Niseko Winter Meet & Niki Student Boarding

I'm trying to go back and fill in the giant gap I've left here since about mid-February, so these are going to be mostly photos.

Friday night and Saturday were spent with the HAJET folks, taking in the winter meeting at Freedom Inn in Hanazono (near Niseko). It was at this meeting last year that Heather and I had quit all our dicking about and had finally gotten together, so the meeting held a certain salience for us. Personally, it was also salient as it was at the winter meeting in Furano last year that I'd taken on the role of HAJET Social Coordinator, and next to all of the madness that I get up to with my friends and the sun-eclipsing light of my elementary school kids, being a part of the HAJET Prefectural Council has been one of the most fulfilling parts of this JET experience. So it was with a bit heavy heart that I accepted that my time with the council was at an end as our council handed off responsibility to the newly-elected council, and I handed my Social Coordinator role off to Andy Suvoltos.

Sentimental bullshit or not, we still managed to have ourselves a good 'ol weekend between the parting with all the other Hokkaido ALTs and the snowboarding.

2011 HAJET Sapporo-Niseko 雪祭り Tour

In February of 2010, I was voluntold onto the HAJET (Hokkaido Association for Japanese Exchange Teachers) Prefectural Council in the role of Social Coordinator. At the time, I wasn't sure what to expect for I largely saw the HAJET organization as little more than a group of people interested in setting up parties for Hokkaido ALTs.