Coming up
A list of some things that are in the works or already planned out.
Dec 18th - First Backcountry Trip in Japan
Going backcountry skiing with some of the blokes from B'nuts. Ohhhhhh boy!Dec 28th-30th - Zao
Skiing at the nearest resort to Sendai with a good 7 other people. I'll get in two solid days of snowboarding, then wake up and catch the 6AM train on the 30th to Tokyo, where I'll change over to the Shinkansen (bullet train) and head to Kyoto.Dec 30th-?? - Kyoto
My summer host family has been gracious enough to allow me back into their house to experience the Japanese new year and all the festivities that implies. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see other friends while I'm down there.Feb & March - China, Skiing, Kyoto, Thailand
I have a two month break and am planning on spending it in style. If possible I'd like to sneak to mainland Asia during the start of February, potentially with one of Tohoku's Chinese students. I'd have to make sure I'm back in Japan in time to meet Ms. Jennifer Hess at the Tokyo airport towards the end of Feb. We're planning on playing around there and then moving north to Sapporo, meeting a good Japanese buddy of mine, renting a car, and partying hard at the ski resorts of Niseko!Post party-harding, we're heading down to Kyoto where I'll meet my mom, dad, brother, and grandmother and go into tour-guide mode. I'll show everyone around Kyoto and the surrounding area (particularly Osaka and Nara) and make sure they all have a good time on what I believe is everyone's (except the world-travelled Granny) first overseas trip.
After everyone goes back stateside, I'm planning on hopping a plane to Thailand and spending the last week of my vacation climbing sea-shore cliffs and lounging on beaches. Currently searching for some Japanese comrades from B'nuts to join me on this ;) Mike and Disa have both expressed interest, we'll see how it goes.