Snow and Noodles

by: Jesse Hall

By KAVU

March 17^th, 2020

Skiing in Japan is something I’ve always heard about, seen in movies and always wanted to do.

The same was true for my mom so, this winter we decided to lug the gear to the other side of the world and give it a try. Upon arrival in Sapporo, we found our steering wheel on the right side of the van and of course..... that you drive on the opposite side of the road which is always a fun adjustment;-)

So, we loaded up and made the short road trip to Niseko where we found our new home for the week.

Rumors that the ski (snow) season was off to a slow start didn’t seem true with a giant piles of powder everywhere! The resort is built on top of a dormant volcano covered in deciduous trees. It was a place that looked a little different than I’m used to in Utah and Colorado.

The first runs down the hill, it was dumping snow so we decided to explore as many different areas as we could. It was so good! Everything there was pretty mellow skiing which was perfect for the mom and wife to explore with no fear...... which was perfect for me;-)

We were pleasantly surprised at lunchtime when we found the best udon noodles right in the middle of the mountain!

As the week continued, the snow kept coming..... and the skiing just got better and better. We found favorite spots on the mountain for my mom..... as well as her favorite restaurants in town which, turned out to be the favorite part of the trip for us all!

The tiny restaurants...... some that would only see 10 people, max....... we’re super unique and delicious! Each night we would find a new restaurant for amazing food and entertainment.

One of the stranger parts of the trip was a single seat chair lift… Should be just as safe as any other chair but bouncing along by yourself didn't feel that safe;-)

We wandered around the island to a few cities on our rest days to see some culture and of course eat more delicious food. Everyone we met on the entire trip was extremely friendly, helpful and seemed to be having KAVU days of their own!