Niseko

The next morning we left for Niseko and I discovered about an hour into the trip, that I had left my camera behind. Mamiko and Yuko told me not to worry, that we could get it the next day when we returned the hire car. On the way though, we decided to extend the rental on the car for another two days to save hiring another car and moving all our luggage. I was concerned about whether we would get the camera back but the girls told me not to worry. It seems people in Japan assume that most Japanese people are honest, which is a wonderful thing.

When we arrived at Niseko, we went to the information centre and the girls found out there was  a discount pass to have three hot spring baths at different venues while you stay in the area.  Firstly, we went to the Hilton in Niseko, which was relatively basic, but had a nice outdoors bath (nice contrast to the cooler air outside) as well as some luxury bath products provided in the shower rooms. We spent quite a while there relaxing and getting clean after the past few days.

After that, we went for lunch at Terrazio’s restaurant and had some delicious seafood. Then we looked for accommodation without  luck and almost decided to camp in the car outside the 7/11 as they are 24 hours and have toilets inside. We had a bit of a laugh about this as it was raining and the whole situation seemed a but absurd, but the Yuko got a call from a friend, Mike, inviting us to a party.

As it turned out it was a wonderful experience. Mike, who we had met at the Ainu festival, is an interesting person, originally from the UK and now living in Japan for over 4 years. He knew lots of people and places. He arrived with his friends, so that we could follow them to the party which was a few kms out of Niseko, in a beautiful dome house set in bushland.

There were quite a few there already and as it was still raining we moved inside quickly to meet our host. This lovely man was passionate about Indian spiritual culture and inside two of the walls were devoted to Indian gurus and teachers. The photos and artifacts displayed were gently highlighted by candles and gentle drumming added atmosphere as the beautiful alternative Japanese people shared food and music.

Our host offered us green tea and we removed our shoes, parking them at the inside entrance with many other pairs of shoes. We made our way to a low table and settled in. During the evening there was drumming, flute, Indian chanting and an Indian inspired dinner served on a makeshift table.

An Indian man who had been at the festival ( many of these people we recognised from the festival) played a traditional stringed instrument and the most amazing Indian drum.

In the middle of the room was a sunken seated area surrounding a small wood stove used in the cold winters) and now decorated with candles. The atmosphere was gentle and quite unlike many parties in Australia, where the whole point seems to be to drink as much as you can as quickly as you can.  A few people drank saki or beer, but many drank green tea. Small groups formed to play drums, play flute or learn how to make throat tonal sounds (from Mike) or just talk and appreciate the experience. We had moved around a bean bag, which is where we eventually fell asleep.

The sense of harmony between the people there was beautiful and we felt comfortable and welcome enough to fall asleep. An was feeling cold and a little uncomfortable on the wooden floor, but our wonderful host covered everyone with blankets during the night, so we were able to sleep soundly.

There were still people talking and laughing as I went to sleep, when I awoke in the early morning there were bodies all over the floor, right up to the front door.  It was beautiful sight to see people sharing the space in sleep.

An and I went for an early morning walk and saw some beautiful homes, surrounded by bush and relatively free of bitumen, power poles and other such infrastructure. The homes were mainly designed for the cold ski season but a wonderful place to live for those who prefer a more natural environment.

When we got back we all decided we needed a hot bath and said our goodbyes to Mike and his friend (our host). We were so appreciative of his hospitality and the  evening was a memorable one for us all.

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