Snowboarding in Japan: Florida-Girl Meets Snow

Snowboarding in Japan

Florida-Girl Meets Snow

By Lillian Seiler

Whenever I saw anything about snowboarding, I'd think to myself, “Wow, look at that sport I’m never going to do. ” Not only did the sport look super difficult to me, but I was terrified of the idea of my legs strapped to a board and plummeting down a slippery, snowy slope. Imagine how funny it would be to tell my past self, “Actually, you’ll be snowboarding in Japan in a few years. ” I swear, moving to Japan changes a person.

The state of Florida in the USA is the land of eternal summer. My chances of snowboarding back home are nonexistent. Lucky for me, it actually snows in Japan during the winter. Being a snow enthusiast, I seize every opportunity to bask in the white, fluffy glory of frozen sky water. The start of my newfound snowy hobby began when I saw a “beginner-friendly” snowboarding trip to Nagano being promoted on social media. I thought, “Well, what the heck. ”

“Wow, look at that sport I’m never going to do. ”

The adventure begins

I joined a tour solo, not expecting to know anyone. However, upon boarding the tour bus, I was met with a few familiar faces who live in my area. It was pretty cool having the chance to become better acquainted with them!(Pro tip: if you just moved to a new country and want to make friends fast, join available tours or go on trips solo. Stepping out of your comfort zone and into unfamiliar, adventurous social situations is sure to create long-lasting friendships.)

After a sleepless all-nighter bus ride, I was greeted with an overwhelming winter wonderland outside the window. Nagano is absolutely stunning, to say the least. My (very tired) new friends and I started suiting up to start the snowboarding day, but they noticed I wasn’t putting on any gear. The reason was simple: I was going to rent gear from a separate place, but for some reason couldn’t explain it at that moment.

Maybe the sleep deprived bus ride was getting to me. This next part is pretty funny: Instead, I made a sarcastic joke saying, “Oh, I’m not snowboarding actually. ” They actually thought I was being serious, so I ended up running with that joke. They were teasing me about how ridiculous it was for me to join a snowboarding trip and not snowboard. My trolling sense of humor loved the banter, and I even waved them off at the lift in my normal clothes and told them to enjoy themselves. I snuck off to a separate rental shop and geared up for the beginner lesson near the front of the slope. Later on, my friends came down the slope only to be greeted by me, geared up and on a snowboard! That moment of shock and confusion on their faces was absolutely priceless to me.

I think the rental shop was trying to give me a compliment by sizing me in small pants, but my backside was not having it with those tight pants. Baggier is so much better for this kind of sport, which is something I learned on my later trips. After a few hours of bumbling, failing horribly at the dismount from the lift and sliding down 85% of the slope on my bottom, I hung my boots up for the day. How did people think this was fun? How could people get so good at this? You can’t even move your feet! I was thinking that this would be my first and last time, until...

I ended up making a good friend during that trip who was particularly skilled in the sport. He invited me to an independent snowboarding trip a few weeks later with his friends. It was on that trip that I was shown the basic tools I needed to be decent, which ultimately flipped my outlook on the sport. Bless this guy's heart first of all, because, in the beginning I was hopeless. But he was patient and taught me helpful tips and tricks to stay on my feet and stabilize myself down the slope.

One hour later, I was able to independently glide down the slope! That is, the super easy level one. I felt like a little baby as my friends were shredding down the top of the mountain while I wiggled down the family slope. At least I wasn’t sliding down the mountain on my back this time. Progress is progress! With my new skills, I unlocked a new sense of determination that carried over into my future adventures.

"My first go at snowboarding in Japan was frustrating, painful, and went way over the acceptable limit of wedgies per day quota" .

I hopped on the next opportunity to go snowboarding as soon as I could the next year. This time was a trip to Gifu. Honestly, this was one of my best experiences. I joined the tour alone, mentally preparing to take on the mountain by myself. Some friendly Japanese girls noticed me, though, and invited me to join them as they descended the mountain. They had a lot more experience than I did, so I ended up learning from them too! I mastered being able to turn my board around from front to back, and how to stabilize myself while having my body face sideways. I made the most progress here, and since Gifu’s snow was so fluffy and nice, all my wipe-outs didn’t hurt one bit. It was the first time I was able to ride the lift all the way to the highest point of the mountain and be able to descend safely and gracefully. I was so proud of myself! My most recent trip was with my co-workers to northern Hyogo, and we had some newbies come along for the ride. Finally, I was a senpai! I was actually able to give some valuable advice and help a few people out. I also noticed how much more effortless it felt to move around on my snowboard. You don’t need to be an actual pro to feel like one, I think. I got so comfortable that I made up a move where I’m “dancing” down the slope like a ballerina. Lillian in Nagano could never! I was now able to see why people enjoyed this sport so much. It’s exhilarating to glide down a snowy mountain, relying mostly on your weight and balance. Being able to ride alongside experienced snowboarders down the top of the mountain while holding my own felt great.

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus outbreak, my snowboarding trips were canceled this year. But, my snowboarding in Japan adventures are not over yet. As soon as I can, I’ll be out on the slopes again, sharpening my skills, and meeting more wonderful people to crash into the snow with. Moving to Japan has opened me up to so many new hobbies and experiences that I never thought I would partake in.

"I guess, in a way, moving to a different country by yourself unlocks a lot of courage in your heart to try new things" .

鹿

Deer