Where There's Warmth in Hakuba

stewsak (69)in #travel • 5 years ago (edited)

There are always priceless memories to be made when you are in the small yet magical village of Hakuba. This lovely village of 9000 people is known to be one of the best ski and snowboard destinations in the Japanese Alps. Hakuba hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics and since then, visitors from all around the world come to enjoy snow sports, year after year.

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Routines of a Small Village

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Every winter season I get to wake up in my brother @gramurai's winter home. As my nephew prepares to walk to school with his classmates, I prepare to walk over to Delicia Supermarket for breakfast.

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Every morning I’ll buy some potato salad, cooked and seasoned okra, and steamed spinach. Some mornings I’ll also pick up some cod roe to eat with rice.

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Weekend afternoons will find ourselves with friends eating brunch at cute home-like restaurants such as the Bear Café. The menu is very limited but what day do you have will leave your taste buds satisfied.

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One of my favorite brunch dishes is their avocado and hummus sandwich. I usually don’t drink beer for brunch or lunch, but if it’s a weekend in Hakuba, I won’t hesitate to drink at least 8 pints.

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There is always a nature-influenced type of joy on the days we snowboard.

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I just love breathing in the cold crisp air of the Japanese Alps. Most days we are at the Iimori ski resort, charging down the beginner to intermediate mountains. At least I am until I can get my skills to Olympic level.

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While we rest during snowboarding runs, we always find time to barbecue and drink the local craft beers. We always meet great people from all around the world and usually end up inviting them all out to dinner with us.

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The Warmth of the Evening

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When the cold evening rolls around, there’s always a trendy place to find food. On some evenings we’ll begin at the Recovery Bar and laugh about the falls we had over a few Ninja lagers.

I may have a Remy Martin or two (or five) if it’s a very cold night. By night I'm always feeling great and mentally hyped up for the next day's snowboarding plans. This has definitely become a tradition and I plan on spending every winter season in Hakuba, whether the visit is short or long.

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Authored & Photographed by:

@stewsak

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#japan #photography #art #nature

5 years ago in #travel by stewsak (69)

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leaky20 (65) 5 years ago

Sounds like a nice experience on the ski slopes with good food, friends and even friendly strangers. Nice photography as usual as well. I like the one of the homes at night with the clouds in the dark sky, and the bbq and the beer. Very good shots :)

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stewsak (69) 5 years ago

Thanks a million. Glad you enjoyed the post. It's always awesome BBQing in the snow. Appreciate you coming by and have an amazing week.

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velandia07 (32) 5 years ago

Hello @stewsak that beautiful town, I love to read post like yours, I'm from Venezuela and my country goes through a sad time, but of so many evils there is something that can not be removed from Venezuela and its beautiful landscapes, I invite you to know more about my country and those who want to know it.

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stewsak (69) 5 years ago

One of my dreams is to visit Venezuela and explore your endless, beautiful landscape. I'm a nature person so I could probably stay there for months. I hope everything gets better for the people but you're descendants of warriors. And strong people don't need strong leaders and I know you all will take back what has been taken from you by these political machines. Thanks a million for coming by and have an outstanding week!

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chucheepop (32) 5 years ago

that's awesome!

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stewsak (69) 5 years ago

Thanks a million!

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distropic (29) 5 years ago

Well i'm new here at steemit, i want to work with photography related posts, and of course getting involved with people around the world with same passion as me; photography and visual starts. Sorry the large introduction, but i must say that your post was amazingly beautiful and interesting, such a great way getting started here!

I just find amazing this place, this snowboarding paradise in Japan, which i have no idea; it's like the usual canadian, american snowy, turistic landscape blended with japanese culture and way of living.

Seems pretty quiet, peaceful in there, and also i'm pretty interested in which camera did you use for this photos! Lovely colors, lights, perfect for the japanese mood i think!

Thanks for the great content, ill start following, and waiting for more great content ;)

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stewsak (69) 5 years ago

A super warm welcome to Steemit. I hope you have a prosperous journey like I have. The Steemit community is great (with a few assholes, LOL). If you have any questions about anything, please don't hesitate to ask. Super happy you enjoyed the post. Hakuba a small village of 9000 but over 2 million people visit every year so there's never a dull moment in the winter season. I love spending winters there because the locals are also so welcoming.

For my photos, I use only my secondary phone or GoPro for Steemit because of mobility. I do a lot of travel posts while on personal trips so I love not having to prep. Thanks for coming by and have an amazing week!

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distropic (29) 5 years ago

Thanks for the great welcome. Well the whole idea of Steemit seems awesome to me, i'm preparing great stuff so people like you can travel to my country through photos! Thanks for offering your assistance that surely would help a lot if necessary.

The place itself, seemed to me very beautiful, unique, a japanese version of something i used to imagine only in places like Canada, United States...Would love to go there, i had any idea this place even exists! Thanks to your post for that. Have a great week too!

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