Osaka Flu?

Woke up really sick and sore yesterday. Stayed in bed most of the day. Thought it was flu but the Japanese doctor informed me otherwise. Apparently my kidneys are infected, which explains the pain in my lower back that i had originally attributed to hardcore moguls. I've been instructed to take a few days off from the mountain and rest up. I've finished reading winnie the pooh, and conducted my psycho-analysis of the characters. A theory circulates that each of the characters has a mental illness but i concluded that perhaps only Eeyore could be diagnosed with depression, the rest seem perfectly normal to me. I've now moved on to reading the book thief a second time (i think i brought it because of the snow filled cover), which is richly descriptive and heartbreakingly gripping. Hakuba in some ways echoes cold stark winter of Molching, Germany, although i say that while sitting next to a heater in a lounge looking out into the cold.

It snowed briefly the other morning, just a few inches to freshen up the trails. Dad walked around and took some snaps of town. We're staying in a small suburb on the edge of Hakuba with a name that seems to translate into 'Echoland'. There's one main street, with a few cafe's, secret restaurants and hidden bars and corner stores. Shuttle buses take you to the bottom of each ski resort, down twisted narrow streets with walls of snow built up over the entire winter.

 

Here is our cosy accommodation. It's called the Glade Runner and is run by an old family friend, Andy, and his girlfriend, Bobby. Its small but relaxed, with just a few rooms and shared bathrooms. When we arrived there was only one other guest, although another ten have arrived at the start of the weekend and the place is now full.

  Around town, lodges and hostels hide beneath snow covered roofs, nestled amongst the trees of neighbouring forests. Its quite easy to get lost, as the dominant colour is white in all directions and landmarks and street features all appear fairly similar.

There's a charm and beauty about the town. Certainly a place I'd love to come back to in the future.