Our week in Japan for MateRock went so fast, and was full-on times a bazillion. I didn’t get time to blog on the trip, because I was lazy and drunk a lot so I’m going to break it down over a few blogs, before I forget everything…
We dried off after our paddling gorilla workout
Headed back to our accommodation
Then played follow the leader
By now there were more than 40 of us gathered in Hakuba
Adrian’s family & friends
And all the other bands and crew
We walked through the forest, headed toward a restaurant where we’d be stopping for lunch
First though, we stopped at an old temple hidden in the trees
Adrian’s daughter Natasha, who is half Japanese, half Australian
Led us in a short prayer, asking for clear skies and a successful show the next day
It then proceeded to rain
I took that as a sign that the clouds were emptying out before the big gig
Then we walked through a little village
None of which was open
As it’s basically a ski resort and only open 3 months every year
On the other side of the village I saw gondolas
As in, big round balls, with people in them
Flying up the mountain
Sweet Jesus
Actually, halfway up the mountain
Then we got on ski lifts to take us the rest of the way up
I’m glad SOME people found it fun
Don’t get me wrong, the view was stunning
But I’ve got to tell you, I was terrified
Like, covering my eyes, chanting, “will not cry, will not vomit, will not cry vomit – terrified
And trying to remember if I’d remembered to get travel insurance for the trip
Nope
As always, feeding my face lunch made it better
Medicinal purposes only
Double helpings of desert is always an effective treatment for being a pussy anxiety
This is the ski jump from the 1998 Nagano Olympics
Yep, we were THAT high up
Now for the trip down
MUMMY!
Once we were back at the bottom and I stopped crying
I looked back up the mountain and couldn’t even SEE the tip
Where we’d been half an hour before
It was covered in clouds
I was happy that the peer group pressure of 40+ other people got me to do something that I would NEVER have normally put my hand up for sober
But wait, there’s more... but not right now because I have some SERIOUS packing to do
😀