Hokkaido Trip Part III

Day 5/6 of my Hokkaido trip. I am so glad that I stuck it out over those rainy days, because the skiing, the views, and the overall experience has been incredible!

I have never had so much fun skiing before. I realized how terrible my gear is back home after using these excellent rentals, which were definitely worth the price. Their control and cutting power is amazing, and it's such a different feeling to have gear that matches my skiing ability. I could do harder runs all day without getting tired from overcompensating.

Not just because of the gear, but the layout of the mountain made it so much fun to explore! The first day I got familiar with the place, and today the top chairs opened up to some great fresh powder runs. I took my time cruising through some gulleys and eventually found an amazing little waterfall that had melted through the snow. Tired from two hard days of skiing, I sat down and spent the last hour of my time on the mountain listening to the water.

The last two days I've finished my evenings at a local onsen, relaxing, thinking, and journaling. Journaling I've found, is a great way for me to organize the cluttered thoughts that I have circling in my head, and once I write them down they stop being such a nuisance. It's a great way to process my thoughts and feelings when I don't have anyone else to talk to. I've spent a lot of time up here reflecting on myself; the type of person I want to be, the kinds of relationships I want to be building, and have done a lot of pondering about the way I approach life in general.

Life I've found has a natural way of connecting people. Last night I met a lovely young man named Jonas at the onsen, who I started talking to because he had a stunning tattoo. Turns out he is staying at the same hostel as me, and also flying out of Hokkaido around the same time, so him and I are planning to train back to Sapporo together and do some things in the city. He and I grabbed food after the onsen and shared our life stories; basically had a little heart to heart. It's incredible the kinds of friendships you can find during your travels.