Here I am basking in central heating in Hokkaido. I came to try out Japan's rugged north for the winter where only five percent of Japan's population dares to live, along with 3,000 higuma, or brown bears. Hokkaido is famous for its wide-open spaces and dairy cows.
But I've been here a week and haven't seen any of this. I have been through the towns of Kutchan, Niseko and Hirafu and have no idea what they look like. This is because since I've been here, I haven't been able to see more than a meter in front of me at a time.
They say that in Niseko, it doesn't snow; it dumps. And so far, it has dumped over 30 cm of snow every night. Every morning, I have to shovel myself out of my dwelling.
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