First of all, thank you to everyone who takes the time to follow our blog.To all bored negative thinkers and critics:Of course, you don't have to read everything we write here ;) .... After my friends and I completed our training or studies over the course of the year, we now want to fulfill our dream of another overseas experience.Normally, pictures of palm trees and beaches would end up in this blog. A country in the Southern Hemisphere where it is spring in November seems like a dream.But that's not an ideal destination for us. We are winter sports enthusiasts. The more mountains, snow and ski lifts there are, and the lower the temperature drops below zero, the better. That's why our choice is obvious: JAPANSkiing in Japan??? ... This question has occupied all of us more often in recent weeks. Let me summarize the answer:Yes, there are mountains, almost throughout the entire country.Yes, there is snow, the highest snowfall in the world.Yes, there are ski resorts, even a lot of them, and there is also a growing ski tourism every year. Japan, that's what our whole life revolves around now. The plan to gain work experience abroad after the year abroad in Canada in 2012 is finally being put into action. Why Japan, though? The first reason is probably the opportunity to get a work and travel visa for up to 12 months, which allows us to take a job in Japan to finance the trip. The Far Eastern culture and way of life and work seem very foreign to most Germans. We would like to investigate that more closely. In addition, Japan offers great winter sports opportunities and an incredible amount of snow.So the plan is to head to the ski resort of Niseko after arriving in mid-November, in order to find a job there for the winter season until March. Arrival:After saying goodbye to our parents and friends, which certainly wasn't easy for us, and dealing with excess baggage problems, the journey could start at 1 PM on November 14th in Frankfurt. After about 11 hours, we landed (in winter clothes) in Hong Kong at 22°C and a humidity of 300%.After another four hours, we arrived in Sapporo, our destination airport. As expected, with the proximity to Japan, the general level of craziness and absurdity around us also increased.A few examples: -Warm tea from vending machines at the train station in Sapporo. -Not only are there special areas marked by lines on the ground at the train station. Everyone also sticks to them. (Except us) -They really do exist, people wearing oxygen masks. Even in Hokkaido, a rural area without urban smog! At 8 PM local time, the kind owner of our accommodation (Kazuki) picked us up from the train station with his van. With him, we went to the supermarket in Niseko to buy our first beer and celebrate our arrival. The next morning, after what felt like 11 hours of sleep, we walked to another part of town - Niseko Village.In the evening, as you might expect, we went to a Japanese onsen to relax and unwind. We are still on vacation for the next two weeks, as all of our jobs will only start in December - more on that later...
This is us - (from right) Kevin, Julian, Lukas and me (Michael). Definitely not the most beautiful picture. Taken in Hong Kong, after a 12-hour flight and completely exhausted...
The accommodation Kanon-Loghouse in Niseko-HirafuSince we arrived here, it has snowed about 20cm. According to Japanese standards, that's almost nothing. Our first day in Niseko-Hirafu First views from Niseko - Higashiyama on the mountain
