After a few days in the snowy mountains of Nagano, my Dad and I caught a series of buses and trains and made our way to Tokyo where we would enjoy a few nights in the big city. We stayed in Shinjuku which was an instant sensory overload. Neon signs, thousands of people, endless bars and restaurants. This is Tokyo! We enjoyed some really cool bars, insane food, immersive museums, and general sightseeing around the city for a few days. It was really cool seeing Tokyo in the rain. All the vibrant colors reflecting off the wet streets made for some fun photography.
Hokkaido
We soon left Tokyo and had a long travel day up to Hokkaido and eventually Niseko. The landscape was stunning with pillows of Japanese powder blanketing everything in sight. Thankfully our snowboard bag showed up just as we were arriving at our hotel in Hirafu.
It was great to be back in Niseko (this was my second time in as many years). Coincidentally, my Dad and I both had different friends there at the same time so it was great meeting up with them and sharing some powder runs and beers.
We rode for three days and the snow got better each day, culminating in an epic powder day on our last day. The mountain finally opened up some of the backcountry gates and we scored some epic runs of fluffy Japow with nobody around.
On our final night in Niseko we took a taxi to a hard-to-book soba noodle restaurant. The soba master there spared no detail in his mastery. He has traveled the world presenting his craft and it was an incredible culinary experience. We had several courses of sushi and other foods that led up to the final soba dish which was absolutely delicious!
The next morning, we made the trek back to the airport where my Dad and I would part ways. He took my snowboard gear back home and I simplified my gear to one backpack for the next part of the adventure!
Khristian Snyder - Travel Journal 
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