Weekend Review: Last Long Run and Boarding in Gifu

Talk about an active weekend! I was literally on the go
from the time I finished work
on Friday until I went back on Monday.
Here's what I was up to...


Our Last Long Run
Lena and I did our last long run on Friday. I looked into doing some different routes, but we decided to do the same one as last weekend, with a twist (not including the rice field we cut through.... fun little adventure!!). We wanted to run to Himeji, but realized it wouldn't be long enough (it's only 26k from Lena's house... surprise, surprise) and didn't want to mess with all the traffic lights (stop-and-go) that comes with running along a highway. When you start a run at 8pm on a Friday (and finish after 12), your choices are kind of limited anyways... you have to go where the lights go.... but I think we did pretty well.
We moved at a much faster pace this week and only stopped once for food, which sort of hit us at the end. It's essential to keep your body hydrated and fed, even if you don't feel like you need it. It'll hit you sooner or later, but at least we learned our lesson on the practice run and not in the big marathon! Having a running parter or music is also key. Lena and I have also started to stop at this charming little shrine in Kakogawa that gives me a little extra umph, but I was literally doing cheers (yes, like high school cheerleading cheers and singing) to keep us pumped up for the last little leg of the trip.
I know we can finish the marathon distance-wise, but am worried about time. It'll probably be OK, but I am going to hit the track to test out the pace one day this week.
Oh, and as far as running to Himeji goes, we're probably going to do the run there after the big marathon. We think it would be a fun girl's day to do a long run in the morning, buy clothes to change into at Uniqlo (Japanese Gap - cheap and cute!), then hit the hot springs (maybe have some friends meet us there) and grab lunch... um, and take the train back. Running is addictive in some ways and you want to keep your body in somewhat good condition if you are training it for a while, so it is good to have plans to keep going after we have reached our goal of finishing the race. At the same time, even I'm not crazy enough to run the 50k(+) to Himeji and back!
Saturday
Saturday was relaxing. I met the ladies in the morning, spent the afternoon at an international center in Takarazuka (near Osaka) for a Japanese speech competition event (saw the building for the Takarazuka Review across the river - a very famous Japanese act that does musicals with an all-female cast...) and went to Osaka in the evening.
Osaka
Dinner in Osaka was probably one of the best I have had in Japan. If you've never tried Kushi Katsu, you must do it soon... it's basically large-scale fondue (buffet style), where you have a hole in your table that is filled by a vat of boiling oil. It's like yakitori or okonomiyaki, but there's oil instead of a grill or hotplate.
You start at the buffet, picking-out the things you want to deep fry in the oil (veggies, bread, bread with cheese inside, meat, fish, etc), bread-and-battert 'em and dip them in at your own pace. They also have about 10 different sauces you can try with additional side dishes like salad and dessert.
It's not too expensive, and the amounts are perfect for everyone; not to mention it was delicious! I wish I had known about the place (or concept in general) when my guests (esp those that weren't fond of Japanese food) were here.
After dinner, the group I was with hopped a subway from Umeda to Shinsaibashi and stopped by Adrienne's bar. It's sort of fun to have a girlfriend who manages a bar. I walked in and she had a chocolate martini (my favorite drink, if not beer) ready in about two minutes! It was a fun time and some other friends showed up at the end, but I had to leave early to catch a bus in nearby Namba for an overnight ride to Gifu Prefecture for a small snowboarding trip I decided to take. I left pretty hastily and should probably not have had as much to drink before an overnight bus trip, but I made it to the meeting point on time... and was on my way!
Boarding in Gifu
Two weeks ago, I really wanted to go to Nagano for the long weekend, but it didn't work out. I spent a long time researching ski resorts and train schedules, but was astonished to discover how inexpensive it is to book ski weekends (especially one-day trips from Osaka to Gifu or Nagano) through a travel agent. The ride to Nagano, for example, takes about 8 hours, but they have so many deals to promote tourism there. I'm told you can get a round-trip bus ride, lift tickets and maybe a trip to the hot springs for less than $150 (not sure if rental is included, but you can also rent equipment and even ski wear when you get there!).
'The busride to Gifu this past weekend wasn't too bad. It took about 6 hours one way. We left Osaka around 11pm on Saturday, stopping twice at highway rest stops, and arrived at the ski resort (Takasu) just before 6am on Sunday morning.
The rental desk and slopes didn't open until about 6:30, so we waited on the bus for a while (in the heat) before going inside to stretch out and get our gear. The inside of the Japanese chalet looked a lot like what you will find in America, but there were a few things that realy surprised me with the Japanese ski resort.
First of all, the lift passes! Paper tickets hanging off your jacket from little metal hooks (which was sort of a status symbol when I was in Middle school...) has apparently now become old school. Instead, you pay a $10 deposit for a credit card-like lift pass. Most poeple will have an arm-holder or neckholder for their card and then you scan the card and push through the gates every time you go through. Making it electronic makes sense; easier to compute and you can probably track where people were last seen if anyone goes missing. I was impressed. The chairs were also about the same, but I was surprised to find bathrooms at the top of the slopes (Japanese convenience or my lack of large ski resort experience?), as well as a restaraunt at the top of the highest chair lift. All of the vending machines are nothing new for Japan, but being able to get cocao ('cause you gotta have cocao when you ski!)
Even though I haven't been boarding in about 10 years, I was surprised to discover I was able to catch on pretty easily (well, if you ignore that first little nose-dive, right under the chair lift, on my first run down). I cought use my back edge comfortably and stop without a problem, but I would get scared if I started to go too fast and found it really difficult to use my front edge (to stop facing the top of the hill or turn right, for example). For snowboarding, it's actually easier to practice on a littel steeper of a hill and the snow was in brilliant condition, so I spent most of the afternoon practicing anyways, and was doing 360 degree turns on the way down by the end. I'm still not totally ready for jumps and would prefer to stick to the medium-level hills (vs. black diamonds), but now I'm really eager to go again and would love to try to give the Nagano planning another shot! It might not happen this year, but I will definitely be back on the slope within the next year (says the girl who likes to ski)!
I was on the slopes from about 7:30am to 3pm, which is not a bad day, but had to get back to catch the bus at 3:15. As usual (for Japan, anyways), we pulled off in perfect timing and arrived back in Osaka around 9pm. The pain didn't hit until the next day (my arms were killing me the next morning, possibly from balancing?) so I just relaxed on the ride, watching the white landscapes at first, sleeping for most of it and reading here and there.
Excellent afternoon, slightly expensive weekend, but definiately the quench-your-thirst-for-snow, rewarding weekend that I have been looking for! Ahhh.