Fresh snow in the morning

Snowboarding in Japan is about to get real. This link (may not be good for long) shows Kagura this morning. Kagura is on one side of a mountain and Naeba on the other.

If you have friends who wear lycra in neon colors, they probably love Naeba. If you have friends who worship corduroy, the probably love Naeba. If you have friends who believe McDonald's is the epitome of fine dining, they definitely prefer Naeba. The rest of us prefer the Kagura side. Fortunately, they are connected by the Dragondola - a gondola taking you from one side to the other. Naeba does have an excellent udon/soba restaurant and an onsen.

Kagura is a rare type of ski-jo (resort) in Japan. They let you go off piste. They may wag a finger at you, but that's about it. It has numerous runs that one ride can go deep into the trees and powder and the other rider stay on the groom, with both ending up in the same place. Not too bad. It's also close to Tokyo, so go on a weekday and/or go very early.

Snow is predicted for the next few days, so it should get better. I should be there Saturday shooting pics and slip-sliding away.