Canyoning in the Gunma Prefecture

Now for the reason we took our trip to Minakami, Japan. It all started last summer while camping in Yagen Valley when the campfire conversation was reliving the exciting jump from a small cliff into the 6 foot deep stream. (I know...smart right)

Well someone brought up canyoning during this conversation and mentioned that there is a place in Japan that has tours. After a few days of digging we found the Canyons Adventure Experiences company which could show us the way to even larger cliffs and much deeper water as well. It wouldn't be until over one year later that we finally pulled the trigger and setup our very own canyoning trip.

Having arrived in Minakami late Saturday night, we got a full nights rest before setting off to the Canyons office on Sunday morning. After meeting up with Mike, our guide with 12 years experience and considered to be one of the pioneers of canyoning in Japan, it was time to get into our wetsuits, strap on our life jackets and helmets. We loaded up in the van and set off for our first half of the day in Maple canyon which turned out to be a great warm up for the second half of the day. Here are the pictures from the first half of the day.

Fake smiles as everyone gets over the initial shock of the cold water

Trekking back further into the canyon

All 10 of us heading down the large slide

Sandy & I headfirst down the slide

Sandy headfirst and backwards down a slide and into a pool

While the first half of the day was a good time by anyone's measure, we were all looking forward to the second half in Fox River where the cliffs and slides were supposed to be about triple the size of the ones from Maple Canyon. Fox River did not disappoint.

From the very start we laid down in a slide and headed into the canyon. It was literally 15 minutes in and we were faced with a 60 foot waterfall which we were about to ride into a giant pool down below.


From the top you could barely see what you were getting yourself into...but from the bottom you're able to look back on what was one helluva ride.

After the waterfall we climbed up the wall and onto a pedestrian bridge over the pool that we had just been dropped into and then made our way out onto a wooden chairlift. A few pulls of a rope and we were again out over the pool, but this time suspended in mid air by a handle bar before letting go and falling over 45 feet into the water below.




As if that wasn't enough of a rush, we then took it upon OURSELVES (not part of the tour as clearly indicated by our guides) to leap from the 50 foot bridge. I think this was the best part of the entire day.


The rest of the course was just as fun but couldn't quite compare to the size of the jumps and drops above. I could put up another 50 pictures of everyone sliding, jumping, flipping, and diving from cliffs and waterfalls alike, but I think you get the idea by now.

After our tour was over we got our Canyons membership cards which opens up a whole new list of canyoning adventures. Unfortunately Sandy and I won't be able to take full advantage of them as we're now two months away from PCSing to Virginia. Maybe somewhere along the way we'll get another chance to do some extreme hiking, but until then this experience will be one not soon forgotten.


Pictures made possible by Eddie's shockproof, waterproof Olympus Camera

Hotakasan Campground

Ten of us set off from Misawa for the 8+ hour drive down to the Gunma Prefecture. Specifically the Minakami area in search of this amazing time Europeans call "Canyoning" and Americans have coined "Canyoneering." Details on that in a post to follow.

Our home for the Columbus Day weekend would be the Hotakasan Campground which turned out to be one of the nicest campgrounds we've ever stayed at. It had concrete pads setup randomly along a hillside in a dense birch forest with running water to wash dishes, cooking grates if you so chose, and an abundance of fire pits. My only complaint was that the bathroom smelled like a zoo. I guess that's an acceptable trade-off when next to it is a ¥200 hot shower.

As always, everyone packed enough to feast at every meal. From seasoned ribs, to the jambalaya, steaks, and smores in the evening and hash browns, bacon, eggs, steak, and Starbucks Coffee for breakfast. (Starbuckscourtesy of me of course)

About a 30 minute walk, or 5 minute drive, from the campground was a beautiful waterfall too.


Then the greatest benefit of all...the Takaragawa Onsen. Approximately a 20 minute drive from the campground, this three bath, open air, and all natural coed onsen hit the spot after a full day of banging up the body on rocks, waterfalls, and ropes. The actual bath names are Maka, Hannya, and Kodakara. Our favorite being the Maka bath which is one of the most famous onsens in all of Japan.
It is the most frequent bath featured in TV shows, magazines, and advertisements. The whole area is actually very public. While you're enjoying the onsen there are people...tourists even...walking within 10 or so feet of you along the trails. Interesting to say the least.


All in all, great accommodations with plenty of luxury nearby from a camping perspective. Sure wish we could head back and do this again!

Yagen Valley in the Fall

As summer turns to fall and our time here in Misawa comes closer to an end, we're getting our fill of travels, sights, and activities. Having had a great time on our last visit to Yagen we decided to get a large group of people together and head up for one last trip. Only difference in this trip was that the air was a little cooler and the leaves had just begun to turn.

Setting up near the main fire pit this time, the perfect weather made for a relaxing evening as the sun set behind the hills. Everyone had a chance to enjoy cold drinks and grill up their steaks, dogs, and eventually smores.

The rest of these pictures are from the valley and surrounding areas. On Sunday Sandy and I just headed off with no particular goal but the guarantee that the GPS would lead us home
eventually.



We're both going to miss the Shimokita Peninsula...especially in the Fall.

Sea Kayaking on Lake Ogawara

So in the process of researching things to do around Langley AFB in Virginia, I came across a website dedicated to sea kayaking. Reading a bit more I found myself becoming quite interested in the idea of a relaxing paddle in and around some of the channels that feed Hampton Roads.

Not having the first clue about what it takes to go Kayaking, off we went to Outdoor Recreation and signed up for the Sea Kayaking course here on base. While not an official course in any way, it's a prerequisite to being able to rent a kayak or participate in any of the kayaking trips offered by Outdoor Rec. Even though we don't have much time left to enjoy kayaking here, we figured this would be a good way to learn the basics of kayaking so that when/if we decide to buy our own we won't be starting out from absolute scratch.

After 3 hours in the pool on Thursday evening, it was out into Lake Ogawara for a leisurely paddle. A little history here, Lake Ogawara was used by the Imperial Japanese Navy to practice the attack on Pearly Harbor. The lake was chosen based upon its resemblance of Pearl and the depth of the water allowed pilots to practice launching torpedoes in conditions they could expect in Hawaii. Anyway, back into the water...

Since nobody had anything pressing to do today, we went for it all and set off to completely cross the entire lake, return back towards a northern point, and then follow the coastline all the way back to the base beach. It looked a little something like the map below and covered about 5 miles by my rough measure.

We were fortunate enough to have perfect weather throughout the morning. No wind, plenty of sun (too much sun for me), and a water temp that was quite refreshing when we ended up playing around with the different rescues. Below are some pictures of our trip around the lake.








At the end of the day we were plenty exhausted but we're both eager to see what the Virgina waters will have to offer us...oh, and Thailand too...I've read about some beautiful kayaking/canoeing trips that we can take advantage of in December.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles Game

Professional baseball in Japan is nothing close to what it is in the US. I think there are very few ballparks that carry the level of passion for the game as they do here in Japan. Our second year in a row attending a game over Labor Day weekend, we got started early Saturday morning on the Shinkansen.

The Japanese E2 Series Shinkansen. Traveling up to 170 miles per hour and providing a comfort level far beyond any bus, car, or plane. Well plane that you and I can afford anyway. After about two hours on the train we arrived in Sendai, walked about 6 blocks to our hotel, The Holiday Inn, and then made our way down to what is officially known as "Kleenex Stadium Miyagi." Home of the Rakuten Eagles.

Pregame festivities include everything from kids playing catch in the outfield, cheerleaders running up and down the foul lines, and a giant stinky fish fry outside the ballpark. With the game underway, the entire stadium was chanting each players custom fight song which I've yet to fully comprehend...even when the American players are up to bat.

Throughout the game we had rain showers come and go, saw some good baseball, ate "interesting" ballpark food, and participated in the 7th inning stretch custom of releasing these red balloons following a Japanese equivalent of Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

While the Eagles couldn't quite pull out a win in extra innings, we were both happy to be back in Sendai over Labor Day weekend and keeping with what seems to be our Ryan and Sandy standard for any trip...we enjoyed a solid downpour on the walk back to the hotel.