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Buying a home in Japan sounds like a fantasy until you meet the people who actually make it happen.
YukiHomes Presents is a show about Japan... its houses, its regions, and what it really takes for a foreigner to own a piece of it. From the snow country of Hokkaido and Nagano to the cities, coasts, and small towns in between, it's a look at the country through the eyes of the people who help others put down a stake in it.
Every episode goes deep on one thing. Sometimes that's property: what an akiya is and why old Japanese houses sell for the price of a used car, how a foreigner actually buys and renovates a home, which regions are worth it and which are hype. Sometimes it's everything around the houses: the food, the seasons, the onsen towns and ski hills, the design and craft, the culture, and the parts of doing this that are harder than anyone admits.
Hosted by Nick and Derek, co-founders of YukiHomes, and Grant (YukiHomes PR & Media Lead). Along the way you'll meet the builders, guides, shop owners, and buyers who know this country better than any guidebook.
No top-10 travel lists. Just honest conversations about Japan, and what it takes to own a piece of it.
New episodes every other week.
www.yukihomes.com
www.nipponhomes.com
Episode 4
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[00:00:00] And if you're- Oh, 100% ... flying across the world, you wanna make sure you're- Yeah ... getting the best lines at a resort.
You could spend a whole day at a resort and ski the worst lines.
Hey, everybody. Welcome to Yuki Homes presents. I'm here with Nick and Derek, obviously, and Austin, who is in charge of the trip sector of Yuki Homes. Austin, introduce yourself. Tell us how you guys met and where you're at. Hey, what's up? I'm Austin. Uh, I've been, you know, coordinating trips all around the world for the past, you know, better part of d- two decades.
So good times. Have been fun to work and, and coordinate with other people all around the world, but especially in Japan. So, uh, Nick and I, we were just ta- chatting about this, and it was pretty funny. But Nick and I met in San Diego through a mutual buddy who was, you know, Air- ... Like, what was it? Like, Facebook Marketplace rentals.
Is that how you guys found each other? No. So- Like, what is it? My roommate, Jake, this was- A [00:01:00] weird guy ... honestly probably eight years ago. Yeah, super. I like him. Weird, weird guy. Yeah. No. He was a nice guy- I like him ... but he was definitely weird. Yeah. Yeah. He might just be, like, on the spectrum. Well, now you're making me feel bad.
So . Now it's ... He's probably- He probably listens to these. Uh, he's super cool. Remember he would just lock himself in, like, a tank and do mushrooms and said he was, like, reaching enlightenment? Yeah, he would get online- And, like, play the saxophone. Isolation tank for three hours. On mushrooms is what- And yeah, he'd be like, "Oh my God, I had the craziest realization yesterday."
And his stories were insane. Anyway, he would a- he also never played the saxophone in his life. Bought a tenor sax for, like, $2,000 and would just be in his boxers all day long and not leave the house. Wailing. Wailing. He's a, he's a musician though, right? Yeah. That's like his- Yeah. He, he was doing, like, beats on the piano- So he probably learned pretty quick
and some stuff like that. Lee was, it was so funny. Lee was like, "That goddamn saxophone." Oh, dude. Yeah. People hated it. Can't even- So Austin's friend Lee lived there. He was [00:02:00] Jake's old roommate before that. I knew Lee maybe, you know, very, very br- barely, but basically we were having a bunch of COVID parties.
Yeah. Austin came over. He was driving a Porsche that I thought was his, and I was like, "Oh wow, this guy's a baller." It was a Turo rental. Yeah. That I kept on, like, kept on like... Dude, it was funny. I went there for, like, a week and I was like, "Oh, I was staying with Nick." And then I was like, "All right, if I can, like, up my Turo game, I'm gonna continue on my little trip," 'cause, like, I stayed there for, I was there for, like, a week, like, staying on their couch and Lee's like, "Dude, you got, bro, we should, like, go.
These guys got, like, real lives." 'Cause we were having, like, it was definitely, like, two parties that I went to. Yeah. It was really fun. I was like, and we were, like, surfing in between and stuff. I was like, "Yes, COVID's over." You know? Yeah. That house looked so sick. It was like everyone get in. Yeah. It was sweet.
It was on top of all that, like- That was the sickest house. I know. You should've never given that one up. It almost, almost felt... I didn't give it up. I was out of town for a New Year's party and Jake, again, threw this huge banger and was too ashamed to clean up the front area because there was, like, glass broken out [00:03:00] front, and I got home on January 4th and he had not left the house because of his shame.
And yeah, that ended up, like- Weird guy ... being the reason why we left. But It was funny, the Turo lady was, like, vicariously living through you because every time you'd send a text, you'd be like, "Man, I just love San Diego so much. Can I extend my Turo a couple days?" Yes. And that happened like- Totally ... five different times.
I, I kept on re- redoing it, so I actually did, like, I went solo from San Diego all the way up, scored Trestles, but, like, did, like, camping, and then went to Big Sur, surfed all but Big Sur and, like, but I stayed in Cambria. Have you ever surfed up there, Nick, like north of LA? I've surfed in, in Big Sur, yeah, not in Cambria, though.
Big Sur, it was scary, dude. Like, um- Big Sur is scary. Like, Willow- Yeah ... Pines or something like that. Willow Creek. I don't know. Willow Creek. Willow Creek. Yeah. Dude, I surfed that, like- Was that when we stayed with you and Maya? We stayed, first time I met Maya- Yeah ... we stayed at Big Sur, but there was no waves.
Yeah. Yeah, we went to Piedras Blancas. That, that's a [00:04:00] pretty cool spot, but- Yeah ... you're, like, entering- It's beautiful ... the food chain up there, it feels like. Totally, big time. I was like, you know, I, like, surfed real quick, and there was one, there was like, you surf near one campground that there was a few dudes out, which I, you know, had a decent session, but I just tried, like, it was like, looked good at that Willow Creek spot, but I was, like, so scared, and I paddled out.
I was like, "Whatever, man. Don't be a pussy," and I paddle out. It was like 45 minutes in, I was like, "Bro, I am gonna get eaten out here," you know, 100%. Yeah. So I obviously, I went in, but I got a r- a couple really nice sessions there. A lot of white sharks there. Totally. I got a couple really nice sessions. All right, Grant.
Grant, get us back on the rails. I've got us on the rails. Yeah. All right, awesome. No, sorry. Are you? Giant. All right, so f- just one question for you, like for- Okay ... people listening in that, like, maybe they're interested in Japan, but they're not the biggest skier. So, like- Right, yep ... they probably are, you know, ski- have skied a couple resorts.
Tell us, like, the main difference between, like, backcountry skiing and then, like, your typical resort skiing. So, the good thing about J- Japan is that the terrain is [00:05:00] actually, like, pretty fun and forgiving, and there's a heap of it. So, if you are interested in getting into backcountry skiing, I don't think there's really too much of a better place to do it, just because of the, the amount of terrain that's accessible via sidecountry and backcountry.
If you're a resort skier who skis kind of day-to-day and looking to go and get into it, there is a little bit of a curve, but luckily, we provide those opportunities on, on our, on our, uh, on our trips, but it's certainly at- attainable. Like, physically, definitely attainable, I would say. So I mean, I mean, I guess kind of take that back a step.
I mean, if you are interested in coming o- to Japan, there's a couple different ways. To ski, you know, uh, you guys know, just go, wing it, for sure. That's awesome. We do provide curated trips, but if, like, you're really interested in the instruction part of it and, like, going out to, to learn how to backcountry ski, you know, there's no better way to, you know, k- hire a guide or come with us, because they know...
They'll, they'll give you the best access to [00:06:00] the terrain that you can ski with the easiest amount of terrain to, to tour as well, if that makes any sense. So, do you need, like, special gear, special boards, special skis? Definitely. Like, how does that work? Definitely. I mean, for all this, you definitely need a beacon, shovel, and probe, being probably, uh, you know, mission critical.
You would need a backcountry snowboard or ski setup or telemark setup with, setup with skins and poles and, and, and all that. All that, we can, you know, ha- you know, have various informational packets that gives you all the information you need for equipment and, and whatnot, but yes, specialized equipment for touring is definitely needed, whether you're...
Well, unfortunately, like, these days, um, and correct me if I'm wrong, I don't do a lot, I don't do any backcountry snowboarding. I do snowboard, which is fun, but I haven't done any split board- Yeah, 'cause Austin, you ski, right? I, I'm a skier, yes. Yeah, gotcha. I'm a ... Yeah, I've been skiing for, uh, quite a long time.
I went to school at Western, and so I was totally, like, for expedition leadership and environmental [00:07:00] science, so I was, like, skiing Crested Butte just about every day. It was awesome. Every day it was open. I didn't know that I needed special gear for this backcountry. When Nick and Derek took me on my tour, I just kind of showed up, and they- You just showed up.
We got you. Well, Macco came prepared. Macco came prepared. Macco came prepared. We knew Macco would have a whole setup going. Yep, I, I broke Nick's binding. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so- Actually, it's under warranty. Burton's fixing it right now. Nice. And they're sending it back my way, which is pretty cool. Yeah, I was about to ask Grant, like, Grant, do you buy that you can be, like, a chill skier and still do a backcountry tour?
I think Austin's probably more right than wrong, but there were definitely a couple things that I think you were second-guessing on the way up. I mean, I think, I think it's all how you frame it, too. You know? I pretty much, I didn't know Grant's experience, but it seemed like you two boys were getting after it pretty good, Derek and, and Nick.
So I told Macco, I was like, "Hey, these guys, you know, they s- they've skied around Utara a little bit." Like, maybe throw them into something, you know, something cool. Yeah. And, uh, but so- It would've been very, [00:08:00] very cool. So with my experience, Nick and Derek kinda t- and Macco kinda just took us up the hill. We did, like, a normal run, and Nick and Derek are like
I hadn't snowboarded in probably five years, and, uh- ... you think, Nick and Derek were like, "Oh, dude, you're good. Like, you're keeping up." He was. He was. "You'll be fine." You can, you can walk, right? I mean- Yeah ... yeah. I could- The downhill wasn't the bad part for Grant. No. No. Uh, well, the, the start of it was, but... But yeah, I mean, like, I've snowboarded my whole life.
Like, but like, you know, I didn't grow up on a mountain. It was just, like, my family taking- Yeah ... trips once every- Yeah ... year, once every two years. Yeah. And then, you know, my brother lived in Tahoe for eight years. Mm-hmm. So I was up there occasionally, but, like, I never really had hiked or, like, done anything like that.
So I was... I- Yeah ... Nick and Derek maybe had thought that I was better off than I was. I, I don't really- Had way too much confidence in Grant. Well, Grant was on- Yeah, that, that was a mistake ... the swim team. Like, I don't know. I just was like, "You know, you could figure it out." I had him... I did, like, a mini find the beacon course, like, [00:09:00] outs- Mm-hmm
out front of our house. I was burying- Yeah ... the beacon, and then I would be like- Yeah ... "All right, Grant, like, switch it into search mode." Right. "Here we go." Taught him how to find the beacon. Little, little Abby testing. Yeah. Yeah. And- It was like one of those situations where the fire alarm's going off in the office, and they're like, "Don't panic."
You're fully panicking. Dude, it's funny- Yeah ... 'cause you would not have known Grant was panicking. He kept it all inside. Yeah. He was, he was dying- Composed, man ... he was dying out there. Like, I say, I told my wife this story, and she dies laughing every time I tell it, 'cause Grant could not have moved any slower physically or he would've been standing still.
Yeah, yeah. You could- Okay, one step at a time ... could not have gone slower, but, like, when you looked at him, he was all smiles and laughter. Nice. It was hard to tell, like, is he just taking his time, or is he, like, really freaking out out here? Well, here, let's put it into perspective, too. Go said this hike should have taken about an hour and 45 minutes.
Every time we talk about this, I get, the time goes [00:10:00] down. I feel like- No ... it was a two and a half hour, so. Two and a half... If we did, if we dropped twice. We only dropped once. And it took seven hours. It was insane. Yeah. So yeah, I mean, you definitely need some fitness, like I would say. And I, like, like I know you, you fellas were, were training all summer in the fall.
Like, correct me if I'm wrong, Derek and Nick. And I think that was like- Yeah, we just stay pretty active. Yeah. You know, and like the good thing about Japan too, and it's like if you're at Colorado too, you get a better altitude as well. Yeah. And like Japan- Yeah ... you don't have a lot of that. It's- You know?
Yeah, it's true ... that's a big difference. If you get up there. Yeah, it's a huge difference. Huge. And so the terrain also is like, you know, pretty unforgiving, but like yeah, I mean, sorry Grant, but like if you're out of shape too, you know, it's- Shots fired. Yeah, you know, like- ... you're, you're gonna... If you're o- off the couch, you know, it's like
not gonna be as enjoyable. Oh, he was off the couch for sure. You know? Dude, it was, it was- Not gonna be as enjoyable ... it was January, and, or maybe it was even February, and like, dude, winter in New Jersey, I mean, you [00:11:00] know it, Derek. Yeah. It is brutal out here. Yeah. Like, I mean, af- post summer we went to France and surfed, and then after that dude- Wine, Pasgour.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was living vicariously through you boys at that point. Yeah, like, I mean, like after that, I mean, I didn't surf. Like, that's like how I like to get exercise. I didn't surf here for, there was no waves, it was freezing. Like, it was just not a- Yeah, as boring as it is- ... not a great winter ... like two hours at a slow pace on the StairMaster is like all you need.
Yeah, for sure. You know what, you know what I've been doing? I've been, I've been doing like cross-country gravel biking. Oh, that's good. Getting like 60 miles in, uh- Yeah ... a week. And I feel like it's excellent cross-training for backcountry skiing- I think so too ... particularly. For sure. Because like in Boston anyways, we're doing all these hills, and not just downhill where you're just like going down a trail.
I mean, that's fun, don't get me wrong. Yeah. And like here, this is a different world. But like specifically cross-training for, and this is what I have in the back of my mind, for backcountry skiing. It's really good. I've been having a blast too. It's been really fun and- Mm-hmm ... like Boston's a pretty good ci- pretty [00:12:00] well set up to bike around.
Mm-hmm. And so it's been really fun. Yeah. Um, although my bike just got flippin' stolen the other day. Oh, man. Oh, man. No. Yeah. Total crackhead stole it. Dang. Jesus. It is what it is. Um, but anyways, yeah Yeah. One thing that I was thinking, like, you guys, when we were talking, when Austin was talking made me think of, 'cause I just wrote a blog about trips and stuff, and one of the things we haven't talked about yet is not even guiding for backcountry, but guiding for resort and slackcountry skiing.
It's- Totally, that's our first week. It's so awesome because, like- Yeah. Yeah. It's slackcountry. I ski at J- yeah, I ski at J Peak my whole life, and like how long did it take me to know all the spots at J? And if you're- Oh, 100% ... flying across the world, you wanna make sure you're- Yeah ... getting the best lines at a resort.
You could spend a whole day at a resort and ski the worst lines. That's a, that's a great segue to kind of like what, how our trips are broken up. So we, the first se- like, the first part we talked about was like intro to backcountry skiing, so and then now we're talking about resort skiing, which, you know, we fit kind of the three demographics of that, like- Yeah, why don't you go [00:13:00] through the weeks?
Totally. So if, you know, the first week is, that is the demographic we're looking to kind of adhere to. Is that, we want to ski the resorts, maybe some side country if people are interested, but honestly just the resorts. If you're, like, we, there's several good ones in, as you know, in Hokkaido. Um, there's a ton of them in Hokkaido, but like near Otaru- Mm-hmm
specifically, and, um, you know, Furano's super good, especially if you're into the side country. But kind of it's a very intro level ski trip to Japan. Now, that is not intro level. We do the same stuff culturally that we would do on a, on a backcountry ski trip. We go to onsen af- every, every ski day. We go to, you know, you know, awesome restaurants, breakfast, you know, the whole deal.
That part does not switch. The skiing does. And, like, say you're a, you know, a couple or something and one is a good, decent skier and one is maybe perhaps learning. We can set up with Otaru Adventures, and I talked to Dan the other day, super good guy, we could set up, um, instruction as well as part [00:14:00] of, like, that package.
Nice. So- And that first one- I heard you love, uh... Sorry, Nick, go ahead. No, I'm just saying, that first one is, like, January 10th-ish. Is that right? Yeah, yeah. It's January 10th to the 17th. And then it's like every week after that. And then it's every week after for the four weeks. Yeah. So then that, that second week is what we were just talking about.
It's like people are stoked in Japan. They, they hear about the backcountry skiing. Maybe they don't have a ton of experience, but they are, you know, intermediate to advanced skier and, um, you know, looking to break into it. Now, you do need that specialized equipment. Correct me if I'm wrong, Nick, we do have a spot in Zinnybaka- Yeah
that does rentals. Yeah, they can rent. Yep, for sure. And so- I, I was just gonna say, though- We need to figure that out, but, you know- Soto rents. Soto rent. Soto rent. Yeah, he's a good dude. But- So, yeah ... I was just thinking, are we requiring an ARE1 or any sort of certification? No, because these are all technically guided through Otaro Adventures or Hokkaido Adventures.
Okay. So you don't necessarily need those. You know, ideally we're able to [00:15:00] provide, like, if these become popular... And, like, basically what we're doing is we're taking the contacts we know in Japan and, and, you know, kind of connecting our network to them. Mm-hmm. And so our two biggest con- our two biggest contacts that we have right now is Otaro Adventures, who's based out of Otaro, and then Hokkaido Expeditions, who, that's Mako Sans, that's his business.
And he works very closely with Aspen Expeditions, who're based in Aspen. Mm-hmm. With Amos Whiting, who's the man. Who we, we should probably get on this podcast. He's a super interesting dude. And, and so those, those next two weeks we work directly with Hokkaido Expeditions and kind of switch gears to the people who do have experience, you know, who we're looking for, uh, you know, to score essentially.
You know, Mako- ... Mako San and, and Amos have been doing this for 15 years and they, like... So my, I went, my first trip was with them, and Amos invited me on this trip and just to kind of, you know, sink my teeth. We talk business, so I do business with him, send people his way to Moab for climbing trips. I'm a climbing guide.
I work with him pretty intimately at points. He's the man. He's like my [00:16:00] mentor, and he's just such a good dude. So he, he invited me and, uh, I was like, "Hell yeah, dude." And it was kind of, you know, Grant, I don't wanna throw shade, but it was kind of similar situation. I was... My wife was pregnant with my second kid.
Um, my, my first kid was like s- you know, not even one yet. So I'm like off the couch, have not- ... like skied at all. Now I'm going to this, like, intense, like, well, for me anyway, like, intense, like, backcountry, like, dude, when when you're doing three or four tours- Multiple day, yeah ... a day. You know, multiple, seven days in a week.
That's a lot. It's like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, you know? And it's like their motto is pow, pow, onsen, beer, you know? And it's like, it's full on, dude. It's f- it's awesome. I like that motto. It's all... Yeah. Pow, pow, onsen, beer. Pow, pow, onsen, beer. Yeah. But you gotta sne- you gotta sneak in pow, pow, onsen, beer, karaoke.
Tell... Well, I mean, that's what Mako, I mean- I've heard Mako is a great singer. Dude, so- Like, dude, it, that first- He was so done with us, he didn't want to come out to, uh, to Aspen. That, that first... And Mako, Mako, like, you guys don't understand something about Mako. We... I had an interesting trip, 'cause Amos had one of his buddies there, this [00:17:00] guy, Nao, who's, who's also, he's also a real estate agent in Tokyo, but I, I talked to him.
He's just so busy right now. I was like, "You gotta hook up with these boys. You come." He's like, "Man, I can't take anything on right now. Give me, give me a year." I was like, "All right. Well, you know my number." But he, he speaks Japanese and everything, and he had an interesting take on, on Mako, just he was like, yeah, he's very experienced and stuff, but, like, they do things, like, certain ways, you know?
Mm-hmm. It's very interesting to have that, that light and 'cause, 'cause, 'cause Mako is pretty, pretty old school. And, like, when they first started doing this, like, not many people went out to Japan, you know? So they'd get, like, a handful- Mm-hmm ... of people, and they've just, like, it was the, like, boys trips, so they'd get kind of loose.
And Mako likes to drink his highballs. Like, it's, it's good, you know? So it's fun. So, like- My type of guy. So, yeah. So, like, we had, we had, like, kind of, like, the clients on the trip were definitely there were some homies there. And, and so Mako was like, "All right, cool." Like, "This is kind of like old school style, you know?"
Like, we're hanging out every single day. So, like, man, it was like the third night in, and I was so tired, and this other guy was so [00:18:00] tired, but Mako's like, "Come on, let's go, bro. Let's go." And I was like, "I can't say no." If the, if Mako-san tells me to come out, everyone's like, "Oh, I'm going home." Mako's like, "You come with me."
I was like, "All right. All right, cool." I'm like, "Buck up, man." So we went to this, like, little underground bar, and they had, like, the ladies serving the whiskey and stuff like that. And we were like, we were about to leave, and then all of a sudden, like, 15 business, or the Japanese, like, business- Salarymen?
salarymen come on. And they see us, and then all of a sudden, like, the karaoke thing comes on. Like, it was, it got- It was like, I don't know. It was like, it was like, man, I don't think too many people, maybe they do, but, like, not too many people get to see this in, in, you know, Otaru anyways. Yeah. So it was real fun.
But, like, the next day- That's awesome ... I skied, I skied like garbage, man. I skied like garbage, 'cause we probably got like- ... probably got home at, like, 2:00 in the morning, and it was, like- Yeah ... awesome. We went to this, like, secret spot that was on the way to Nasiokawa, and I was pretty hungover, but it was just, like, a blanket of snow, and it, like, didn't stop snowing the whole time we were there that first year.
It was, it was- And I'm sure [00:19:00] Mako just woke up and felt great. I know. He felt great, but he definitely woke up. We were, like, having breakfast, and he was just like, "Oh, man." Like- Well, it's funny. You, you see, like, when I f- when we saw Mako, like, you know, he's, he's a heavier set dude, and, like- You wouldn't look at him and be like, you know, this guy is a, is a monster on the mountain.
Mm-hmm. But, like, dude was like- No, he is ... he was carrying me basically- He, he breaks chair too ... up the mountain. I mean, he's not- Yeah ... he's not a spring chicken either. I mean, he's- No. No. He's like in his 50s. I know. Oh. Oh, yeah. You would never guess that. He, he looks way younger. He said that he had a couple kids and he was in his 50s.
Yeah. And I was like, "Whoa." And the kids are, like, teenagers. Yeah. But he, he grew up around... Yeah, he grew up around that area. He skied, um, he grew up skiing and, like, was ski patrol at Coco, Cocosai. Cocosai. Yeah, yeah. I think that's how you pro- pronounce it. And that mountain was super cool. Sick mountain. And, and we, we got into the side country there, and it was like, man, like- Yeah.
Very good ... you could tell, he just knew, like he's like, "Oh, wow, this is the aspect that we need to hit 'cause the snow's gonna be good." And we... And that was funny, on the first day, I was like, man, like, that was, like, the first day we hit that and dude was 30. So [00:20:00] would you call what we did side country or back country?
'Cause we took the lift up, right? No. No. We took the lift up- You take the- ... and immediately we're in the back country. Uh- Just lift access back country. Okay. Okay. And, like, technically, if you ask any, like- Yeah ... instructor, anything that's side country is back country. Yep. And you really should have the gear.
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Especially in Japan. Absolutely. Like, they're not coming to save you off resort. Like, if we're gonna do any sort of side country, like Derek, me, TJ, whoever's with us, like, we're doing beacon checks. Yeah. I don't know. I mean- Should, you should know what you're doing ... I'm, like, kind of anal about safety, but- Should-
some people kind of send it But to back, back to Mako, just funny- Yeah ... random funny story. Well, not random. We were talking about Grant's, Grant's hike. But at the top of the hike, Grant busted Nick's, uh, binding strap. Somehow. So we had to... 'Cause Mako's chill the whole time, right? Like, basically- Mm ... no emotions from that guy.
Right. And then Grant- Mako made it ... we strap Grant's binding in, and we're starting to go down. With my ski [00:21:00] strap- With his ski strap ... because I brought a ski strap just in case. Yep. Luckily. Yep. And Grant falls into a tree well, and Grant's screaming. He's like, as he's falling- Slow motion ... slow motion. He's barely even moving.
He's like, "I can't stop. My legs- "I can't stop" ... didn't work at this point in time. He's in, he's in this hole, chest up, and you can only see his head, and I knew he was, like, safe at that point. He was fine. And he's, he's looking... I look at Nick, and then I look at Mako, and Mako's like, "Look at the strap." And I look at Nick, and then I'm, like, tearing laughing, and I look at Mako, and I'm like, "His binding's broke.
We just strapped him in." He can't unstrap. And like, he can't unstrap. He can't unstrap. And Mako- Can't triple stamp or double stamp ... Mako is like, Mako starts crying laughing, and we're all... Grant's freaking out at this point, so. We laughed for, like, 12 seconds straight. We, we just left Grant in this hole, and we're just, like, crying laughing.
Figure it out, bro. But we knew he was safe, so, like, it wasn't a big deal. Yeah. But it was- It was, it was one of those, like, like, fear factor moments. [00:22:00] Like, I had just, like, heard about tree wells- Yeah, yeah, right ... and, like, fell into one. Fear. And was like, "Holy shit, I'm in a tree well. Like, this could be super deep" kind of thing.
And it wasn't, like, crazy deep. I ended up, like, pulling myself out of it. Yeah. Whatever. But it was just, like... I don't know. So funny. It was kind of wild. That's got to- I have another thing ... that's pretty funny. I don't think I heard that part ... of Japan. Like, there aren't as many tree wells because a lot of the trees in Japan are just, like, the tall, wispy ones.
Mm-hmm. So you weren't even in a tree well. It was just, like, a fallen over rock, and it was, like, a little divot in the snow. But- Yeah. Yeah. It was a tree well. I mean, yeah, we'll say it was a tree well. We'll say it was a tree well, right? At the end of the trip, we get to, like, the base of the mountain, and Grant and Mako, like, headlock each other forehead-to-forehead.
Like, I thought they were gonna kiss because- I did, dude ... they were both just like, "Wow." There's a snake in the ground. "We made it. We made it." I think you said, "I love you" about 10 times. You made it, bro. I ti- I tipped him, like, 100,000 yen. Hell [00:23:00] yeah. Hell yeah. 100,000 yen? Yeah. I think you gave him, like, 150 USD.
No, I gave him 250,000. 100,000 yen is $600 right now, or 700, I think. I gave him, I gave him 250,000 yen. No, I think you gave him 210. No, you gave him 205,000 yen. Maybe I gave him a 50,000 yen. Either way. Grant had no- It was a, I tipped him, and I was like- He- You tipped him well. You stoked the tip. Yeah, I was like Grant puckered up, dude.
He was waiting for a smooch. It was like a- Oh, yeah ... head-to-head, like, you saved my life kind of thing. Yeah. Yeah. That's the best, man. He's such a good dude. Yeah. He's so fun. I, I, I, I love hanging out with him. He's so... That's the last two weeks of those program, or with Hokkaido Expeditions, and that is just full expedition mode.
Like, it's go, go, go. It's all about the skiing. It's all about the onsen, you know. Obviously, sometimes a karaoke moment might present itself, but- Yeah ... yeah. But, like- It's pretty, it's pretty awesome ... you should be comfortable in the backcountry if you're booking those trips. Yeah, you know, the tr- For sure.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. You should, to, to optimize the, like, you shouldn't be learning [00:24:00] anything. Yeah. Nothing should be new. Yeah. You know? If you, if, if something is new and you're interested, go the second week. If you're an advanced skier and you want to, and you want to, you know, dip your toes, and, like, that's getting into the sidecountry.
That's lift access sidecountry skiing, guided. You know, so getting into some really good snow as well. You know, like, that second week will be on resort, for sure, but, like, we'll also be doing sidecountry and definitely some backcountry days. So if, like, you're- S- Go for it. Yeah. So, like, other than, like, fitness, like, how do you suggest people get ready for, you know, backcountry if they don't have access to mountains?
Like, is there, like, safety courses online? Like, what- Yeah ... what do you think? So, totally. Look into the AIR, which the curriculum out there, I mean, obviously you can, like, YouTube, Google, and stuff. Yeah. But that only goes so far. I'd look into AIR if you're, like, super interested. Like, take a, take a course, you know.
Those hap- generally happen during the winter. But, you know, there's tons of resources online, and, you know, we can dive into that. I mean, starting, starting with the, the AIR resource being, being one of the most prominent. [00:25:00] And then, you know, the AMGA, which is American, uh, Mountain Guide Association, also has some really good information on there as well.
And, you know, so kind of the AMGA is, like, you know, we talk about working under, in a scope of, you know, being legal and not, like, there's, right now, 'cause, like, right now there's a lot of cowboy guiding going out- Yeah ... in, in Japan, you know. People just coming out and taking trips. And, you know, fortunately, you know, the place kind of, like, sets itself up where there's not too many accidents, but I've been hearing that, you know, there's just groups of, like, 12, 15 people just going out and, uh, the, you know, the guides don't even know what's going on.
Yeah. You know, don't have any training. Yeah. For sure. We witnessed it Mm-hmm with, on the Macco trip. Yeah. There was a group of people- For sure ... and Nick, that guy, remember him? Oh, man. Yeah He was... He, I think he was from China. I, we, 'cause he couldn't speak English. We were trying to help him. His group just left him behind.
Mm. And this guy had no idea what he was doing. They left him- Mm-hmm ... on the top of the mountain alone, and we were like, "Who are you with? Where are your people?" So we kinda stayed with him. Yeah. And they waited for him at the bottom. I [00:26:00] gave him a couple pep talks. But that's insane. He didn't have poles. Like, yeah, it was- Is that so- I don't remember getting any pep talks out of you guys.
No, we were just laughing. I couldn't look at Grant without crying laughing. Yeah. It was just like, it was so bad. We should post some pictures of it because- I'll, I'll, I'll add some to the footage ... you were like drenched in sweat. And like after four or five hours, like you don't wanna be super exposed. No.
Grant's gloves were off 'cause he was hot, and Macco was just screaming at him like, "Put your gloves on." Put your gloves on. 'Cause dude, it gets cold. I mean, the thing I will say is like, I mean- What's the saying? Go bo- start cold, go bold or something? Yeah. You bold, start cold. Start bold, go cold. Start...
Something like that, yeah. Something like that, but yeah, it's good to start off cold. I was hot. Yeah. You wouldn't take your jacket off. 'Cause if you build up a sweat, like, you know, that, that, that, you know, y- the idea is to like trap that warmth in on the down. Well, what really happened was like when we first started and I put the skins on- What really happened, as if you know
was, well, I do ... was I was [00:27:00] falling in the beginning when we... Because I'd never hiked on these things before, so I'm falling, falling. Probably fell 25 times- ... in the first 30 minutes, and like I was just drenched from the start. And then like once I started like- 45 pushups ... once I started like- Yeah ... you know, walking and like getting us into the hang of it, like I started sweating, got really hot real quick, so like my clothes were just drenched.
But like- Yeah, man ... I wasn't cold, 'cause it wasn't that cold of the day. No, it was like- It was a beautiful day ... 36, 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Very low avalanche risk. There w- it wasn't snowing. It was a great day to be out there. That was in March, wasn't it? Early. Early March. Early March? It was early March. Yeah.
The first week of March. But Grant, what's- Grant, remember- ... still cool, like... Oh, sorry, go for it. Yeah. Grant, remember when you're hiking up that steep part and bodies are just sliding past you? Sliding past me. Yeah. Well, luckily Macco had a pair of crampons, because I don't think you were gonna... We were gonna turn around probably- Yeah.
Mm-hmm ... if he didn't. And two people [00:28:00] literally just hit their bellies, slid all the way down this face, because it was- Yeah ... like, you know, pretty steep, kinda icy like the aspect was. I'll, I'll, I'll pull up a picture of it in the video. It was a steep switchback, and it was ice. Like it was packed. It was ice, yeah.
Yeah, it was a lot of people going down that day. It had the freeze-thaw going on. I, I unstrapped. Yeah. Yeah. I unstrapped my ski- Had all the scary shit ... shoes up the side. It was a- Yeah ... tough first hike, for sure. It was. Yeah. Let's be honest. Okay. So- Yeah ... I mean, that kind, that stuff kind of happened in the last two weeks that kind of allowed me to- Craig's shaking his head.
He's like, "Nick- Yeah ... give me some more credit over here." I mean- No, I mean, it was, it- It was sort of a baptism by fire it sounds like I would've rather, like, done like- It was ... a 40-foot jump, like, and just full sent it than, like, do that. A wave word. I don't know why. I, I could probably stick that than do- It is fun.
Like, it's, it is, like, to me it's, it's more, you know, we have these college trips where, you know, you talk about, like, y- your impact and all that, you know? And so I think to me, and, like, one of the, one of the things we emphasize in, like, your impact is, like, how you converse with your [00:29:00] environment. And to me, like, backcountry skiing is just so...
And especially, like, once you find yourself and it's just you and your group, or you and your party, you know, and, like, you're out there, you're trekking up, man. I mean, those snow monsters there, you're just, like, looking around. You're like, "Man, this is, like, you're really..." Like, to me anyways, it was like having- Agree
a con- a conversation with this environment, and it was like, you know, you f- like, kind of zone out. Marco was breaking trail or whatever. I was, like, in the middle of the pack, sometimes, like, at the end, just, like, in my own zone, just, like, really h- enjoying being in, in that zone. So I feel a lot of times, like, don't get me wrong, I love skiing the resort.
I love it. I love, like, doing a million laps and, like, having fun. I used to be, like, a park kid and stuff like that back in the day. And so I love it, and I love being able to go to the m- mid-mountain, excuse me, mid-mountain bar and have a drink and whatever. But there is something, like, very special about, you know, in- like, communicating with your environment during backcountry skiing.
And so- 100% agree ... it's, it's cool. And it, and it, you know, it definitely has its learning curve, and it definitely has its unique dangers, but [00:30:00] all those with experience and, you know, with the correct guidance can be mitigated and then, like, you can learn, learn new skills. And the whole point of the second week, and e- you know, these other weeks, is to, um, you know, kind of learn new skills.
And, you know, the second week's to, like, see if you like, enjoy it, you know? And, you know, 9 times out of 10, I think people do. And then, you know, those other weeks it's just, like, getting out there with some of the best guides perhaps in the- Yeah ... in the world. Like, Amos is, Amos is one of the best guides in the world.
He's IFMGA, so he's just, like- Wow, that's sweet ... he, he's the best. Yeah, he's, like, he's bulletproof. And so- We gotta get on a trip with him this winter. Going, yeah. Set that up. Totally. Totally. I mean, that's the, the last week in January and the first week in February. Sick. And it's, like, it's such a cool experience, you know?
Like, I was- You know what I always say backcountry skiing makes me think of? Like I'm Christopher Columbus exploring- Totally ... a new world. You're in this new world. Like- all the, uh, atrocities he committed Totally. I mean- I was gonna say- Just an explanation ... the other guy, Christopher Columbus. That's just the first one that comes to my head.
I'm [00:31:00] sorry, guys. An explorer, you know. But, but yeah, I mean, it's pretty cool. I mean, Mako knows his way and, and- How many times in, like, this modern world, outside of surfing and backcountry skiing, and that's I think why I love those, is like, you're just out in an environment with your boys, chatting, like, in the zone- Nobody around
really, really present. Yep. Communicating with your environment. I mean, that's why, that's why I've kind of built my life around th- that lifestyle, you know? Like, I'm a climbing guide. I, I have my business now that basically coordinates these experiences all over the world. So it's, it's funny, right now I have two kids too, and they're starting to get into it, and they're both as crazy as their old man, so it's been fun, you know- That's awesome
to see them jumping off stuff and- Yeah ... and, and climbing stuff. So, you know, I'm stoked to kind of pass on now. And like, now, it's like, we need to, you know, and n- not just in Japan, but hopefully, I mean, they seem to do a good job of, like, protecting the places that they love, you know? And so- Mm-hmm ... we gotta teach our kids to do that as well, just like, you know, our generation's been taught that.
I think it's, you know, it's important [00:32:00] because it's, you know, it's, uh, to me, I almost look at it as, funnily enough, as like, you know, that's, that's my spiritual capital. That's where it goes. Like, I put all my, all my spiritual, you know, capital, spiritual investment of my time into communicating with that environment.
So like, that's why, you know, to Derek's point, like, backcountry skiing, you find yourself out there just with your party, with your boys, or, you know, whatever, your wife or w- whatever. It's just, it's pretty special, you know? Mm-hmm. And, and a degree, a degree of that is, like, knowing when not to go too, and when to, like, kinda hold back because- Yeah
there, it is dangerous. And, you know, you could always ski the hippie trees if it is like that. There, there's... And that's, to me, one of the best parts about Japan, is that the, the terrain is super rippable, but all, like, under 30 degrees- Yeah ... or at 30 degrees. So, like, the, the avalanche danger is relatively low.
Mm-hmm. Now, that's not saying there's no, no dangers. I forget what to call it, but, like, when the snow, the crevasses that are created by the, the bamboo. Mm-hmm. It's just like, [00:33:00] there's all this snow built up on these bamboo fields, and they cre- Mm-hmm ... create crevasses. And, um, I only saw, like, one or two of those, but, you know, there's other dangers involved, but that's why, you know, you go with the guides- Yeah, I didn't-
or, or you really know what you're doing, you know? I didn't seem like- avalanche, like, was any part of our trip at all. Like, I, I, there was nothing- Nothing that we did on your trip, Grant, was- Yeah, like I didn't feel- ... above a 35-degree slope angle ... I didn't feel s- Yeah, yeah ... like unsafe in that aspect at all.
The Otaru terrain is very mellow, the backcountry terrain. Well, that's why- And particularly around Otaru area ... that's why, like, the fish board, like the wider, shorter, like surf inspired, that's what basically all the shapers in Hokkaido are making, too, like- Yeah ... that type of snowboard. It's all, and that, I mean, that's, that's the, you know, your, the t- the terrain is very forgivable.
But if you're skiing that in two feet of fresh powder every day- Yeah ... I mean, that's, that's what you want. You don't, you know, I mean, sure, everyone wants blower powder on, you know. But, but that's, it, it's gonna rip if you do anything over 30 degrees. You know, you go to Crested Butte and, you know, [00:34:00] everyone's throwing bombs after a two, two-foot dump, you know?
Mm-hmm. And you, you're not going in the backcountry anytime soon till that sets up. Right. Especially now with, like, the snowpacks that have been happening. You know, with Japan, the snowpacks, you know, you don't, there's certain aspects, yeah, sure you need to do it, but there's plenty of other stuff that you're gonna be totally, on, like, very, very rippable, very fun terrain.
So yeah, I mean, that was, I, I didn't have, there was not very many places where we'd encounter, you know, avalanche danger. I mean, but it's always best to know, you know? It's always best to just know- Of course ... what's up and always read tests and- And of course you'll be with- Yeah ... yeah, you'll be with Mako, you'll be with people who know this terrain- These guys
like the back of their hand. Yeah. Totally. And, like, they're, they're following the snowpack. They're checking the conditions. Yep. 100%, 100%. Grant, we probably are kind of running long right now, but, like, what else was there that we should talk about? I mean, we kind of nailed everything. It was, you know, kind of spread out, but- No, that was a great conversation.
Yeah. Yeah. I thought it was good. Yeah, that flowed very well. Yeah. No, it's, uh, pretty easy to talk about it, 'cause it's, it's [00:35:00] super fun, and, you know, the more that we can... Part of... I hate to talk about, you know, this- Oh, right ... all this talk about spaces, but, like, more, the more that we can bring some of, like, the things we learn from travel back with us home, you know, I think that's, that, like- Just...
Yeah. Austin, tell them a little bit about, like, the culture aspect, too, 'cause I think that's something- Yeah ... that is awesome, because you're not gonna n- again, it's just like skiing a resort for your first time. Right. You're not gonna know the good restaurants. Yeah. You're not gonna know where to go. 100%.
And, like, that takes a lot of time to find that stuff. So- 100% ... tell them a little bit about the, the post-ski stuff. Totally. So that's a great point. Um, you know, with Mako and, and Dan, you know, Dan does the same thing, but, you know, we talked about, you know, pow, pow, onsen, beer, and that is exactly, like, what we do.
And, you know, the, basically the day-to-day is we wake up, you know, I was pretty, up pretty early every day, 'cause I'm just, like, super stoked. And so that's actually, I'm pretty stoked that you guys are gonna open a, a coffee, coffee shop, and I hope it's open early. Hell, yeah. 'Cause I was like- That's the plan ... I went to, like, the closest konbini and was like, looking for coffee, and everyone's like, "What are you doing here?"
It was like 5:00 in [00:36:00] the morning. But we, you know, have breakfast. We're in the van by, like, 7:30, 8:00, going skiing. On the way, we stop at a, at, like, a 7-Eleven or something and, and load up for just, like, snacks and stuff. Ski all day. You know, we d- usually do, like, between two to four tours, or, you know, that translates to, like, a couple runs in the morning.
Translates to, you know, I don't know, roughly, if you're just on resort and you're skiing all day, you know, you're skiing from 8:00 to 3:00. You know, about- Maybe just one run, if you're me You know, so we do, we do, like, between two to four tours, depending on the, the tour and the group and everything. And then after, you know, we come down, you know, there's, every day is a little bit different.
But, you know, some, like, one day at Kokusaai, we, we had ramen at the end, and it was, like, such a treat, 'cause it was, like, the first day and we were so stoked. She's like, "You guys want ramen?" And everyone's like, "Yes, we want ramen." And, like, after that, we, you, you go to onsen, and we usually take, like, an hour and a half at the onsen, and Mako knows, like, all the, he's homies with [00:37:00] all the people, all, all the owners of the onsens we go to, and there's just, like- Sweet
such a cool experience, and that's, like, one of those things that I've brought home. Like, personally, like, I try and do, like, the sauna, onsen every day, because it just, like, that made a difference. You know? Yeah. That made the difference, where I could, like, after that first day, I, I was like, man, I don't know if I can ski day two.
Yeah. I've got seven days of this. But after the onsen, I was like, oh, okay. Yeah. This is what's up. And- You know? And then- On these guides, or on these guided weeks, like, every day you're going to a different restaurant, and, like, you're getting to try- Yeah ... new stuff. Yeah, totally. Yeah. Totally. That's pretty cool.
You know? Um- Is it, like, is it, like, a group thing where, like you said, it's like, "Hey, guys, what are you feeling tonight?" Is it, like, pretty- You, so it depends on, depends on the vibe. But, like, with, with, when we go with Mako, it's pretty planned out ahead of time. Okay. Because a lot of these restaurants are hard to book.
Mm-hmm. Right. So, like, for instance, like, this, the sushi restaurant we went to, the guy was absolute man. You know, it's a little spot. Yeah. It's, like, 10 seats, you know? Mm-hmm. We barely f- fit our group in the first year we went there. And people were coming in, the guy's like, "Nope, you gotta [00:38:00] leave." You know? And so, uh, Mako kind of sets that up.
We went to several different, like, ex- I mean, they were experiences in themselves. Absolutely. They, they call, call, we went to, it was sukiyaki, we did dumplings, we did, we called Genghis Khan one night, where you do- Oh, yeah ... like the, I mean, it was great. Yeah. I mean, those are all experiences that are totally, like, really, I mean, pretty special.
And so, you know, on those weeks, clients are responsible to pay for dinners and the, and, and for the guides. But the la- last year, like, on the seven-day trip, the guides spent, like, $400. Or sorry, the, the clients spent $400 per person, and they went, like, beers, everything. So it was like- super cheap, you know?
Yeah. It's pretty awesome. So Austin, if you're a listener and, and, um, you know, you're interested, like tell us about how many bookings you guys have available and like how to find the bookings and how to sign up for all this. Sweet. So yeah, I mean, if you are interested, go to our website and request the free guide, and from there it kind of gives you a, a ton of [00:39:00] information.
You can reach out to me directly at austin@yukihomes.com as well, but my- that information's on there as well. It's yukihomes.com/trips. Yeah. You go- And also, we just made a new Instagram too. Instagram. You can check it out. Yep. That will have all that information. It's called Michikusa, which means, I think it means picking grass by the roadside, AKA like wandering slowly, so like enjoying- Very cool
yourself on a trail. Love it. It's like take- taking the road less traveled. Yeah. Kinda I think our whole point is go out of your way to like see what not everyone gets to see. And like part of that is backcountry touring, but part of that's- That's so- ... also like there's an alley with a couple restaurants that might look whatever and you get to, you know, going down that and, I don't know.
Wasn't that what like Bourdain's whole ethos was? Take that turn. Like yeah, and it's like n- Take that turn. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Totally. In many ways. So I think s- That mountain turn- Yeah ... and that alley turn. Totally. I think it's very cool. So yeah, the, the website's a good w- good place to start, and you know, if you're already on kind of the, the newsletter [00:40:00] that I s- you know, send out every month or so, you know, just reach out directly because it, the...
We have six spots per trip, so they're pretty intimate and that's like, that's like one van load of people. And so, you know, we do also provide a concierge service as well. And so if you're just going and you're not interested in a trip but want the beta, we provide that as well, and that can be found on the website.
And so yeah, anything- Sweet. No, I think you nailed it. Yeah. Well, guys- I think it, it's kinda cool, we do have on the site you can download, I think it's like a 14-page PDF kinda guide- Mm-hmm ... in it. It goes through every trip January through February, and like rules and what gear you might need, what to bring, how to be safe.
Yeah. A few things that you shouldn't- I think Austin actually put like his quivers in there too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So check it out. My personal quiver. I'm definitely wanna get the- The bindingless snowboard this year. Think I'm gonna get, try and, try and- Stephen ... procure one of those. Yeah, no, just like the, I forget what they call it, but it's just, it's like [00:41:00] s- snow skating, but it's like snow surfing.
Sorry. Oh, I've seen this. On the snow. The bindingless. Yeah, so you get the bindingless snowboard. Yeah, our friend Steven- So he- ... does that a lot ... there was a few dudes who were doing that the last time. Oh, the snow surfer. A snow surfer. Snow surfing, yeah. Yeah. And it's like- Yeah, yeah ... Japan's a pretty unique place, 'cause like you need just blower powder to do it.
Yep, mm-hmm. Like, you can't do it on groomers. You can't do it... Like, it's, like, really hard, so you just need to do, to have any type of success, you just need blower powder. And, and there's a few dudes who are shaping them out there. Yeah. And I'd be really interested to chat with them. I think it would be so cool.
'Cause, and I also like to snowboard more as well. I mean, I, I snowboard a little bit, but I, I mainly ski. And the skiing- I'm the opposite. I'm trying to get on the skis, man, so we could swap this winter. Hey, cool. That'd be cool. Yeah. Well, sweet, boys. I mean, it was fun to t- fun to chat. Yeah, thanks. Yeah, dude, thanks for coming on the show.
You guys are gonna be in good hands with Austin if you guys book a trip. Yeah, totally. Great hands. And, and we'll, we'll, we'll be out there, trying to bring the family out there. I want my kids to learn how to ski in Japan. I think that's a good life story to have in the back pocket. Yeah, for sure. And so we'll be out there, [00:42:00] and, and hopefully if we see some, see some people out on th- on these trips...
And these guys are awesome. I mean, they're, they're, they've been around for a long time, both Otara Adventures and Hokkaido Expeditions. And so, they know, they know this place really, really well. So it's, it, it's... It was like, I talk, I think about this trip, like the trips I go on with these guys, like daily, weekly for sure, you know, because just I'm like, anytime I, like, need to daydream a little bit, I'm like, you know, pow, pow, in Japan.
Yeah. So, so cool. Sweet, dude. All right. Appreciate the time, Austin. Thanks for tuning in, everybody. Make sure you leave us a like, a five-star review if you like the show, and, uh, we'll see you next week. Nick, sign us off with one of these, the double. Fireworks. Boom. Oh. All right, see you guys. All right.