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I am reminded of an episode of Kath and Kim where they both spend the whole day purely at Melbourne Airport  just looking and shopping around. Yesterday, I did a similar thing. For a day off out of the village, B and I decided to go to the nearby Hilton Hotel for the day. We planned on using the gym and the onsen, which we did.
We took the Niseko Free Passport bus. It cost us 330yen from Hirafu to the Hilton Hotel door entrance because we didn’t have an All mountain lift pass to which holders are entitled to free transport.

The hotel lobby is very decadent and tastefully outfitted. The building itself is shaped as an elongated circle, so that one literally walks “around” the hotel.The glass entrance doors open up to the Flame bar and Lounge in the lobby. Free warm Yuzu tea is available to help yourself too. The lobby area was so nice that it warranted us seating ourselves there for over hour just soaking up the ambience and luxuriousness of all. There was even a lobby DJ providing ambient sounds.

We finally made it to the gym. The fitness room at the Niseko Hilton is open 24 hours and is available for non-guests for a fee. We had thought it was 2000yen but upon arrival it was 1000yen per person (non-guest of the hotel). Surprise number 1. 運動放題 (all-you-can exercise) for 1000yen! Awesome. Basically you are given a swipe card for the day which allows you access to the fitness centre and you are free to come and go as you please. We definitely got our money’s worth with a 3-hour workout session. It is by no means a big gym but it was decent-sized enough and was outfitted with the latest state-of-the-art Precor exercise equipment: 3 treadmills, 2 bikes, and 2 cross-trainers, a few weight machines, a couple of other exercise equipment, stretching mat, medicine balls, and 2 exercise balls. All the equipment comes with personal TV screens including English channels. Free headphones, sweat towels, and water dispenser are available too.

After the workout, we made our way back to the lobby to lounge around some more. It was then high time for our onsen (hot spring). To our pleasant surprise (Surprise number 2) the guy at the desk allowed us to use the onsen for free. We were ready and willing to pay, but he said we could just go in for free this time. Normally it is 1000yen (the most expensive onsen in the Niseko region). And we got complimentary towels!

The onsen at the Hilton is lush. The fact that we enjoyed it for free was a bonus. The washing facilities are top-notch. Continuous water taps (no pushing the button continually), excellent quality soap, shampoo AND conditioner. There is an inside bath, but the highlight is the rotemburo (the outdoor bath) which supposedly has great views of Mount Yotei (on a clear day). A shame we went at night.The bath is also connected to a large outdoor pond which is home to some lively koi (carp fish). Would be lovely to come back here during daylight.

The day at the Hilton was capped off with dinner at the Ezo Pub on the second floor of the Hotel which overlooks the gondola and ski slope. Considering we had only spent 1000yen for unlimited gym use and onsen, we had extra money to spend on food which is always a welcome treat.

For dinner, B ordered the chicken burger with avocado, cheese and lettuce. I think I have already eaten the best two burgers around so it was time to try something new.  I indulged in a seafood pizza (prawns, scallop, salmon) and a shared entree of Thai fish cakes. I thought the pizza was very good and very comparable with Niseko pizza. The pizza was very filling perhaps more so than Niseko Pizza, and Niseko Pizza is a couple of hundred yen more expensive too.
The Thai fish cakes I would not even feed to a dog. They were on the small side and tasted like rubber. They were pretty much unpalatable. I also believe that Thai fish cakes should be served with sweet chili sauce to which these fish cakes were not.
Dinner was topped off with a glass of wine which coincided with happy hour so was only 300yen for a glass (surprise number 3). 2640yen well spent for a full meal and wine that totally filled me up.

The Hilton Niseko concept is well-conceived and definitely a winner. It is a ski-in, ski-out hotel with everything you could possible need without ever leaving the complex - onsen, gym, stores, ski school, and dining establishments. Once we walked through the entrance doors there was no need to ever leave.

A day at a hotel is probably no one’s idea of fun, but a day at the Niseko Hilton was kinda like a Disneyland for adults. Turned out to be a bargain day too. We then caught the free Hilton shuttle bus back to Hirafu, and this time it was actually free. Was actually quite a cool way to spend the day outside of Hirafu for those wanting a break from the slopes.

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On my way over here to Japan the last time, I managed to complete a whole book on the flight. It was “90 day Geisha” by Chelsea Haywood, and it recounts her time spent working as hostess in a Tokyo nightclub. It’s a really interesting read. Her and her husband both arrive in Japan on a tourist visa and get caught up in the kaleidoscope that is Tokyo. This project is well-written and provides an insightful look into the world of hostessing in Tokyo in 2004. Unfortunately, Haywood’s project and involvement with the “characters” in the book takes a toll on her marriage. Before the book was published in 2008, Haywood and her husband separate.

In the book she describes the ridiculously wealthy clients she encounters. It is from reading this book that I first heard about the Black American Express card - a credit card which is only offered to the most affluent people in the world. The book piqued my interest so of course I wikiped-ied it. One cannot apply for such a card, one must be invited. The annual card fee alone would amount to an ordinary person’s annual credit card limit.

During my time working here (not as a hostess, I might add) I have actually encountered one of these Black American Express cards. These cards are made of Titanium so they are heavier and thicker than regular credit cards. I would never have known about them had I not read about it from the book. There is a lot of money in this area. Development continues to grow here with more up-scale apartments continuing to be built. The architecture that dots the landscape here is not very harmonious with the environment. A lot of cement, concrete, black and grey. Such a shame really. I much prefer browns, greens, whites and wood. I love the log-cabin style places.

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Yesterday I got a free ride in a Japanese ambulance, but not before being escorted down the slopes in a canoe-like body bag, and then taken to the local hospital, courtesy of a snowboarding accident.

I am used to falling over, but yesterday  I couldn’t and didn’t get up. I laid in the snow until ski patrol came to get me. Full credit due to the Hirafu ski patrol crew who responded with speed and efficiency.
I was placed into a canoe-like sled, and zipped up in a body bag as the patrol crew skiied me down the mountain. Talk about skill. Meanwhile I was in excruciating pain. I’m not sure what was worse, the pain I was in or the hypothermia that had begun to set in. I was so cold that I was numb, yet in so much pain.

I was then taken to the local hospital for x-rays. Luckily no broken bones but I still can’t move my left arm. It is in a splint, bandage and sling. .The medical expense though is enough to cost you an arm and a leg. Thank god, there were no broken bones. I guess it was pretty reasonable (if you don’t do the currency conversion back to Aussie dollars). Regardless, I was happy to pay it. One’s health is priceless.

Back to the hospital in  a week’s time for a check up, so I will be off the slopes for a couple of weeks.

According to several housemates, the fact that I had to be carried down in the “blood bag” (as the body bag is affectionately called) is a fate worse than an injury. They would have rather walked down the mountain with a broken limb, than be carried down.

I am a OK, or at least I (hope I) will be. All will be good in time.
An excuse to stay indoors and read, eat, study and watch TV is not a bad thing.