A big thank you to all of our guests who have reviewed Fresh Powder Apartments and their Furano holidays on Trip Advisor. We are proud to advise that Fresh Powder Furano has been selected as the #3 inbound small-scale accommodation nationally by Trip Advisor Japan!

There is no doubt in my mind that we could never have received this accolate without the hospitality and warm-hearted community spirit of Furano’s locals. Not a week goes by that we don’t hear stories from our guests of locals volunteering to help out tourists in need, or going out of their way to make the Japan experience extra special. We hope that many more international visitors will continue to experience the unique local culture of “The Belly Button of Hokkaido”.

Click the image above to view the feature (written in  Japanese). To see the small-scale accommodation reviews, click the second tab.

After great success last season we were glad to hear that the Kururu Bus (aka Loople Bus) is back in town for summer 2010. This convenient service offers an “all you can ride” ticket and loops between Furano’s most popular sightseeing spots. Best of all the bus makes stops just two doors down from Fresh Powder.

There does not seem to be much official English info out there, so at popular request here are the timetables. (source: Furano Tourism Association, http://www.furano-kankou.com/gogokururu2010.html )

Costs are reasonable as always, just 800 yen for a one day pass and 1000 yen for a 2 day pass. Seniors and small kids half price. The ticket also includes discounts at many attractions, shops and restaurants found near the bus stops.

So if you are ever at a loss for things to do, grab a ticket and see where it takes you.

Check your diary for these events and happenings.

6 March  SLOPE Style Contest at Hanazono

7 March  Namara Ippatsu Air Competition at Grand Hirafu

Fireworks weekends at Grand Hirafu on 6^th, 13^th, 20^th and 27^th of March

Niseko Annupuri Festival at Annupuri – 13^th, 14^th, 20 – 22^nd March

20 – 22^nd march – The North Face event at Niseko Village

First is the Naturwald Restaurant’s all-you-can-eat Steak Lunch Buffet, featuring steaks cooked up teppan-yaki style right before your eyes. The buffet is rounded out with soups, salads, pizza, fresh baked bread, and a selection of desserts. At 1300 yen per person it is hard to beat this value. This restaurant can be found just two doors down from Fresh Powder Furano, and the special lunch will be run on the weekends of 20th & 21st Feb, and 27th & 28th Feb. 11:30 to 14:00.

Also on the upcoming dinner menu is Sri Lanka Curry Night at the Furano Brewery Yama no DOXON on Saturday 27th February. Kicking off at 6:00 pm, the curry will be prepared and served by a visiting exchange chef from Sri Lanka. Live entertainment will include local bands such as Coffee Beans Band and DOXMASU (actually thought to be a stage name for Mr Miyata, the owner of DOXON.) Advance tickets 1500 yen, at the door 1800 yen include all you can eat curries. Yama no Doxon is also home to a variety of microbrews and just 4 blocks from Fresh Powder.

Speaking of which, did you know that the 22nd of each month is “Furano Curry Day”? Special menus and discounts await at the many mouthwatering curry shops throughout town. If you ever needed an excuse to stretch your legs and go exploring, here it is!

Tempura lovers are in for a treat in March. Every weekend and holiday lunch at Naturwald will feature an all-you-can-eat Tempura Buffet, with each piece cooked right before your eyes and served sizzling hot. You can have yours with a little green tea powder and salt, as “ten-don” on a rice bowl with sweet sauce, or alongside a bowl of udon noodles. Also 1300 yen for all you can eat, what a way to take a lunch break from the slopes! 11:30 to 14:00.

Happy skiing, boarding, and dining! - Blog Boy

The annual Yukitopia Festival is held at the Kutchan Chuo Park (just behind the Kutchan Public Hall).
Various events include the wedding at the snow chapel, Nabe cooking contest, treasure hunt in the snow, snowball fighting, flea market, food stand and best of all the snow slide with lots of fun and laughter for all ages. Here is the event schedule for Yukitopia 2010.

２月２０日（土） Saturday 20th Feb 2010
10:00 to 18:00　巨大雪ダルマ・子ども滑り台・小雪像 — Giant Snow Man / Kids Slide / Miniature Snow Sculptures
10:20 to 10:30　羊蹄太鼓演奏 — Yohtei Taiko Drumming Performance
10:30 to 11:00　開祭式、もちまき — Opening Ceremony, Rice Cake Giveaway
10:30 to 17:30　屋台村 — Festival Food and Game Stalls
10:30 to 17:00　フリーマーケット（文化福祉センター内） — Flea Market (At Kutchan Culture and Welfare Center)
11:30 onwards　鍋大賞コンクール — Nabe Hot Pot Competition - Lunch Event
11:00 to 11:15　ダンスパフォーマンス — Dance Performance
12:00 to 13:30　雪合戦（高校生以上） — Snowball Fighting Competition (High School and Adults)
13:00 to 14:00　雪中ボブスレーゲーム — Bobsleigh Games
13:00 to 17:00　雪中キャンプデモンストレーション — Snow Camping Demonstration
13:00 to 15:00　芸能鑑賞と文化の体験（文化福祉センター内） — Live Performance Cultural Experience (At Kutchan Culture and Welfare Center)
14:00 to 15:30　雪合戦（小・中学生） — Snowball Fighting Competition (Elementary and Junior High)
15:30 to 16:30　ストラックアウトin雪トピア — Struck Out in Yukitopia
16:00 onwards　鍋大賞コンクール — Nabe Hot Pot Competition - Dinner Event
16:30 to 18:00　シーニックナイトライブ＆キャンドル点灯 — Scenic Night Live & Candle Lights
16:30 to （予定） 雪上ウェディングin Yukitopia♪　 — Snow Wedding in Yukitopia

２月２１日（日） Sunday 21st Feb 2010
10:00 to 16:00　巨大雪ダルマ・子ども滑り台・小雪像 — Giant Snow Man / Kids Slide / Miniature Snow Sculptures
10:00 to 15:30　屋台村、フリーマーケット — Festival Stalls
10:00 to 11:30　どこまでとばせるでShow — Gumboot Kick Competition
10:00 to 14:00　ペイントボール大会 — Paintball Tournament
11:30 to 12:00　ウルトラマンゼロ　ショー　 — Ultraman Zero Stage Show
12:30 to 13:15　雪中宝さがし — Snow Treasure Hunt
13:15 to 14:30　激走！水面滑走トライアル — “Ski Across Water” Trials
14:30 to 15:00　ウルトラマンゼロ　ショー — Ultraman Zero Stage Show
15:15 to 16:00　抽選会 — Lucky Dip

http://snowymountains.org.au/flakefilmfestival.html

23rd Jan: Poetry & Calligraphy, Hyottoko Dance, Japanese Folk Tales

6th Feb: Shakuhachi (Flute) and Guitar, Shishimai (Lion Dance), Traditional Dance

13 Feb: Traditional Dance, Koto (Japanese Harp), Heso Odori (Belly Button Dance)

20 Feb: Traditional Dance, Poetry & Calligraphy, Yosakoi Dance

27 Feb: Traditional Music, Traditional Dance, Japanese Folk Tales

This year the cultural performances will be held inside the Kitanomine Gondola terminal, just across the street from Fresh Powder! Hope to see you there…

It was sad to see our early fall melt away under heavy rain last week. (The first fall almost always melts, but sad nonetheless!) Even worse news over at Kuro-dake, they were unable to open last weekend as they did not get that last push of snowfall.

Now for some good news, exactly 10 cm of it!

My highly scientific snow measuring apparatus

The next morning: we are reminded of Furano’s characteristic blue sky mornings. Pretty hard to resist hiking up. Kei from Furano Snow School is talking a walk to look at the accumulation by the top of the quad station.

The 10 cm is sticking to the hill, showing that earth temperatures have reached freezing.

The "Segway Ski" enables skiing on flat dry surfaces like concrete.

This fancy set of kicks features auto-balancing technology similar to the Segway. Hopefully they will have it perfected by May in time for the snow melt!

Check out Engaget’s article on the technology at work.