First trip with Japanese people

Dispite being here for 5 months now I still can't say that I have very close Japanese friends. Ofcause I have good friends at the lab, but just because we spend most of the day together doesn't make us close friends. Sure, they are nice, though my language problem still presents a big barrier in becoming close friends. Ofcause I can't say I haven't expected this, as it was pretty much the same when I was in Sweden, though the language problem was not much of an issue there. Still cultural differences and understanding takes time in making good friends.

This fact combined with the fact that most of my lab friends are either too busy with their lab research combined with part-time job, or are already in the work force (researchers from companies), means that up until not long ago, I haven't gone out on a trip with any of my Japanese friends before. This all changed last Wednesday when one of my Thai friends asked me weather I wanted to go on a ski trip with him and his Japanese lab mates on Thursday night (Friday happened to be a holiday). They happened to have a seat or two free on their car, and wanted someone to put in a share for the expenses. Dispite being given only one day's notice, I agreed to go since I rather enjoyed skiing when about two months ago, and my Thai friends said that his Japanese friends offered to teach him how to ski properly as well, which was a bonus. The trip was pretty tiring, we left Tokyo Friday (morning) a little past midnight, get to the ski resort in Nigata near morning, have a quick nap in the ski center's main hall, ski all day, take a bath at a bath house and take some moments at the hot spring, and be back by Friday night (same day). This, combined with the fact that Niigata is some 4 hours from Tokyo made up a very tiring trip in deed. I really don't know how those Japanese guys were able to drive after being so tired all day. Aside being properly taught how to ski, I also think I've learnt a thing or two about Japanese people in general during that trip. I was so tired I could hardly walk after skiing. In any case it was worth the time and money spent, and I hope that I would eventually get a chance for such a trip again.