Japanuary | Hokkaido by Van

Words by Gomez:

“For 30 days, known as ‘Japanuary’, I navigated the island of Hokkaido in my bad ass 10 person AWD Toyota Grand Cabin van, chasing legendary Japanese sake powder, feasting at izakayas and sushi dens, zenning out in onsens and operating the inaugral CASA Tours Sake Pow Tour.  This is not my first adventure being an adult with the linguistics of a toddler, I’ve spent years perfecting my blend of Spanglish.  Here is my Hokkaido Japanuary 2014 Trip report, photo tour, and Japanese language guide: Japanuary in Hokkaido“

Exploring Japan by van is ideal. The country is roughly the size of California but has over 500 ski hills. Traveling by van leaves you with the option; to head into the unknown of a new ski area or stay and ski more untracked powder tomorrow? Take advantage of the language guide, touring japan knowing only the phrase “sumimasen gaijin des” (excuse me i am a foreigner) is a very confusing way to explore japan.