Snowboarding/Skiing and Sightseeing around Hakuba, Japan

Christmas is over, the new year is about to begin, and the ground outside my bedroom window is covered with a thick and now unyielding blanket of snow. By the looks of it, I don't expect to see the grass or sunlight again for several weeks, if not months.

This is ok for one reason, and one reason only: that means it's snowboarding season. As I prepare to go on my long-awaited week-long trip to go try out the local mountains in my new temporary home for the year, I can't help but turn my thoughts to where I know the snow is deep and the atmosphere sweet right about now: Hakuba, Japan. 

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