drc13’s Japan 2012 (Hakuba/Tokyo) Trip Report + Videos!
Wow, sick TR, DRC!!!!! I’m definitely planing to go Japan next year!!
dude sucks about the low points but stoked you enjoyed the overall experience, i wish i had read it though coz now its just wanting me to go even more hahaha.
Now that I’ve knocked over this loooong TR I can get a start on the 8 page insurance claim
I love that you prioritised us over the insurance claim!
great report - thanks for taking the time to write it.
So glad you didn’t look into flights home! Also that you didn’t blame japan as a whole! And managed to come out of loving Japan!
Also a big hat’s off to you for going on your first OS trip on your own, and to a country that doesn’t speak english as well - i know i said before you will be fine (and you were!) but man I wouldn’t have had the guts! But didn’t want to discourage you because sometimes if you wait for mates to come with you, then you never do stuff!
My last trip to Japan and this one I am going with people who spend more time in Japan than I do in the Australian resorts. They don’t quite live there but may as well! And so I have managed to cruise through without having to do much!
That was awesome! Japan is defs going to be my next trip. 
awesome trip report mate!
if you wanted to freak out your room mates that were pumping, shoulda started undressing and in a soft voice repeated ” shhhh shhhh its ok, its ok just let it happen”
^^^ 
Hahahaha!
Hey drc13
Great trip report. Glad to hear that you really enjoyed Japan. The people are really polite and beautiful. You don’t realise how polite till you return home and go to your local supermarket and they throw your change at you and say, “Thanks Luv”. We have found on our travels of Japan that the local people are more than helpful and if you compliment the wait/bar/accomodation staff etc… on their English, they really take it as a compliment and will do everything to make your stay better.
.
Don’t be too bummed about the jacket, it is part of traveling and things do go wrong from time to time but you will look back at it in years to come and have a good laugh. Things also go incredibly good at times, like the time I had a very busty German backpacker strip off in front of me in a backpackers in NZ whilst I pretended to be asleep. NICE!!!
That is one awesome trip report !!!!!!
Mate, what an amazing trip, you got it all, highs, lows, culture, billed !!!! 
Rad times 
I have to agree, this is a great trip report! just goes to show that even the bad things on trips away turn into interesting memories and stories!
hopefully you can work out a way to get some of the vids!
Thanks so much for the positive feedback everyone. No matter how each day went when I was overseas I jotted down a few key points on what happened that day. I started typing this report a couple of days ago and before I knew it I was over 5500 words in. At that stage I thought to myself “nobody is going to read all of this” so I’m really happy to see people are enjoying it. I’m also glad a bunch of you are inspired to go to Japan, it really is a fantastic place I’d even say us Aussies have a lot to learn from them.
I love that you prioritised us over the insurance claim!
great report - thanks for taking the time to write it.
So glad you didn’t look into flights home! Also that you didn’t blame japan as a whole! And managed to come out of loving Japan!
Also a big hat’s off to you for going on your first OS trip on your own, and to a country that doesn’t speak english as well - i know i said before you will be fine (and you were!) but man I wouldn’t have had the guts! But didn’t want to discourage you because sometimes if you wait for mates to come with you, then you never do stuff!
Hah wow that insurance claim was a pain especially when I doubt I’ll end up getting anything out of it anyway.
Thanks heaps for the kind words. It’s funny that you admit to that as before I left just about everyone that asked me what I was doing over the holidays would give me an interesting reaction. They’d be all chirpy and encouraging and ask me who I was traveling with. When I told them it would just be me the mood would change to a puzzled concern.
I’m glad I did it though, there were definitely moments of loneliness but I was lucky to meet a great bunch of new friends whilst maintaining some freedom.
awesome trip report mate!
if you wanted to freak out your room mates that were pumping, shoulda started undressing and in a soft voice repeated ” shhhh shhhh its ok, its ok just let it happen”
Haha too funny, can’t say that was going through my mind at the time.
I have to agree, this is a great trip report! just goes to show that even the bad things on trips away turn into interesting memories and stories!
hopefully you can work out a way to get some of the vids!
Yeah that’s a great way to look at it.
Data recovery underway at the moment *fingers crossed*
if you wanted to freak out your room mates that were pumping, shoulda started undressing and in a soft voice repeated ” shhhh shhhh its ok, its ok just let it happen”
hahaha GOLD!
Great report mate well worth the read, I will get u to write mum up lol 
Great TR drc! I really enjoyed reading it.
Bummer about your jacket. You should hopefully have a successful claim and get some of your money back.
Shame you didn’t get to experience true Japow. Shows that even Japan which is so well known for amazing snow can be unreliable.
Still, sounds like a really good experience all up.
Great Report Dave!! Even after hearing some of the stories on the weekend it was still a great read!
Make sure u get some of those video’s up, especially the one of that weird inverted backflip thing u did! 
Wow that’s a massive report, but I read it all! Great work drc!
Glad you didn’t let the tough parts get you down overall. I totally agree about the Japanese people - so polite and helpful. When we were there my wife lost her Japanese rail pass (which would have been incredibly expensive and difficult to replace) TWICE, and both times it was immediately returned. It makes your stolen jacket seem all the more unlucky,.
I work with a guy who just got back from Hakuba but was unlucky enough to get pneumonia while he was there, limiting him to only a few days on the snow. He said they didn’t make it easy to share tickets or get around the different resorts in the Hakuba area. Would you agree with that?