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Best of Naeba Kagura
My favourite shots from last week’s skip trip to the Japanese Alps. Was worthwhile being unreasonable and carrying my camera around the neck :)
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Kagura Ski Trails
Love the place : cannot easily be accessed, and that naturally significantly reduces traffic on the trails. Naeba can sometimes get a bit crowded, so Kagura is a nice place to get away and enjoy the relative tranquillity. Also, since it is higher, the snow is even perhaps even better !
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Snowboard Fashion
Colourful outfits on the slopes of Kagura and Naeba !
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Up the Hill
One of my favourite shots from last week vacation in Naeba. Yes, I was brave enough to go skiing with over a kilo of Canon equipment around the neck ;-)
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Naeba Ski Trails
Lot of snow, numerous ski trails and only two hours away from Tokyo !
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Yukiguni
On the west side of the Japanese Alps, it always snows a lot during winter. This area is poetically referred to as Yukiguni (雪国) or Snow Country. Those shots were taken in Echigo Yuzawa, a few hundred meters away from the railway stations where the Shinkansen brought us !
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Snow Temple
Was supposed to snow today but it did not so here is some snow from last year !
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Let It Snow
Snowing too much to stay at home (sic), so took the 70-200mm for a short stroll around Iidabashi and Tokyo Daijingu to enjoy the first snow of the year in Tokyo ! Glad to see that “weather-sealing” does cover snow :)
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Skiing Naoko
Naoko enjoying her second year in beautiful Niseko. They broadcast some music on the ski tracks, so that’s why she also dances :D
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Skiing in Hokkaido
As promised, some photos of one downhill run with my 5D in hand. Niseko really is an excellent place for skiing. In Annupuri, the tracks are wide, the snow is good and it’s a lot less crowded than on the other side of the mountain (Hirafu).
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Up the Ski Lift
Yes I was brave enough to carry my SLR along on a ski run with the family. No strap, no bag, just my camera and my skis :) Next post will be on the actual downhill skiing in Niseko Annupuri.
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Morning Snow
Some fresh powder awaiting us ! Only problem : very strong wind !
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Annupuri by Night
A bit too cold to enjoy a walk (-20C) so a few photos from our bedroom taken before and after dinner. It started snow ing a lot while we were enjoying local delicacies…
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Bus Ride to Niseko
Two hours drive from Sapporo’s Shin Shitose Airport to Niseko… A nice landscape and a lot of snow on the way !
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Back in Tokyo
Back in Tokyo after 4 wonderful days of skiing and snowboarding in Hokkaido. Probably going to take us a week to recover from awfully aching muscles ! So in the coming week, stay tuned for more pictures of Niseko and apologies in advance if you don’t like snow, food and skiing… :D
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Shrine in the Snow
Nice looking little shrine in Hakone, at the top of a mountain, in the snow !
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White Meadow
A lonely survivor in Hakone.
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Green Trees
Green Trees seen from the cable car while going up in Hakone.
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Snow Fun
Preparing something…
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Cleansing
Usual equipment at the entrance of a temple or a shrine but unusual water : warm with a smell of sulphur ! Shot at Owakudani near Hakone.
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Closed
100+ km drive and Owakudani was closed ! Oh well it was not the first time and probably not the last either. Plenty of nice photos already :-) And besides, they had freshly cooked eggs available so the trip wasn’t for nothing. More on that later…