon.  Tough luck for some.

We are here for the snow.  And it doesn't disappoint.  It snowed over a crazy metre the night we arrived.  This was on top of a week of snow anyhow.  It's a small mountain - but with lots of options, hardly any punters, and the runs are basically just long steep fields of powder.  It's been 2 days now since the last snow, and at 3.30 this afternoon we were still making fresh tracks..... on the runs.  You didn't even have to go 'slack country',  let alone "back country.  You could just go 'slack' - my favourite kind.   I don't know if many foreigners ever ski here.  I'm pretty sure it's right off the ski map as far as visitors are concerned.  Thank god.  I'm so sick of Aussies in the snow (yes yes, I still realise I am one as well).

We really wanted to come here after last year.  This is the mountain we were at, when the one-two earthquake tsunami  punch flattened eastern Honshu.  We rode the very ski lift we got stuck on, and met all the people that had helped us.  They remembered us from last year.  Even though we were only there for a day.  Strangely enough - Cordi features in the Tazawako pamphlet - and on their website (That will be a $1000 bucks thanks - those little suckers are working for our retirement fund).  She must have made an impression.  We couldn't stay at the same hotel as last time though, as it has closed.  Maybe the downturn in tourism finished it. It would have felt so strange to go back there, as our previous experience was spent half freezing, wrapped in blankets, freaking out, and eating lobster.  So surreal.  Perhaps the most bizarre moment was when they served us dinner in a room that was previously a 'shrine'.   The Korean drama Iris which was filmed all around Tazawako, shot a scene in there.  It was forbidden from entry, until the power was lost and it was the only room with a fireplace.  So there were we, eating lobster in the "Dramatic Love Scene Room" while the twins bounced on the bed where the main characters fulfilled their once suppressed passions.

Our current hotel is priceless.  I mentioned the food, but let me now mention another unique experience.  As we were about to board the escalator back to our room this afternoon,  we were summoned hither by yet another old lady- only not in kimono this time.  We entered a strange, yet cosy little room, where she was preparing all kinds of coal baked goods.  We sat on a real bear skin - it still had the nose attached (this was very disturbing - even the poor little nostrils were still intact), drank unfiltered sake (not the kids .... they only drink the filtered kind), and ate rice on sticks.  All very wonderfully quaint - if you go for dead bears, more rice and shots of metho.  After this I took the girls to a milky-coloured outside onsen in the snow,  and scalded them.  OK, not quite - but they were a little pink and trying to climb onto my head screaming "Mummy, Mummy noooooo".  They then got dressed in their yukatas and generally went around being cute.  As I mentioned they are about 78 years younger than every single other guest - so there's a bit of attention going on here.

Naturally we had our usual 15 course dinner and once again stumbled back up to bed.  See - delightful isn't it?  You may wonder what the hell we are doing here, as did a polite, yet straight to the point skier this afternoon.  Well, before we discovered the joys of ski school we had to seek out places that had childcare for children under two.  It's not easy.  But as there is an childcare room here (and it costs about $10 each child per day - about $100 cheaper than anywhere else), and an incredible mountain; all teamed with an authentic experience of true Japanese hospitality and culture....well how can you say no?  If you read yesterday's entry, you would remember with great difficulty.