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!

This is crazy!

welcome to niseko, welcome to Gentem Stick land. Taro Tamai is not only a snowboard legend, Taro-san is also a snowboard shaper. he shapes the kind of snowboards that is very close to surfing in the mountains. i’m riding one and it feels so natural under my feet.

i have no idea how snowboards work. i just leave it up to the experts. this board supposedly suits me best, so this board is what i’ve been riding every day. i love it!

one day of full fun in the mountains cost 3900 yen or $34.

yesterday was THE DAY! everybody told me the conditions were a perfect 10 out of 10. the best day this year and i couldn’t have been happier hearing that. chest high powder everywhere. it was like surfing a big wave and it felt so good throwing big powder sprays! they say i’m lucky, and this time i think i really am. we were one of the first guys to snowboard down this mountain. grown men screaming down the hill in excitement!

Tokura-san rips. i can’t believe he is 66 years old! omg, he’s super healthy and super young hearted that sometimes i feel like we’re the same age. surf in the summer, snow in the winter. what an awesome lifestyle. and what a great inspiration.

we have 3 guides guiding us around. the best in niseko. the best courses we go, and the best snow we get. i’m a firm believer that if you have a great guide, you will have a great experience.

my roommate Kenjiro-san carving up the powder.

it was only my 3rd run and Osamu-san asked me “Kirby, are you ready for the trees?” i said “yeah, let’s go!” it felt so good weaving in and out of the trees. pure nature and pure adrenaline.

this was our last drop. my legs were tired, my body aching, but there was no other way down the mountain. off the course and off the rocker. vertical drop into the biggest snow valley.

Tokura-san always takes the best track so i just follow him.

going full speed down the mountain holding the camera in my hand. then taking a big wipe out. head over heals three times as i finally stop. it’s like wiping out at waimea bay. a feeling i love so much.
big party tonight and i’m back on the road tomorrow. destination unknown. have a wonderful day.