The Goods

Our friend Craig Panarisi, PSIA Demo Team member and Recreation Programs Manager - Tamarack Resort, overall great guy and stone-cold ripper took these shots. . .

You are here - This is Hokkaido. OMG.


This is Ross Matlock. Great guy, guide, ripper. Thanks Ross.


Scott McGee here - Jackson Hole's finest. Big smile.


Eben - gettin the goods.


JC - wanting and having.


Thanks Craig for making us all look good!

Last 24 in Tokyo

I love this city. I know that there is a lot going on under the surface, but this is the 1st time that I have been someplace and found myself so hopeful and intrigued about the human community.

Unlocked bicycles downtown.


The cherry trees are just starting to bloom around the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures building by Yoshio Taniguchi, part of the National Museum complex in Ueno ward. This building sits quietly juxtaposed to an edo temple gate out of view to the left and a 19th century monumental-style building to the right.

A couple sits in front of the Museum of Asian Culture at the National Museum complex.


These red gates of the Hie-Jinja shrine must have served as inspiration for Jean-Claude and Christo's saffron gates at Central Park. In typical Tokyo style, this shrine complex is on a rock outcropping in the middle of a bland business/embassy district.


Shinjuku at night. After some delightful wine and crisp sake, we were off to find a hidden little drinking area. Unfortunately, after serious reconnaissance, the cool little drinking area remained elusive and my man and I called it quits. The neon was starting to make me hallucinate.

Some sweeping generalizations from an alien tourist:

There are tens of millions of people living in Tokyo in close quarters while seeming to observe basic respect to each other, exacting de minimus violent crime, and going about the business of life with their families. People seemed to be participating in the acts of life with dignity and pride in their labors - remarkable. Returning to the U.S. in contrast, I wonder about the quality of life that could be obtained by prioritizing the community over the individual. What preponderance of community members have to participate in order to make a difference?

Squeaky Clean in Japan

A little about onsen. . .

The public bath is a great asset to any culture, providing time for members of each gender to gather together, get naked, get clean and quietly reflect (or gossip). Finland was my first taste of this excellent cultural habit, though Japan takes the concept to a whole new level.

Here's the drill. Take your sandals off at the entryway to the onsen area - bare feet only on the bamboo tatami mats. Strip down to your birthday suit and grab a modesty towel for the watered areas. Take a full scrub seated at one of the stools, careful to wash all the soap off. (Soap is a big no no in the communal soaking tubs.) Find a tub at the right temperature for you and slip in - try not to disturb the water too much.

I really liked all the outdoor tubs. It is very refreshing to sit alone outside in a hot soaking tub while the weather howls in from Siberia.


I reserved a private onsen one early morning so that Eben and I could have a "mixed bath." Located in a remote corner of the lodge, this was an awesome little retreat - tatami mats, a little Japanese style low table with seating cushions, a pair of Danish design western chairs and the outdoor tub on the deck. If there had been a WSJ and the NFL on the tele, I think Eben and I could have spent the whole day there. Apparently, bamboo does fine in sub-zero temperatures.


Below is the view of the skiing from the Ryounkaku spring onsen.


Although there is fabulous skiing in the backcountry around this onsen (check out the piles of snow out the window), everyone was soaking with a smile at this remote onsen-hostel.