hokkaido vortex

tokyo ended up as a lovely new friend, and i will surely see her again. a big city in all ways that i can think of, and standing in the new york bar on the 54th floor of a hotel in shinjuku, looking at the most spectacular cosmipolitan view i`ve ever seen, was an almost spiritual way to spend my last night in town. who would have thought.

a hideously early flight out and an hour or so later i was in a dreamland. hokkaido.

being in a 747 landing on snow was certainly a new experience, and it didn`t stop there. there is so much snow its not funny. everyone has been telling me how much there is ad nausiem, and eventually i stopped listening but it still doesn`t prepare you for the reality. "come and ski the best snow in the world" says a flyer in the info office. they`re not kidding. i`ve seen it on tv, i`ve seen it in snowboarding videos, but hot damn, it is almost surreal to be doing it. waist deep in the dryest, softest lightest snow. orgasmic.

nishio san and his lovely people at the guest house have been keeping us like family, and niseko annipuri is a truly beautiful place. quiet and loaded to the attic with a foot of new snow every night.

the other night, as i sat in a hot spring with snow falling on my head, i realised i was smack bang in the middle of a perfect moment, with no sense of past or future. i know exactly how that monkey in baraka feels.