Definitions. A striking exhibition of unlikeness or the difference in brightness between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable. Both are themes in Japan. Weather that teases with brief flashes of blue before the clouds settle in, leaving only the patterns of birch branches to distinguish snow from sky. The clouds that crack between city to mountain, with breathtaking views to snowcapped volcanoes, only to close again when they hear a ski boot click into a binding. Again, brown trees will gladly show the way through the white Hokkaido backcountry. ¶ Tokyo. The juxtaposition shifts: sublime architecture, historic buildings and temples lie a stone’s throw from mind-bending neon and aural chaos. Crowded streets where drab, well-attired businessmen stream around brightly clad, alarmingly accessorized teenage fashionistas. ¶ Sapporo. Sex clubs and gentleman’s bars on every corner; as easy to get a rub and tug as a bowl of Ramen noodles. Is that a toy store whose lower floor is packed with pornography that mostly defies classification? Who knows. It’s like black versus white here. Conservative on the outside, odd to the core, with only deep, deep snow to balance the two.
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Sammy Carlson, Sapporo Backroads
A near-deserted road to an old mining location led us to this valley on day three. Sammy’s energy and excitement for skiing was unstoppable. He must have hiked this one slope from the valley bottom 10 times.
Sammy Carlson, Niseko
We headed to Niseko in search of more snow. Two feet had fallen overnight so we parked our van a few hundred metres past Hanazono, one of Niseko’s four resorts, to escape the crowds. Easily the deepest snow I’ve come across left you up to your armpits if you took your skis off.
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Dane Tudor, Niseko
Clayton Kernaghan, our guide and owner of Black Diamond Lodge, led us to a cliff band in an un-skied zone at the bottom of a nearby valley. Getting down was easy and what we found at the bottom made it worth the 40-minute climb back up at the end of the day.
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Mike Henitiuk, Sapporo Backroads The deep snowpack can move easily on a bed of long grass and bamboo so Japanese roadsides are littered with protective barriers to halt the creeping snow. For skiers it’s a private roadside terrain park. We encountered several like-minded crews but there was more than enough to go around.
Dane Tudor, Niseko Backroads
Niseko’s secret valley offers up one last hit and another window of light. With very few natural features and low-angle slopes, if you like to get off your feet like Dane does, you have to make the most of every possible launching spot.
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