MikeK wrote:I guess those stereotypes of Japan died a long time ago for me... probably when I met people from Japan, but I don't think I ever really thought like that.
I hope so.
Thanks to current Internet Age, more and more people would learn what is going on really in foreign countries. Whether or not ones have strongly biased images toward foreign cultures may depend on their education levels or their experiences of going abroad. Since I haven't been to the US or Canada for more than ten years, I don't know much about their perspectives of today toward foreign cultures. However, I wonder if there are still many conservatives who believe that their homelands are the best in the world in any points of view without having any firsthand knowledge.
MikeK wrote:I told a Japanese friend at work I was watching some Japanese skiers, he didn't seem to think the skiing in Japan was great. I told him it looked pretty good to me. Where are you guys skiing BTW? On Hokkaido? Or Norther Honshu? I'm assuming he is from Tokyo but I never asked. He is enjoying the skiing here in NY!
They are skiing mainly in Northern Honshu, and we see many Australians, Americans and Canadians visiting ski resorts over there nowadays.
Like you don't know everything about skiing in the US, the opinions of your Japanese friend may not stand for skiing in Japan well. It's true that there're not so many ski-nuts like me over here.

Yes, actually it's not easy to go for skiing every weekend from Tokyo area. Accessibility may affect one's liking for skiing very much.
The flowing river never stops and yet the water never stays the same.