Did my Good Deed for the month today. Scooter'd up to the Hougyoku-kai office because Niina-gosoke asked me to sell the old office PC up there: no point in moving it to the Honbu Dojo. So I packed up the computer, monitor, and two printers, balanced and roped it all on the luggage rack I brought, and lugged it across to the other side of the station to the used place. Of course the weather happened to be unseasonably warm and I was working up quite a sweat pushing an unwieldy stack of parts up and down the street. Luckily, such a site in Akihabara is fairly typical, so no one gave me a second thought.
After dropping the stuff off I walked back to the office and got some lunch at the Indian curry place in the building. Stupendously average, but cheap and the nan was good.
Scootered back to the used store and discovered that, much to my surprise, the total came to over 12,000 yen! Seems if we still had the box and manuals it would have been double that, but oh well. One printer was only 50 yen though, and the other printer was zero yen (but at least they took it away; would have cost 1000yen just to throw it out.) So I pooled the points on my Sofmap card and got handed a coupon good for 2000 yen off of a wireless LAN purchase. Lucky! Just what I needed so I headed over to the Mac Sofmap and bought an Airmac card for Niina-gosoke's iBook and a Buffalo wireless LAN/router. Using the points and coupon the total came to only 7000 yen. I love Akihabara.
shinbashi
Shimizu-san came by about 4:30 and we looked at a few more apartments. Sendaizaka Oak Hills is right in Azabu Jyuban, but the apartments were just average, nothing exciting. The other apartment was also in Azabu Jyuban, right by the video game store at the bottom of Kurayamizaka, but it was kind of small and dark and only had a unit bath. Azabudai Tower is a nice expat place, with an awesome kitchen and huge living/dining room, but it is literally across the street from the Tokyo American Club, and it only has a western bath/shower. The owner said he was thinking about remodelling the bathroom to be Japanese-style; a place to change, a shower area, and a bathtub. But even if they did that, don't think I want to live there.
Hiroko and I will go see some more places next weekend, so I'm not worried. Still think Wakayama House was the best place, but Hiroko wasn't crazy about it. So we'll see.
After looking at apartments I finally made it to Gosoke's class for the first time in what seemed live forever. I brought custard cakes from Hokkaido and there were just enough for everyone. After practice Gosoke and I went to his favorite sushi place and we talked about the Honbu Dojo (gotta go paint it this weekend!) and who's gonna take over Mugairyu in the future...deep stuff, especially since I'm still just trying to figure out the basics.
Hiroko and I will go see some more places next weekend, so I'm not worried. Still think Wakayama House was the best place, but Hiroko wasn't crazy about it. So we'll see.
After looking at apartments I finally made it to Gosoke's class for the first time in what seemed live forever. I brought custard cakes from Hokkaido and there were just enough for everyone. After practice Gosoke and I went to his favorite sushi place and we talked about the Honbu Dojo (gotta go paint it this weekend!) and who's gonna take over Mugairyu in the future...deep stuff, especially since I'm still just trying to figure out the basics.
spring?
What's up with this damn weather? Yesterday it's 18 degrees C and sunny: total t-shirt spring weather. Wind is blowing the hay fever'd pollen hither and yon, the birds are a'chirpin', etc.
Today, it's gray and overcast, 11 degrees C, and the wind is icy.
Make up your mind!
Today, it's gray and overcast, 11 degrees C, and the wind is icy.
Make up your mind!
more powder!
Awoke early to see the snow still falling, and fresh powder all over the mountain.
Rallied the seriously hung-over troops, who gave it their best, considering the alcohol-induced damage from the night before.
Got on the mountain and did some powdery on-piste; not great visibility but the goggles were good and the snow was perfect. Didn't bother going seriously off-piste as I had enough powder between trails, in trees, and under lifts, and my legs were feeling the pain.
Gave myself four good runs, including one badly-calculated run through some nasty moguls, and called it a happy day.
A final onsen, packed my stuff, ate some banana bread, finally finished my book, and it was back on the bus to Chitose Airport. We managed to get bumped to an earlier flight so I was home by 10:30, sore and tired but loving it.
Rallied the seriously hung-over troops, who gave it their best, considering the alcohol-induced damage from the night before.
Got on the mountain and did some powdery on-piste; not great visibility but the goggles were good and the snow was perfect. Didn't bother going seriously off-piste as I had enough powder between trails, in trees, and under lifts, and my legs were feeling the pain.
Gave myself four good runs, including one badly-calculated run through some nasty moguls, and called it a happy day.
A final onsen, packed my stuff, ate some banana bread, finally finished my book, and it was back on the bus to Chitose Airport. We managed to get bumped to an earlier flight so I was home by 10:30, sore and tired but loving it.
niseko day 3
No fresh snow, so made a late start of it. Took it easy, did some on-piste, found some random powder between trails, got yelled at for ducking under the ropes and hitting the virgin snow between the trees under the quad.
Decided to try the Anupuri off-piste on my own. Stayed high and cut across the ridge of the near valley. Plunged through some tremendous untouched snow along the wind-blown ridge line and managed to start a small avalanche. Ended up farther right than I should have been so I had to hoof about 15 minutes of flat valley bottom before I got back on track. But then I ended up running through trees for a LONG time, finally ending up at the bottom of a quad I didn't recognize. Seems I had come all the way to the resort on the other side of the mountain. Had to buy a one-time lift pass to get to the top of the quad, then hoofed and skated until I got to the far edge of the far valley (from Anupuri.) I could see the valley I should have been in, and I could see the line that would take me back to the bottom of Anupuri, and I could see that no one had even been on this valley wall. I savoured the moment before plunging into 2 meter deep, untouched powder down the entire valley wall. I worked it as long as I could, then shot at speed into the valley bottom, hanging hard left, and finally ending up at the bottom of Anupuri. Mission accomplished.
Had an early lunch at Pow-Pow, some lounging by the fire, another pre-dinner onsen.
Then the snow flurries started. Nothing serious, and folks weren't too excited about tomorrow...but the weather report says snow...
Decided to try the Anupuri off-piste on my own. Stayed high and cut across the ridge of the near valley. Plunged through some tremendous untouched snow along the wind-blown ridge line and managed to start a small avalanche. Ended up farther right than I should have been so I had to hoof about 15 minutes of flat valley bottom before I got back on track. But then I ended up running through trees for a LONG time, finally ending up at the bottom of a quad I didn't recognize. Seems I had come all the way to the resort on the other side of the mountain. Had to buy a one-time lift pass to get to the top of the quad, then hoofed and skated until I got to the far edge of the far valley (from Anupuri.) I could see the valley I should have been in, and I could see the line that would take me back to the bottom of Anupuri, and I could see that no one had even been on this valley wall. I savoured the moment before plunging into 2 meter deep, untouched powder down the entire valley wall. I worked it as long as I could, then shot at speed into the valley bottom, hanging hard left, and finally ending up at the bottom of Anupuri. Mission accomplished.
Had an early lunch at Pow-Pow, some lounging by the fire, another pre-dinner onsen.
Then the snow flurries started. Nothing serious, and folks weren't too excited about tomorrow...but the weather report says snow...
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