yesterday was amazing. surely a day i will never forget. for me, it was either getting on a train to Wakkanai, or getting in the car and going deep into the powder mountain. i chose mountain. and when Ohmu-san gave me a beacon, i knew we were in for an adventure.

we drove to the end of the road, got our gear out, and started our 30 min hike.

Ohmu-san is the man. best guide in niseko. he’s been taking care of us morning till night. we were in the right places at the right times this whole trip. i really learned a lot from this guy. here he is setting up my gear.

Osamu-san was our guide also. we call him the tail man. always behind us making sure nobody gets left behind.

my room mate Kenjiro-san. been here for a week and told me this was the best day. great news.

Tokura-san’s been coming to hokkaido every year since we first came back in 1996. and now i know why. don’t be surprised if you see me back here every year from now. haha.

Motoko-san is from ibaraki. a super good snowboarder and very energetic. i don’t know too many girls that could have done what we did yesterday.

walking in the deep powder is tiring. good to strengthen your legs, and good to strengthen your mind. Ohmu-san kept telling me “kirby, almost there.” he said that 5 times and we were still far from there. i felt like we were walking for days.

Tokura-san is so energetic. just keeps on going and going. i was following behind him walking up thinking “omg, i want to quit. i want to go home.” but if i did, i wouldn’t here the end of that one. that’s actually what kept me going. haha.

Motoko-san and Kenjiro-san right behind me. sorry for the slow pace guys. i was doing my best.

our tail man Osamu-san’s snow boots broke in the beginning but kept on following us. i don’t know how he did it. look at this amazing view! this was 1 hour into our hike. i kept turning around thinking “i’m in heaven.”

we get to the top after 1.5 hours. who said 30min? now was the time we were all waiting for. surfers vs. mountains.

i look down into fresh powder and lots of trees. this is way out of my level. i really shouldn’t be here. that was going through my mind but then i turned it into positive thoughts. “there’s only one way down this mountain. i didn’t hike all the way up here to hold back. i’m going full speed. what ever happens, happens. this is my life. this is the way i want to live “into the wild.”

the ultimate best snowboarding experience in my life. surfing a huge mountain weaving through trees in the deep powder was awesome. i felt connected, i felt free, and i felt like i was in the perfect place in the world.
now i’m done. satisfied guarantee. i couldn’t ask for anything more. going back to the warm city of tokyo, then back to the warmer city of hawaii. 10 hour train ride followed by a 7 hour plane ride. time for me to reflect, time for me to remember, and time for me to smile.

With Taro Tamai, Gerry Lopez, and the Gentem Family!
Cold snow, warm hearts.

last night we went to the main town to check it out. i couldn’t believe how many foreigners are in niseko. more foreigners than japanese. i felt like i was in america or something.

we went to visit Kei-san’s new hawaiian pizza take out shop.

Big Wave Tomato in a popular pizza in hawaii, now it is a popular pizza in niseko. Kei-san brought it here and now you can enjoy the aloha here in hokkaido.

pretty cool stand and custom handmade pizza done in 8 minutes. check it out at: 倶知安町山田191-39
(191-39 Yamada Kucchan cho).

so stoked to see local surfers in Hokkaido bringing some aloha here. made me feel like i was back home. thank you Kei-san for the awesome pizza. after this, we bought some beer and headed to Osamu-san’s house for our pizza party!

OMG, the fried green tomatoes were awesome! so good!

and yes, the pizza was amazing. made with aloha.

catch a lift to the top of the mountain, snowboard in the stars, and land right in your hotel lobby. what an awesome place!

then for last night’s part 2, we all went to Dragon Restaurant and drank with a Sommelier. wine with good food all night. we finally put on the brakes at almost midnight as everybody was feeling pretty good. another story in a story so will load it up tomorrow.
today some deep back country crazy powder snowboarding. body tired and done. big party tonight again at Dragon. more food, more wine, and more laughs. back on the road tomorrow morning. have a wonderful night!