Leaving on a prop plane...

After the complimentary breakfast at the cafe in the Richmond Hotel of pancakes, bacon and eggs where the waitress seemed mighty interested in the fact we weren't Japanese ( Australia? Oooooh) we rolled out into the snow and caught a taxi to the airport. The taxi driver didn't seem convinced we'd be flying today. I wasn't convinced the taxi driver would get us to the airport. We'd also asked the hotel receptionist to call the airport to see if our flight would be flying too. She found out that no decision would be made till 9.30AM. Very reassuring.
After a little confusion at the airport as to what and when the flight we were on (there's like two flights a day) we actually took off on time. They get the military out to clear the airport of snow I think. Just before we boarded though we were told that depending on the weather in Sapporo we may have to return to Matsumoto. Sweet.
After an hour and a half of relatively bump free propeller action at 23,000 feet we arrived on time in Sapporo. Almost as much snow in Sapporo as Matsumoto. Hokkaido, the island that Sapporo is the capitol, is known for its cold winters though.