And We’re Off!
The long awaited day finally arrived this morning and we all gathered at Sydney airport bright and early. Despite tired eyes, there was certainly the feeling of anticipation as we said our good-byes and headed through customs.
Our flight schedule with JAL ran pretty close to spot on time and by 9:30am we were in the air headed for Tokyo Narita. The flight time was just short of ten hours which seemed to go pretty quickly – I suspect as a result of the need for sleep, the entertainment system but most of all the excitement of where we were heading.
A quick transfer in Tokyo had us go through customs and take an opportunity to top up our stomachs with some genuine Japanese cuisine before boarding a domestic flight to Sapporo Chitose. Again the flight, only two hours this time, was handled relatively easily – no thanks to the in-flight music selections available!
Our landing in Sapporo left us in no doubt about what this trip was going to be like. As our plane taxied towards the terminal we were treated to light snow and a view of the airport covered in fresh powder. It really was a sight to see and if this was two hours away from the slopes … how good was the skiing and boarding going to be?!
Once in the terminal we located our tour guide and took the opportunity to grab a bite to eat. We still had a two hour bus trip to go so needed some lining in the stomach. The ‘fast food’ burger joint was anything but fast, however it served its purpose and filled us up.
Although the bus trip to Niseko was in the dark of night, we started to get a real taste of what was ahead during the coming week. We had a clear sky for much of the way and couldn’t help but notice the depth of snow – literally metres – that lined the streets.
And so we have arrived at our accommodation here at the base of the ski slopes. To be honest, it is hard to give much feedback as everyone was pretty keen to hit the sack and get a good nights sleep. It was a long day of traveling – 17 hours in total and a little more for some. There is no doubt however, that it was well worth it. Tomorrow we will see Niseko in all its glory as we get out on the slopes and the adventure really begins!
Photo 1: Henry Dowding (Year 10) with his fluffy duck,catching up on some sleep.
Photo 2: The view from the bus on our trip from Sapporo to Niseko.
Photo 3: What we saw this evening when we looked out our accommodation window.
