Last day in Japan
I’m kind of sad to be leaving! When I left Salt Lake City 18 days ago, I didn’t really know anyone on the trip or what to expect from it. Now we’ve become a little family here at our apartment in Kutchan.
From left to right, starting with the sake bottle:
Charlie Cannon, Nick Waggoner, Forrest Coots, Anthony Bonello, Stephen Brawn, Me, Ben Sturgulewski, Matt Phillippi, and Ian Hock (not pictured Yuki, our translator and team manager, and Mike Brown, the photographer).
I’m surprised at how well we’ve got along given the close living conditions and the amount of time we spend together each day. My Kutchan roommates have become like brothers (in a really large family)–always teasing and picking on me, but still watching out for me, and me for them.
Nick Waggoner cooking up a big curry dinner for Forrest and my last night here.
Japan has been a giant daydream of powder pillows and magical light. The Hokkaido way of life is ocean and mountain driven, laid back and intense at the same time. We get up at 4:45 to rally out the door and chase bluebird powder, yet relax with leisurely meals, sake, and onsen (Japanese hot springs).
I’ve tried my hardest to make sense of the rhythm of the clouds here, spending countless hours studying them, waiting for the light to come through. I’m still confused. They seem to spin around at random, and you never know when the 10 minute window of yellow, blue or pink light will pop, and then disappear.
The elusive Mount Youtei, an inactive volcano, popping out to say goodbye to me today.
Anyway, I have a long flight tomorrow. First, a 2.5 hour shuttle from Niseko to Sapporo, then a 2.5 hour flight to Osaka, then a 10 hour flight to SFO and finally, after customs and another layover, I’ll be home after one last 1.5 hour push. All toll, I’ll spend about 19 hours flying. The cool part is that I leave Japan at 3:40 in the afternoon and I get back the same day at 3:55. That’s right, I’m traveling through time.
Wish me luck! More photos from the trip soon!
Also, please keep reading about Sweetgrass’s filming in Hokkaido this season:
