Monday ski report

20+ hours of bus travel and roughly 10 hours on a board in just over two days has left me exhausted, but I'd feel remiss if I didn't post this list of the three best things about my Nagano trip while the memories are still powder fresh. In some particular order...

3. Shiga Kogen Pale Ale

After spending the better part of two weeks in America lamenting the quality of Japanese beer compared to that of my home country, I've finally found just a short month later a Japanese craft beer worth celebrating. Almost aggressively hoppy but with a subtlety that most microbreweries on this side of the Pacific have yet to discover, this is a beer worth throwing chains on the tires for.

2. the post-snow onsen

The onsen in and of itself is probably worthy of a "Things I Love About Japan" post, but I'll sing its praises here anyway. If one can't appreciate the benefits of soaking in a public hot spring bath after a full day on a snowboard, they probably shouldn't have gotten on the bus in the first place. This is absolutely the reason I'm able to stand today; go for the muscle-healing powers, stay for the conversation.

1. the scenery

Staying in a resort nestled high in the Japanese Alps atop a twisting road may mean a more treacherous journey in arriving, but it also means that while lower-lying ski fields are being rained on, yours is enjoying fresh snow from top to bottom. From picture-perfect bluebird views to gangs of monkeys nestled in the trees, Shiga Kogen was as much fun to look out over as it was to ride.