@ornatewrasse and
@Tvan : When you visited Japan, did you remember the fancy Japanese toilet seats?
When I first visited Japan with my parents 20+ years ago, I remembered people in our tour group were so "fascinated"by the toilet seats, they spent hours in hotel rooms playing with them. I see these toilet seats in all restrooms, guess they are the "standard" now. Way back then, they were considered a "novelty'.
Thanks. Nah, I don't think I am adventurous, I am just curious and wanted to ski in Japan bad enough that I decided to go alone.
Your comment reminded me the questions this Immigration office asked when I returned to the U.S.: "Where did you go?" "What was the purpose of your visit?" "How long was your trip?" When I told her I came back from Japan, purpose of my visit was skiing and it was a solo trip. She did not really believe me.
So it was not entirely due to my poor sense of direction or map reading skills. There were times I was holding the trail map upside down, side ways, trying to orient myself the same direction as the map, still could not figure out where I should go....... At times I overthink too much: "If this trail is on the left side of the chair lift, do I go the opposite direction, to the right ? or I should go the same direction as the map?"......
For anyone who is interested in visiting / skiing in Japan, this aussie website:
www.ski.com.au, Japan forum has wealth of information about travel & ski in Japan. I visited their Japan forum frequently, posted few questions there also. Folks are knowledgeable and their answers are usually to the point. Honestly, my trip would not have been materialized without the helpful info. from that forum.