Naked-senseis in Niigata

The last two days I went skiing with one of my schools. They were checking the place out for when they will return later in the month for a first year trip. Unfortneately I won't get to go as I'm at my other school those days; but I did get invited along anyway.

It was way up near the North shore in Niigata prefecture, not far from where the Nagano winter olympics were held a few years back. As we passed through the Japanese Alps on our seven hour bus journey the snow appeared and it got progressively more and more heavy as the snow banks gained in height.
Eventually the coach had to stop to put the chains on the tyres, and shortly after we arrived in Myokou. The snow was now a good two floors high and considerably more than I have ever experienced before.

I had never been skiing before, and so my Principal took me under his wing and with no-English told me how to ski... I nodded and "hai, hai, hai"ed my way through his explanation and then watched him demonstrate... Oooooh! Wakarimashita!
So off we went through the blizzard like conditions. Gaining in the process a delightful white over-beard, which after being noticed by my teachers entitled me to the name Santa-san for the rest of the day.

Despite frequently feeling compelled to lay myself prone on the ground, I started to get the hang of it and faster and faster did I find myself resting on the ground; no effort required!
After the skiing, we collectively retired, got some grub and then the whiskey came out. Suntory times no less! This carried on for a little while until a collective shout came out to go for a nice bath. Course this was a Japanese public bath. So I whipped off my pants and waded into the water. Sitting inches away from my colleagues in a hot steamy bath while they try talking to me in Japanese in a mild-whiskey fuzz was entirely pleasant. Couldn't tell who was talking to me though as without glasses my vision (perhaps just as well) was restricted to the end of my nose.
I suppose it was an 'only in Japan' moment... I mean how often do you get hang around naked with your boss in England?


The second day was clear and sunny, and I found my body had remembered how to ski. Inuzuka-sensei (Japanese teacher but also a qualified ski-instructor) showed me how to zig-zag and after that you couldn't stop me! Awesome fun, I hope I get to go again...

This is Uno-sensei, the teacher I teach the ichi-nensei at Kami with. He's the guy who went out and bought a bass guitar so he could play the Beatles with me in class. Hopefully soon, we're going to hire a studio for a little while and play some songs. This was a quieter moment on the way home.