Hoping for a good ski season
I spent a couple of days in Appi ski resort this week, not for skiing but for a quick getaway with my wife. The hotels up there are much more reasonable out of season, so we were able to stay somewhere we really couldn’t afford in February.
It’s also the kind of hotel that you want to enjoy, so is ill-suited for a ski trip, where you would just want a bare bones room that allowed you to spend as much time on the slopes as possible.
For everything, a season.
This time round we just hung out in our (very nice) upgraded room, enjoyed the complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening drinks, read books, enjoyed the (empty) bath, and watched TV.
It was marvellous.
We’re hoping to go back in February, but will be staying somewhere a lot less luxurious. Just makes more sense.
RetireJapan on tour
I’ll be giving a presentation in Nara on December 1st. Details below.
I think I am on last, from 15:00-16:00. Maybe see you there?
YouTube
Thank you for your support of the RetireJapan YouTube channel.
Made a quick video when I was in Appi, and another one while waiting for my granddaughter to finish her riding lesson!
The Forum
Speaking of which, the Forum is doing well (38,589 posts so far). The forum rules are here. In essence, they are:
- Be nice
- Ask any question you like
- Only answer questions when you have relevant knowledge or experience
Here are the latest active threads:
This week’s books
Finished Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville. Really enjoyed it. It’s a long book! Amazing worldbuilding, strong characters, gripping plot. Really recommend it if you are looking for some meaty sci-fi/fantasy.
Going to get the next two in the series next.
This week’s links
- This story is so Japan: Police track down unlikely shoe thief from Japanese kindergarten
- Incredibly thought-provoking. I can’t imagine: ‘It has been a year since I felt joy’: Paul Sagar on coming to terms with the climbing accident that paralysed him
- Some interesting economic history: Contrarian Musings: Could LDP Defeat Improve Prospects for Reform?
- Wise words from the other Ben: Placing Guardrails on Your Portfolio
- Interesting interview (podcast): Jesper Koll: The Hale Report Ep. 63
- I love Derek’s latest update. Might have to copy it: Autumn Day
- Monevator on Bitcoin (and links). Makes sense: Weekend reading: Bitcoin’s $100,000 question
- It’s unfortunate that Japan keeps doing this: Japan’s selective history on display again with new UNESCO World Heritage site
What do you think? Anything interesting in there?
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“Many things can be true at once.”
Maybe a little Rashomon-ness in that? 😉
This is a country where a small error made by a company will often result in repeated, profuse apologies to the customer, but expressing any regret about conduct during the war is extremely difficult, and often dismissed as “masochistic”. This has produced consequences which are not necessarily to Japan’s advantage.