Japan. Part Two

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/richtam2/Japan

Well unfortunatley as I alluded to in my last post, our time in Japan has been marked by sickness. Today, our last full day in Japan, and indeed of our entire trip, has been the first day since we got to Japan that at least one of us hasn't been in bed with a fever.
It started the first day we were in Tokyo when after a full day of looking around I started the trend (everyone is deservedly blaming me) and ended up in bed. Since then we alternated between good and bad days with only Rhiannon not succombing to whatever it was that we have picked up. We have stil managed to see and do quite a lot however but are now very much looking forward to starting the trip home tomorrow.
In Tokyo we were staying in a hostel in an historical part of the city called Asakusa. There was a large Buddhist temple nearby and a lot of markets and shops so it was quite a nice place to base ouselves. We negotiated the tokyo subways quite well for country bumpkins although in reality it was quite easy since the efficiency and ease of use of the system was everything we had beeen led to believe. We travelled over to the opposite side of the city to see a huge shinto shrine which was set in a large forested park and a world away from the hustle of the shopping areas. I couldn't be so lucky to get away from Tokyo without some level of shopping however and the girls managed to find some of the weird teenage fashion areas as well as some of the more mainstream shopping areas. In truth however I did not mind the shopping areas too much as the people and fashions are something else to watch.
Day two was spent travelling to Hakuba via Nagano and the Shinkasen (Bullet train). Our lodge (the Penke Panke) is great and only a two minute walk from some of the lifts of the Happo One ski area. Since we have been in Hakuba, judging by the build up on roofs, I reckon there has been about a metre and a half of snow. It has been absolutely amazing. The snow is light and dry and as a result the skiing conditions have just been incredible. The pistes are groomed to perection every night but if you want to venture off them the powder is waist deep. There has been plenty of sunshine mixed in with the snow too and as you can see by the new photos I have posted on the photo site the place is packed (not). On the weekend there were a few people around but generally you virtually have the runs to yourself. I have not had to wait once for a ski lift. Rhiannon got to ski everyday but Ally and I missed a couple. Tammy even had a go and decided that she really isn't a skier any more. Happo One is where the downhill events of the Nagano winter Olympics were held and while we were here there was a world cup race for disabled skiers. For me, the most amazing disabled skiers we saw were the blind ones who were led down the hill by a caller at incredible speeds. Amazing courage and trust.
On Tuesday one of the highlights of the entire trip was a visit to the snow monkeys at the monkey hot springs. The location was stunning, requiring a half hour hike through a beautifull snow laden forest before you got to the hot springs set in the side of a hill beside a bubbling river. The monkeys didn't dissapoint with about two hundred or so in or around the hot springs. They are very photogenic and seem almost to pose for photos.
Well we are about to head off into the snow for mexican dinner (we can't find any Japanese food that the girls will eat). Tomorrow we travel back to Tokyo and depart for Sydney in the evening. I guess this will be my last post for the trip so I hope you have enjoyed reading it and that it hasn't been too boring or too long winded.