Furano 2011 locked and loaded!
Howdy snow fans,
Welcome back online for season 2010 / 2011!
It’s been quite a hectic year. We realeased the trailer for “Snowboard In Japan – Furano 2010” earlier this year, and have been working on the final cut. We don’t have a definitive release date, but expect it to hit the shelves of Amazon some time in December or January.
We have some excellent news – our Furano trip for 2011 is booked. This season, we’re staying with Kojima San and the Snowflake crew at Pension Snowflake. Kojima and some of his snowflakes featured in our Snowboard In Japan 2010 DVD, and we had so much fun, that we just had to book our 2011 accommodation with them.
The 2011 trip is set to take in 4 days and 3 nights in Tokyo. We’re taking up lodgings at the excellent Ninja Hostel in Asakusabashi in Tokyo. It’s our first stay here, but judging by the online reviews and photos – we’re in for a blast. 4 days isn’t a long time, but we’re hoping to cram in as much as possible including karaoke, shopping, visiting some temples, procuring some authentic Japanese aikido gi’s and of a course a few Japanese sakes and beers. Shinjuku and Shibuya are high on our list of stops along with Ueno and Tokyo.
Once we leave Tokyo, we’re headed to New Chitose airport on Hokkaido to jump on a bus straight to Furano. This season we’re planning to hit the slopes of Kamui and Tomamu every week. We’re also planning a trip to the fabulous Asahidake. In Furano village, we’ve been hankering for a Doria from R’s restaurant all year, and of course can’t wait to hang out with Ni, Tommo, Miki and the crewat Bar Ajito. In town, we’re looking forward to another visit to Kitsusuki and a fun-filled evening of live music and friendly locals.
There is so much to see and do in Furano, and frankly, the 2 weeks we spent there in early 2010 weren’t enough. Things we missed out on last year which are high on the agenda this year include a visit to the winery, the Furano cheese factory, a Friday night with our mate Ken McBride at Bridges in downtown Furano, ice fishing, snow shoeing, a visit to the ice festival in Sapporo and a couple more onsen tours.
Furano, truly is a magical place. The locals are so welcoming, and by the time you leave, it feels like you are leaving family behind. We captured a lot of the charm and wonder of Furano (as well as some great snowboarding action) in our DVD Snowboard In Japan – Furano 2010. This year, we’re taking a different approach. We’re not doing a full-blown DVD production, as we want to enjoy the powder and chillax a bit more. We do have some filming planned though, so keep your eyes peeled for the next installments on this blog.
Hope to see you out on the slopes!
Leroy and Iao.
