Day 1. First day of snowboarding.

Day 1.

Today started early just before 7AM thanks to the hyperactive British kids in the lodge. They have basically take over the place and cause all sorts of mischief, and they are nothing like the kids in Harry Potter at all.
My room also doesn't have a toilet or shower in it so we have to use the communal ones, which, like most swords, is a double-edged sword and probably a good thing.
Breakfast is noisy thanks to the poms, and there aren't enough seats.
Our first stop for the day: Gear.
We graciously get a lift in the mini van from Hayden at Hakuba House down to the rental shop and I get fitted out for a board, boots, jacket and pants. I'm using Dwayne's old gloves and Chris' old goggles.
After that we ride back up to the lodge and wait for the shuttle bus to Imori Goryou for our first ski. Being n00bs, Amelia, Jules and I meet up with Greg who will be our instructor. No other people turn up so we've basically got a private lesson. Score.
He's a fellow Aussie so no language barrier, and readily points out the cultural differences and what that equates to on the slopes in terms of manners.
We learn basic board control and how to get down the mountain safely. Safely does not equal easy. By the end of it, my quads are toasted. Time to break for lunch so we meet up with the others.

My first ramen in the snow. Almost as good as my first ramen in Japan 5 years ago. Unsurprisingly, coupled with a beer. The exchange rate is sitting at about 94 yen to the AU dollar, so much better than the 56 or so last trip.

We get out there again and practice what we've learned for another few hours. We're all starting to get a little sore so when the bus arrives we head back. The bar in our lodge was doing mulled wine so we all had a glass and some beer.
There's apparently an onsen in the hotel down the road from where we're staying so we head down there before dinner. As we enter the main bathing area we find the four Finnish guys staying at the lodge, in their board shorts, drinking beer, both of which aren't supposed to be brought into the water. Slightly awkward to say the least but once we're submerged it's your standard brofest.
With all the alcohol and lack of fluid intake during the day, I don't last long and have to get out or pass out. I'm not the only one and we head back to Hakuba House. It's not long before the others are back and we are thinking about dinner. Pete recommends Kikyou-ya, a traditional Japanese BBQ restaurant, so we get another lift in the minivan into Hakuba proper.

The restaurant is a 'sit on a cushion on a raised floor' affair which doesn't agree with most of our muscle aches but we push through and are rewarded with some of the best food we've ever had.
Tuna that melts on your tongue, perfectly grilled eel in sweet sauce, tempura vegetables with ginger dipping sauce and fish miso soup, all of which is excellent, not to mention some of the freshest sashimi I've ever had. I accompany my meal with a cold sake and most of the others have a (giant) beer.
Halfway through the meal we get a surprise when the Finns from our lodge arrive. Hmm..slightly awkward again.
A few hours later most of us are all lying on our backs unable to move. A truly great dining experience and all the staff were lovely. The chef Masuo Ohta even came out and once he heard we were Australian waved us goodbye with a hearty "Thanks mate!".

As we have another lesson the following day we all get to bed ready for another big day.

Coming soon, Day 2.
(p.s.: Apologies for the quality of the writing above. I'm actually writing this 2 days after the events took place and I'm really sore and tired from all the skiing and lack of sleep due to little kids.
It's also quite hard to get the wifi here to be steady and this netbook I'm writing on is so underpowered I can't even open up my photo editor.)
Here, have a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD7UkBuFKS8