Trains, Onsens and Isetan

We have now escaped the clutches of Tokyo for the clean air of the Japanese Alps. I am in two minds as to whether or not I would return to Tokyo. It is huge,  though not as crowded as I thought it would be (except at Shibuya Crossing and Shinjuku station) and largely devoid of historic sights. Given the 1923 earthquake and the devastation borne by repeated bombing at the end of WW2, the latter is not surprising. It like so many large East Asian cities where shopping malls reign supreme. Isetan's food hall was a sight and smell sensation for rumbling stomachs but otherwise a creature which serves the excesses of our material world. The trains are great and run on time. The cheerful jingles played at stations to announce the arrival of even the most modest of stopping trains from the suburbs should be adopted on the tube. Maybe the on-going effects of jetlag played a part but I would not plan to rush back for now.

The Limited Express Azusha 3's Green Car whisked us to Hakuba from Shinjuku in  just under 4 hours. We were the only ones left in Car No. 8 for the last 1 hour and we were treated to a fantastical spectacle of conifers laden with snow after a sizeable snowstorm last night. As you climb up the valley floor we passed two pretty


In the kimono-type gowns in the hotel room pre-onsen.

lakes and caught glimpses of some of the 3000m mountains that form the backbone of the Alps in this part of Japan.

We arrived at lunchtime and have been able to ski for 2 hours this afternoon. The valley floor is at 760m but we climbed up on the gondola (telecabines in reality) a further 1000m where the snow was still falling steadily and the powder conditions very good indeed. We have 3 full snow days ahead of us.

Returning to our hotel, Tess and I were able to enjoy our first onsen experience here in Japan. Natural hot springs are everywhere (including at our hotel). Inhibitions have to be left back in your bedroom as in the onsens, segregated by sex, the two certainties are hot water and nakedness. The ritual started with a prolonged washing session with soap and shampoo while seated on a small stool. After many minutes of cleaning and then rinsing, you proceed to the onsen pools (here in our hotel there are two : a hotter one indoors and an out door one where snow surrounds the pool itself). I had only two other participants when I bathed and the whole experience was very relaxing indeed and great for aching thighs after skiing.

The Japanese people we come across continue to be extraordinarily polite. Our train conductor bowed to us both on entering our carriage and on exiting it....every time he passed through.