Sean MacDonnell Online

As I am traveling to Japan this year, for sixty four days, for shenanigans; and as an Australian who has never seen the snow – I have some hurdles to overcome when planning the trip.

Not the least of which is: I have no winter gear. None.

In Australia I get on just fine with my shorts and shirts, but I have been reliably informed that if I try the same thing during a Japanese winter; that I will “freeze my bollocks off.”

So, it was off to the local Mountain Designs, Fremantle to purchase all of the things I need to survive the cold Japanese winter, and probably only wear once.

Luckily, they were having a store wide %25 percent off sale when I visited, which cut down on my costs considerably – so, after getting advice from the helpful people in the shop, I purchased a lot of stuff: Beanie, snow gloves, thermal pants, thermal shirt, snow proof pants cover, a jumper, a rain jacket, and waterproof boots.

Since then, I’m on my third pair of boots.

I consider footwear to be important on this trip, because I will be backpacking and walking everywhere, so I would need to get a snowproof and waterproof shoe to protect me from the harsh elements.

Besides walking around Japans urban areas, I could be looking at icy paths and a 12 night stop over on the snow fields of Niseko, Hokkaido means that I will be in deap snow – so I wanted a boot that could fill both roles, and be comfortable enough to wear every day, to keep down the weight of my backpack.

Footwear #1

My first pair were Merrel Shoes (Men` Moab Ventilator), which came highly recommended to me.

It soon became apparent that I was a huge idiot, as no matter how comfortable the shoes are for walking, and no matter how waterproof they are – it doesn’t matter if snow and water can just get in the top.

So I took  them back, apologized profusely and traded then in for something more reasonable.

Footwear #2

Unfortunately, on my return to the store – they had sold out of all of their US size 13 boots.

So, I had no choice but to purchase a size 14 – I got these Keen Targhee II Mid Hiking Boots, which looked great, and felt light and were only $40 more than the last pair.

Unfortunately, because of the boot size difference, they rubbed my heel raw within an hour of putting them on; so I had to hobble back to the store.

Footwear #3

This is where the buck stops.

Luckily for me, when I returned the Keen’s they had had a new shipment of boots in that morning, which meant I got to choose size 13′s!

These Salomon Explorer GTX Boots are fantastic, they are made of Gortex which is pretty complex stuff, but essentially means they are light, waterproof and allow the foot to breath.

I have been wearing these shoes for about 2 days now, and I am happy with them.

I’ll let you know how they handle in Japan.

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boots, japanese trip 2009-2010, shoes