Geishas, Meat Pies, Reggae and Free Cars...

Posted on March 16, 2007 by Angie Davis

A few weeks back, my Japanese friend DJ Jyunji and I headed up to Hakuba, Nagano-ken, for a reggae party that I had organised at my friend’s bar Sauce. Since December, I have been frequently visitng Hakuba, where some of my friends are living and working for the winter, and I myself have a season ticket for Goryu and Hakuba 47 Winter Sports Park. However, 2 weeks earlier my K-car known as the ‘REX’, decided to break down forever under the Shuto Expressway in Kita-Ikebukero during the middle of the night….another story altogether. So, without my usual, highly un-reliable source of transport, my dear friend Pete agreed to drive all the way from GunmaOne of Japan's 47 prefectures. It forms the Northwest corner of the Kanto area. after school on a Friday to pick me up in Ichinomiya, ChibaOne of Japan's 47 prefectures. Located just East of Tokyo and home to such well known sites as Narita International Airport and Tokyo Disney Land. (the pacific coast of Japan, about one and half hours from Tokyo and four to five hours from Gunma), despite arriving about five hours late after taking several wrong turns. Together, we drove into the never sleeping, always neon, glowing city that we all know as Tokyo, to pick up Dj junji. Official Tokyo departure time, 2.30am, thus arriving in Hakuba after sunrise, to find that it had in fact been raining.

Never the less, the reggae party was a hit, the bar was packed and Junji spun a great selection of tracks to keep the party people dancing all night.And outside the snow was falling heavier than North Korean test missiles. Sunday was going to be a great day.

Sure enough, we awoke Sunday morning to about half a meter or more of fresh powder, and it was still snowing. I set off a little later than usual, thanks to lack of sleep, so missed the early, fresh lines but was able to still find some nice, soft powder and Junji and I had a great morning riding. With our legs beginning to tire, and our stomachs desiring something warm and filling, we headed to The Pod, a Mongolian Yurt Bar on the side of the slopes. Welcomed by the warm smiles of my friends, a couple of GeishaTraditional female entertainers. Trained in such arts as singing, dancing, and playing Japanese traditional musical instruments. and a camera crew, Junji and I casually ordered a couple of Villi’s Meat Pies with sauce and two Coopers Pale Ale’s, uniquely both the pies and the beers are locally made in my home town, Adelaide, South Australia. I guess I was too wrapped up in my pie to pay too much attention to the two beautifully dressed Geisha sitting across from us, who were also devouring a couple of pies. In the middle of my own pie, I was interviewed in Japanese for a TV special, and it wasn’t until after that I contemplated the scene. A Mongolian bar in the snow selling Aussie pies and beers, full of foreigners and only three Japanese people, one of whom was my DJ friend and the other two fully dressed Geisha eating meat pies. Oh yeah, and camera crew. Yep, another multicultural, absolutely un-expecting yet totally enjoyable weekend in Hakuba, and in Japan. To make this weekend even more memorable, I was lucky enough to get given a free car, from a friend of a friend, and drove home in style in a car better than any other one I’ve ever owned. Japan never ceases to amaze.