Nothin' Like Nagano

J and I went to Nagano for a nice weekend of skiing. It was great to get away and the hotel we stayed at had the nice hot spring baths of course! Can't relax after a week of school without some onsen to soak in! The first day was quite rainy down in the village where we were, but up at the top of the mountain, the powder was sweet until you got about half the way down. Justyna and I had a ball. The second day it was snowing when we woke up so we knew that up on the mountain the conditions must be even better. It was! We got up to the top early and enjoyed amazing powder snow all day. For non-skiers who want to know "what is so cool about powder snow?": honestly, it is just smoother and softer than sticky slush or icy packed snow. You'll have to trust me on this one. Although it took three hours to get (bullet train for 2 and rickety country train for 1) it was totally worth it!!!! Now we kind of have ski fever and we are thinking about another shorter (cheaper) trip in March.....