Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Strawberry Fields


When laziness grabs hold, it's tough to get shit together and actually do things, like update you all on the goings-on at the Full Court Press. But with a little free time and a spurt of eagerness, anything's passable.
I was in Hokkaido snowboarding over the weekend. The weather was mainly on our side as there was plenty of snow, though it was a bit warm as the lower part of the mountain tended to be a bit icy. Lots of powder, cruising through the trees, flying down hill...oh yeah, it was all dope.
Speaking of which, I had some of the best food in Japan at the pension we stayed at. BBQ roast chicken, sizzling lamb, scallops and mushrooms, sashimi...it was crazy delicious. Anyone looking for a place to stay while up in Niseko, I recommend Hirafu In Futagoyama. Place was clean, the people were nice, and the dinners were great. Their breakfast was weak though.
I'm nowhere near that good of a snowboarder but I tackled some hairy runs, the best of which was a double-black diamond run called, 'Strawberry Fields,' a steep downhill run that winded through trees and had nice deep powder. Roger Moore has nothing on me.
All in all, an awesome weekend.

Later.

B

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Give It To Me Raw


The Ikeda Sake Festival this past Saturday was good times. Sake brewers from around Shikoku come out to Ikeda for this annual event to show off their best brews. Over 30 different bottles were up for tasting and, armed with our complimentary sake glass, we dove in. The festival kicked off at 10am and we got in at about 11. By 1:00, we were trashed. Though not really a fan of sake, it was quite good trying some higher quality stuff.


Later,

BJ

Monday, February 13, 2006

Arm and a Leg


Just booked my ticket back to Canada for my boy Rich's wedding in April. It's mad expensive, but that's the price you pay to be a travelin' man. That said, I will be in Vancouver from April 20-26th, partying it up with the boys and hopefully do some snowboarding, and then in Winnipeg from April 26-May 1st for the wedding. Then it"s back to Japan for the home stretch of my Tokushima Tour of Duty.
Next week is the Hokkaido snowboard trip. Stayed tuned for pics so long as I don't bust my camera falling on the mountain.

Later,

BJ

p.s.

Happy Valentines Day to all you lovers.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Signs

Last weekend was spent in Hiroshima where I enjoyed some minor shopping and some major night life. I've forgetten how much fun it is hanging out in a decent sized music store, as was the case when I was at the HMV trying to remember the names of the albums I saw for when I get back online to see if people were 'sharing' said albums. Speaking of which, check out the new iPod Top 5.
While in Hiroshima, the 11-member Tokushima on Tour gang dined at an amazing Argentinian restaurant, the Gaucho Grill, where the menu was heavy on the meat and red wine. Then, breaking out in meat sweats, we hit the nightlife like only Tokushima kids can. A fun time had by all, I'm sure.
With the temperature hovering around freezing the last few days, it's a sure sign that snowboard season is upon us here in Japan. In two weeks time, me and the boys will be off to Hokkaido to snowboard at Niseko Grand Hirafu. That's fancy Japanese for, "Bad-ass mountain." It's going to be sweet.

Stay tuned kids.

B

P.S.

Just realized that Feb.1 was the 1 Year Anniversary of the Full Court Press!!

Happy Birthday Full Court Press!!











"If you wanna go and take a ride wit me
We three-wheelin in the fo' with the gold D's
Oh why do I live this way? (Hey, must be the money!)"