The NYTS: Hokkaido is on it’s last leg of the snow tour. Rusutsu Resort has been our home since February 20th and we’re living well here! The 7 day tour crew has arrived on the night of day 7. So their first day on the hills was on day 8 at Rusutsu Resort. Unfortunately, mother nature wasn’t too nice (to us) as the weather was at 40F degrees. We were hit with some an extreme spring wave causing the snow to be sticky and heavy! The skies were bright blue and the temps were warm which was nice but not the best for us snow fiends. Most cut the day early as riding in sticky snow was just not enjoyable. Some took to the hot springs for a relaxing time. Others decided to get massages to relax their muscles from many days of straight riding. Unsatisfied with the day conditions, others hit the slopes for the night session. As the temps dropped, the snow was much better to ride on. We were amazed with the amount of good riders riding solo to brush their skills.

PANEL THREE: THE DIGITAL COPYRIGHT DEBATE

Starting March 12, a collection of 19th-century Ukiyo-e master Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s works will be on display at the Japan Society Gallery.  Among other masters of this traditional Japanese printmaking style, Kuniyoshi is unique for his pieces dealing with nontraditional subjects outside of the typical landscapes and kabuki theater scenes.  Drawing on action-packed tales of the history, folklore and myths of Japan, his prints of samurai and strange beasts can be seen as a forerunner of contemporary visual storytelling in manga, anime and videogames.  The gallery will host the exhibition until June 13, so mark your calendars and make sure to check it out while it’s in town.

More pictures available at the Gallery website.

Digital Music Forum: East is a yearly gathering “that brings together the top technology and policy leaders for high-level discussions and debate.”   New York-Tokyo serves as one of the forum’s media partners.

Here’s what I took to be most interesting:

Russ Crupnick (VP & Senior Industry, The NPD Group)

• Regarding the younger set, Crupnick says “We need to Twitter them and Myspace them.”
• Crupnick likes graphs.

Ah, Hokkaido. We’re loving every moment of our time here for the NEW YORK – TOKYO SPORTS: HOKKAIDO snow tour! Days 6 and 7 were spent at Niseko Grand Hirafu which is around 40 minutes away. We took a shuttle from Rusutsu Resort to Niseko both days. We were more than impressed with the care and punctuality of the Rusutsu Resort staff members in helping us board the shuttle to get us to Niseko. The tour crew were pretty much blown away by the Niseko mountains. It’s interesting to see so many Australians in the Niseko area. Almost 50% of the people in the area must have been Aussies! The atmosphere is very different in Niseko as it’s a way more developed tourist destination. If you like the tourist heavy areas, then this is the place for you. Some of prefer the laid back feel and nature feel of Rusutsu Resort. The terrain in Niseko is wide open and you’re pretty much free to ride any where you wish except for the restricted areas. The park riders were happy to see that Niseko has some parks. Both male and female riders at Niseko have some great style going! After riding, we went to check out the town in Niseko. Lots of interesting things going on with restaurants, bars, souvenir shops and others. Of course we ended both days by hopping into the hot springs to heal our worked muscles. We took a stoll through Rusutsu Resort to see what other things the resort has to offer. Check out the photos to see what we saw!

We are back with a part 2 video for NEW YORK – TOKYO SPORTS: HOKKAIDO snow tour! Sunny conditions or cloudy conditions, anything mother nature decides to throw at us, works for us here. The snow is just that amazing! The great outerwear by A-Seven is protecting us from the terrains with style and Flux Bindings are helping us improve our skills! Stay tuned for more parts!