The Kono brothers, Katsuyuki, Kenji, and Naoto, were born and raised in Nozawa Onsen Village. Their paths have intersected at times, sometimes together, sometimes separately, but all three have been involved in skiing for over 30 years, and continue to ski based in Nozawa Onsen. The
only time all three have gone on a ski trip together was in 2006 to New Zealand. Their first ski trip in about 20 years took them to the "Hokkaido Powder Belt," located in the heart of Hokkaido and boasting some of the world's best powder snow.
Let's take a look at the fun and excitement of their trip through their conversations during their leisurely journey in a camper van.
Profile of the Kono Brothers
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Naoto Kono,
born in 1988. Based on his high level of skiing skills, he has experience in freestyle competitions. His snowboarding skills are already at a professional level. He has a unique sense of style that combines the sideways movement of snowboarding with the vertical movement of skiing. In winter, he supports the operation of events in various places, and in summer he works in agriculture. His nickname is Naossan, and he is called that by his family as well. Instagram@naossan
Katsuyuki Kono,
born in 1981. The only one of his brothers to travel to Austria alone, he traveled around Europe aiming for the world stage in alpine skiing. After returning to Japan, he participated in ski cross while also working on video production. Currently, he is involved in a wide range of businesses, including the family inn "Shirakaba," the restaurant Shichirobei Coffee, and rentals. Instagram @katzukono
Kenji Kono
, born in 1983. He has been immersed in alpine skiing since childhood and traveled the world for 12 years as a ski cross World Cup athlete. He has also participated in the X-Games twice. We operate accommodations and restaurants within Nozawa Onsen. Instagram @kono_kenji
First ski trip in 19 years
Editorial team: It's not often that the three of you get to go skiing together, is it?
Naoto Kono (hereinafter, Nao-san): There were some mountains near Nozawa Onsen for filming. I think I went to Hokkaido with Katsu a few times.
Katsuyuki Kono (hereinafter, Katsu): I went.
Kenji Kono (hereinafter, Kenji): This is my first ski trip in 19 years.
Katsu: It's been a while since we went to New Zealand for filming. That was for the MCV shoot. We submitted a proposal to the snow park and card roner and they gave us lift tickets so we could ski freely.
(Note) MCV = A ski unit centered around the Kono brothers and the Ueno brothers, which handled filming and video production.
Kenji: Isn't that true for treble cones too?
Nao-san: The Cardroner Open was held, right? Cross and Pipe.
Kenji: Were you in it?
Nao-san: That was the only competition I'd ever participated in. It was my first time overseas, and even though I couldn't speak English, Kenji told me to exchange money in Hong Kong where we were transiting. I thought, "I can't speak English!" (laughs).
Kenji: Daisuke (Daisuke Sasaki) and Sugimura (photographer Wataru Sugimura) were with us the whole time too. Back then, I was really into halfpipe, and that's basically why we went to the snow park.
Nao-san: I went all the way to New Zealand and only did halfpipe...
・・・
The three chose Hoshino Resorts' campervan plan as their mode of transportation for their trip. The 4-night, 5-day plan allowed for free movement between
locations. While sleeping and staying in the campervan, they could use some of the facilities at Hoshino Resorts Tomamu and OMO7 Asahikawa by Hoshino Resorts, and breakfast, bathing facilities, and parking were included. It was perfect for those who wanted to adjust their activities according to their needs. Renting for the maximum number of four people offered good value for money.
The places we visited this time were Hoshino Resort Tomamu, OMO7 Asahikawa as our base, Nayoro Piyashiri Ski Resort, Santa Present Park, Kamui Ski Links, and the BC area in Kamifurano.
Nayoro is located in the northern part of the "Hokkaido Powder Belt," but the low temperatures are a feature of Hokkaido's inland climate. Temperatures can drop to minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius or lower, so the snow is dry powder as light as a bird's feather. Accumulated snow tends to dry out, losing moisture, so even with little snowfall, good conditions can be created. As a result, there are always great spots lurking somewhere.
If I hadn't continued skiing, I wouldn't be over 40 and traveling with the three of us.
At Tomamu, try the "Mt. Karifuri CAT Tour." A snowmobile is waiting in a field about a 20-minute drive from the ski resort, and after donning safety gear, you board. The comfortable, heated cabin can accommodate up to 12 people, and you can enjoy 4-6 runs over the course of a half-day.
Editorial team: If you didn't share a common hobby of skiing, would you all still go on a trip together at this age?
Nao-san: If you give me a Sapporo Classic, I'll go anywhere. I'll leave the sledding to the two of you.
Katsu: I don't think I'll go.
Kenji: When I was in New Zealand, I was really stoic, focusing only on skiing.
Nao-san: Every day, I'd ski from morning till night, go back to the inn, eat, sleep, and then ski again. I think I could only do that because I was in my early twenties.
Kenji: It's not quite like that now, and besides skating, I also go out into town to eat and drink. It's also fun to visit places I've never been before.
Katsu: I've also started snowboarding.
Nao-san: It would be great if we all went snowboarding together!
Kenji: I can't keep up, haha
(Note: Katsuyuki Kono and Naoto are skilled enough to film while snowboarding)
・・・
Having thoroughly enjoyed their first visit to Tomamu, the three headed north towards Asahikawa. Their base in Asahikawa was OMO7 Asahikawa by Hoshino Resorts.
Like in Tomamu, they stayed in a campervan, but they could have breakfast and relax in the lobby. They also had access to the famous Sauna Plateau. The resort was equipped with facilities for waxing skis and a drying room to warm up wet or cold boots and skis.
After arriving, we start with a toast and a strategy meeting. While toasting with Mountain City Pub's original craft draft beer, we discuss the weather for the next few days and the conditions at the surrounding ski resorts. At times like this, the live camera at the ski resort in the building, which allows us to see the ski resort conditions in real time, is very useful. So, where should we go from tomorrow?
Is there a secret to continuing skiing for a long time?
Editorial team: Do you have any secrets to continuing to ski for a long time?
Nao-san: Now that I've started surfing, I think I understand a little bit of what it's like for people to travel to surf spots far away.
Kenji: What do you mean?
Nao-san: In the summer, I go surfing from Nozawa to the Pacific Ocean quite often. It's great to see my friends, and it's like meeting the locals and surfing together. I travel for hours to get to the field, but I didn't find it that difficult. It's surprisingly close.
Kenji: If you find a place you like and keep going there, you'll have more opportunities to become friends with the locals. What about you, Katsu?
Katsu: It's good to take a trip during the season. It's important to go somewhere different from where you usually go. And then there's training. You need quite a bit of preparation to ski, haha. I get injured so easily these days. Kenji goes to quite a few places besides Nozawa, right?
Kenji: Every year, we go to various ski resorts and mountains in Hokkaido, Hakuba, and for Vector's test ride events.
Editorial team: You've been skiing at Nozawa Onsen for nearly 40 years, don't you ever get bored?
Kenji: I never get bored of it.
Nao-san: I never get bored of it. It's like a garden. So I don't have feelings like "it's so much fun" or "it's so boring."
Kenji: I have quite a few.
Katsu: I do both snowboarding and skiing, so it's interesting because each offers different situations where you can enjoy it. I also work as a racing coach, so I get to watch other people ski, which is educational too.
Editorial team: Even if you keep skiing at the same ski resort and get older, is there always something new to learn?
Katsu: Yes, absolutely. When I'm with the kids, I wonder if I can actually do what I've told them. If I can't, then there's a problem with how I'm telling them, and I need to use words that are reproducible. Also, sometimes they can't do something because they lack the physical ability, so physical ability is important.
Nao-san: My physical condition has improved. That's why, even when I go out drinking, I still wake up on time in the morning.
Kenji: That will come after you're past your unlucky year, haha. It'll hit you the moment the festival (the Dōsojin Festival on January 15th) ends.
Nao-san: Well, I don't really compare myself to my past self. It's not about what I could do in the past, but what I can do now. That's good enough.
Kenji: Skiing has always been fun. I'm involved in ski manufacturing, but I'm still totally hooked on it. Snow quality and conditions don't matter. Of course, it's great to ski on good snow, but to put it extremely, as long as it's white, it's fine.
Nao-san: That's a line from Taguchi-san in the green (closing) scene.
Katsu: Persona (the documentary film by Ebis Films), Persona.
・・・
Thoughts on Nozawa Onsen during the trip
Nao-san: When I was in the lower grades of elementary school, I was in a mogul skiing troupe. There was a guy named Osamu (Ueno) in it.
Kenji: Toru Mori, when I was in elementary school, he suddenly did a 360 on the slopes and I thought, "That's amazing!"
(Note) Toru Mori was from Nozawa Onsen. He was a member of the All Japan Freestyle Skiing Moguls team. He was a candidate to represent Japan in moguls at the Nagano Winter Olympics, but was diagnosed with stomach cancer in September 1997. After a long battle with the disease, he died in 1998 at the young age of 25.
Katsu: Toru-san used to do alpine skiing, but before I knew it he was doing moguls. Maybe we're from different generations. Was he about 10 years older than me? No, that's not right.
Kenji: He's probably about 6 or 7 years older.
Nao-san: When I was little, my older brothers weren't home, so in the spring I'd go into the stream with the mogul skiers, make bumps, and jump in the park. There were just so many skilled people there.
I liked skiing, but I hated alpine skiing. I really hated practicing. It wasn't fun at all.
Kenji & Katsu: (bursts into laughter)
Katsu: I said (that I disliked it) about three times, lol.
・・・
Kenji: Surfers go to the local beach, right? Until now, Nozawa hasn't really had that kind of atmosphere.
Nao-san: Yeah, the local old guys are really energetic.
Kenji: I think that if the older guys in Nozawa, people our age, aren't skiing a lot, the next generation and younger generations won't come along. There's an atmosphere of "It looks fun, skiing is great."
Nao-san: There are a lot of surfers like that, aren't there? Like local heroes.
Kenji: Back in our day, it was normal to completely quit skiing once the competitions were over. Nobody decided that, it was just the way things were. If we changed that, things would become much more interesting. I keep skiing because I feel I have a role to play in that.
Editorial team: It would be great if the current generation of athletes involved in the sport could achieve that.
Kenji: In sports, you're bound to lose someday, so try to have that kind of tolerance while you're still playing. That way, it'll be easier after you retire. It's easy to get the impression that you quit because you lost, but that's not true. Everyone loses someday.
Editorial team: We want people to understand that it's not just about winning or losing, but also about the enjoyment and fun aspects. A lot of people quit once they finish school.
Nao-san: That's true. There are a lot of them.
Kenji: I started getting better at skiing around college... I feel like I got better at skiing after I started ski cross after graduating. I think... it probably has a positive influence.
Katsu: I feel like my skiing has improved since I started snowboarding. Like gliding on the whole surface? Before that, I only ever glided using the edges, and I couldn't imagine gliding on the whole surface. I relied too much on the edges, haha.
・・・
Kenji: It's been a while since the three of us skied together, and I realized that everyone's gotten better at skiing than before.
Katsu: Yeah, it was fun. I'm glad I was able to ski calmly and safely. It was a close call, though. I'm starting to understand how to enjoy traveling, whether it's skiing or not.
Nao-san: Even now, I still prefer skiing on the slopes rather than in the mountains.
Katsu: Santa's night game was fun, wasn't it?
Editorial staff: He immediately said he wanted to go home after the night session. He said, "Two runs is enough, let's go home, let's go home."
Katsu: Hahaha. It's best to go home when you feel like you're almost there. That's what leads to the next step. If you push yourself to the limit there, you'll be satisfied. If you ski with just one more run to go, you'll definitely mess up in all sorts of ways.
Kenji: I still tend to slip quite a bit, you know.
・・・
In the mid-2000s, the ski unit "MCV" was formed by the three Kono brothers and the three Ueno brothers from Nozawa Onsen, who were involved in filming and film production. Through videos and events, they advocated free and fun skiing, from park to big mountain, based on the techniques they had cultivated since childhood in alpine racing.
The three Kono brothers, all of whom have jobs, families, and positions of responsibility, escaped their everyday lives for a moment to spend quality time in a single car, enjoying skiing in various locations. This camper trip was a reminiscence of the days they spent nearly 20 years ago.
No matter how old you are, ski trips are great.
This winter, let's take a trip to a snowy mountain somewhere.
Photo:Takahiro Nakanishi
Information
Hoshino Resorts Tomamu
079-2204 Nakatomamu, Shimukappu-mura, Yufutsu-gun, Hokkaido
URL:https://www.snowtomamu.jp
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OMO7 Asahikawa by Hoshino Resorts
〒070-0036 1-9-1, 6-jo-dori, Asahikawa, Hokkaido
URL:https://omo-hotels.com/asahikawa/
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our campervan tour around Hokkaido's powder belt
:https://japan-crc.com/hoshino-hpb-campingcar/jp/
the Karifuri-dake CAT tour
:https://www.snowtomamu.jp/winter/ski/ski-slope/cat/