Fall 2002 Newsletter

SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR THE WINTER NEWSLETTER IS NOV. 31st!.

Letter from the editors

SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR THE WINTER NEWSLETTER IS NOV 31st!Please send all submissions (in MS Word Doc as attachments) to newsletter@outdoorsig.com

Letter from the President

With so much going on I hardly know where to begin. Let me start by welcoming our 400 or so new members! Thank you for choosing to join what has become the largest Special Interest Group (SIG) in the JET program. I especially appreciate those who took the time to come and talk to either Tim Wagner or myself at the AJET Bazaars during orientation. I hope we were able to answer many of your questions and get you pumped about Outdoorsig. For those who didn't get a chance to attend the Bazaars I urge you to take a look at our website www.outdoorsig.com, especially the EVENTS and ABOUT US sections. Also, please make sure to read the Important Information for New Members contained in this newsletter.

I have been a member of Oudoorsig for 2 years now, and have continued to be in contact with past presidents and volunteers. I have met some great people through this organization, and I am proud to say that this year looks to be our best yet. When I joined Outdoorsig at Tokyo Orientation B in 2000 it was still a relatively new SIG, having been formed only 2 years earlier by a JET in Aomori. As an outdoor enthusiast he recognized the need for more outdoors related information for JETs in Japan. For one year he single handedly ran Outdoorsig: compiling newsletters, mailing them out, liaising with AJET, etc. The following year he enlisted the help of two Iwate JETs. Together they were able to increase membership and organize more events. When I joined the following year Outdoorsig was still sending out paper newsletters 2 or 3 times a year. In May of 2001, however, we changed over to a web-based organization. The reasoning was simple, this would allow us to interact better with our members, and give us more time to organize new events. Indeed, it has allowed us to grow in ways I never thought possible. For example, it has enabled us to enlist the help of local volunteers in areas where no one has been in the past, as well as spread the word about Outdoorsig to new JETs who have not yet arrived in Japan.

This year Outdoorsig is coordinating and planning many outdoor activities in Japan. As I am writing this a group of 8 Outdoorsig'ers are planning a trip to Hokkaido on October 6th for the 3rd annual Niseko Adventure Race. Like the Sado Island Earth Festival in August, this event is planned by another organization, and we work to organize the logistics with our members as well as help to subsidize the entry fee.

The most popular and longest running Outdoorsig Event is called Powdatopia. Held every year in Hokkaido and Aomori this year is looking to be the best yet. Check out the article about it in this newsletter issue and mark your calendars. If you like water sports and traveling to exotic islands in the middle of nowhere you should keep the weeks of March23rd and 31st free. Either one of these weeks is tentatively when we will be going on our second annual Bonin Islands Paradise trip. Except for the 24-hour ferry ride, this trip is heaven on earth. In fact I will personally be leading it! Other events include a May white water rafting trip in Tochigi, and a late June Fuji Hike. For more information on these events and others please refer to our website.

Hopefully, you will get out and explore Japan on your own too. Outdoorsig can help here as well. On our website you will find a wealth of information about different activities in Japan. You will also have the chance to interact with other JETs with similar interests all over Japan. If you want to organize an event in your area or simply get information please contact Dave at events@outdoorsig.com.

The future looks bright for Outdoorsig. By adding new information and links to our website, increasing our events, and expanding out volunteer network, our goal of increasing awareness about the outdoors in Japan is steadily becoming a reality. This organization is run by a group of volunteer JETs. However, in order to grow we need everyone to get involved. There are many ways to do this including signing up to our discussion list (discussed below) and advertising an event in your area; better yet, submit a short article to newsletter@outdoorsig.com describing an outdoor experience you have had here in Japan; or even better why don't you volunteer to help out as a National Crew member, event coordinator, or as a Prefectural Coordinator. If you want to help out please contact Dane at interact@outdoorsig.com.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I want to emphasize that we are dependent upon our members getting involved. We currently REALLY need people with computer access and or knowledge to help us manage our membership and edit the website. Also, if there are no events in your area, or information about it on the website this does not mean that there is nothing to do. It just means that no one has told us about it. If this is the case why not get out and explore, and then either send the info on the discussion list, or directly to us to put into the newsletter. I hope to see many of you on the trail, or on the slopes. You are always free to come visit me in Aomori.

Sincerely,
John Marshall
Outdoorsig President
pres@outdoorsig.com

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Letter from the Interactive Guy

OSIG does not exist with out prefectural representatives. It becomes just a group of guys who work really hard to create this huge OSIG dream, complete with websites, seasonal news letters (to let you know all about what you missed),empty discussion lists... and little reunions for the national crew and some of their friends, (in the most beautiful powder in Japan, the most beautiful islands in Japan, listening to the biggest drums in Japan, and having rockin good times). Meanwhile, all of you are sitting around having spent your 500 yen to get a bunch of e-mail about things that are probably inaccessible to you.

This is why we need prefectural reps. Someone to write to the JETs in their prefecture and ask them what activities they like to do. Direct them to where they can get information about these activities, or ideally, to organize a couple events. But most of all, to represent. 400+ members and not much is happening. Youku nai yo.

Since you signed up for OSIG I imagine that you are getting outdoors, (at least twice a year), and doing things you like to do. Why not just send a couple e-mails and get some more people from your Prefecture together? All we ask is that you, as a Prefectural Representative, plan two events for the other OSIGers in your ken.

Here are the steps to planning an event. This is just a suggestion of steps. Planning your approach is up to you.

1. Decide the TYPE OF EVENT and the DATE OF THE EVENT
2. Decide upon any COSTS involved
3. SEND EMAIL TO events@outdoorsig.com with your idea and we'll $pon$or it
4. Post a message on the INTERACTIVE PAGE (http://groups.yahoo.com/outdoorsig/).
5. Send an EMAIL TO THE OSIG EMAIL DISCUSSION LIST: outdoorsig@yahoogroups.com.
6. Send an EMAIL TO YOUR PREFECTURAL LISTBOT (e.g. aomori@yahoogroups.com ) ....and neighbouring kens (thru the pref rep list... (e.g. iwate@outdoorsig.com reaches the Iwate-ken area rep).......it's ok to get non-OSIGers involved . . . we just ask that they join OSIG if it's a sponsored event.
7. Get a list of those interested.
8. Draw up an itinerary . . . confirm with participants.
9. HOLD THE EVENT!
10. Ask a participant to write an article...e-mail it to us (at newsletter@outdoorsig.com ) within a couple of weeks after the event and we'll publish it in the newsletter and on the website.

The only kens that have confirmed Pref Reps are: Hokkaido North and South,Iwate, Tochigi, and Saitama, I think we have reps for Aomori, Yamagata, Fukushima, Gunma, Chiba, Gifu, Hyogo, Nara, and Hiroshima, (if you can confirm any of these please email me).

• If you want to know who your pref rep is, email me.
• If you are interested in planning a trip, email me.
• If you like to see your name on emails to your ken, email me.
• If you know someone who wants to sign up for OSIG, email me.
• If you want more information about being a pref rep, email me.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR THE WINTER NEWSLETTER IS NOV 31st!!!

Outdoorsig has two mailing lists set up with yahoo groups. They are called outdoorsignewsletter and outdoorsig. The first is an announcement list, which only the National Crew can post messages to. All new members have automatically been signed up to this list (hence your receiving this e-mail). This list is used to send out our seasonal newsletter as well as other important information to all our 700 or so members. Please send all info that you wish to be included to newsletter@outdoorsig.com.

The outdoorsig list is a discussion list, which any member can use to post messages and publicize upcoming events. It is also a good way to hear about events in your area and meet people with similar interest. I strongly urge everyone to use this list, otherwise no one will know about the many "spur of the moment" outings that are not included in our seasonal newsletters. You will all be added to this list soon as well. Once you have become a member you can post messages to the whole group by sending e-mails to outdoorsig@yahoogroups.com. If you have a Yahoo! ID you can also join by going tohttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/outdoorsig and clicking on "join this group." If you have a Yahoo! Id you can also post photos and files on this site.

For Your Information:

We know how frustrating it can be to receive loads of junk mail. Members of the Newsletter list can expect to receive about 2 emails per month on average. The discussion list postings vary greatly (sometimes none sometimes 10 a month). We ask all members to limit their postings to Japan and outdoor related topics and send replies directly, rather than to the whole group. You can unsubscribe from both of these lists at any time by following the instructions contained at the bottom of every message.

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Upcoming events

THE ANNUAL NISEKO ADVENTURE TRIATHALON: Oct 5-7
Get in shape now! OSIG puts a team in every year.10km raft, 20km Mt bike, 10km run .....hosted by the Niseko Adventure Centre.Check out their website.Come and check out the race and join in on the after race debauchery with the OSIG team!!!

INTERNATIONAL BUY NOTHING DAY
Nov 23 (every year).It's one of the ECO projects that OSIG has decided to support....Nov 23 very year....reminds us that the easiest way to reduce out collective environmental impact is to buy fewer things....a simple message. SO....on Nov 23rd try to buy nothing.

ECOSIG AUTUMN GATHERING
EcoSIG is holding an environmental conference/gathering with workshops in the Kyoto International Community House, Keage, Kyoto City, on Sunday 3rd November. All are welcome and the more the better. It will be a very relaxed (though important!) day and people are free to come and go as they please. With days off on either side to take in the sights, the Sunday is set aside to relax at the fantastic International Community House (ICH) in Keage, near the centre of Kyoto, and take part in the most important JET environmental event this year: The EcoSIG Autumn Gathering. For those interested in either Japan, or the environment, globalism, green English lessons, web design, indymedia, cycling (it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to talk to this year's B.E.E. team face to face, the cyclists who will have just completed crossing the length and breadth of Japan), or simply meeting other JETs and Japanese, this is a perfect event to join in.

If you would like any information on the event, the ICH, or Kyoto and its environs (places to stay, go, etc), then please contact us at the below email address or check for updates on the web sitewww.geocities.com/green_in_japan. Send all queries to Andrew Cerini or Dan Black, National Coordinators http://www.geocities.com/naganojet/ Background info on all the places to ski in Nagano: http://www.skijapanguide.com/2002/resorts/postPreResort.php

- SCUBA SIG TRIPS- winter break, spring break, Golden week and the summer SCUBA SIG WINTERBREAK TRIP (In 2001, trip was to Koh Tao, Thailand)The winterbreak SCUBASIG is to the beaches of Thailand and KohTao. They offer any number of different courses/options often with free accomodation.Contact SCUBASIG at: scuba_sig@hotmail.com for further deatils.

POWDATOPIA
Hosted at two of the best powda spots in Japan. Niseko Hirafu, Hokkaido AND Mt. Hakkoda, Aomori.

8 days, two mountains and endless powder for all the die hard ski and snowboard freaks across Japan. ALL THE INFO SHOULD BE ON THE SITE IN MID OCTOBER!!! ***REGISTER EARLY!!!*** Keep your eyes peeled.

OSIG's BONIN ISLANDS PARADISE trip (over spring break)

Join OSIGers from all over Japan in our annual trip to the 'Galapagos of the East' Spend three or nine days (depending on how much time you can afford) on the island exploring on the jungle trails, diving by torpedoed wartime wrecks, sea kayaking, snorkeling over amazing coral and even more wrecks, whale watching, hanging out with sea turtles, drinking, etc. Unfortunately as it's a national park there is no camping on the island so we have to stay at a hostel. "A truly magical trip"

**** WE ARE LOOKING FOR:ADMINISTRATION and WEB MASTERS to be on the NATIONAL CREW as well as PREFECTURAL REPS.....IF YOU ARE INTERESTED CONTACT US at:interact@outdoorsig.com

Dane and Dave
OutdoorSIG Events Staff
events@outdoorsig.com

This month's articles

BREAKDOWN OF JAPAN'S REGIONS
Fuji Pre-season Climb (2001)- by Hutch
Atago-san (Aug. 2002)- by John Marshall
Hiking In Niseko and Daisetsuzan (summer 2002) - by Hutch
Hayachine-san Climb (Sept. 2002)- by Dave LeRose
Komagatake-san Hike (Sept. 2002)-by Tony Esteves
Mount Daisen (2001) - Gerard Taaffe
T wall Climbing in Japan (2001)- Michiko Noda
Surfing and Bodyboarding in Northern Iwate (2002) - by Hutch
Iwate Horsewhispers (1999)- Tyrone Weems

Tidbits Corner

"ASSTROUSERS!!"
(A Finnish slur used often when playing cards by headlamp in the emergency shelter as the base of Asahidake, Daisetsuzan range, Hokkaido, mid Aug 2002)

"Make sure you wear eye protection when licking the toads' ass"
(Marcel... in describing the appropriate way to guard against the blinding chemicals resinating from the hallucinogenic toads found on Chichijima, OSIG Ogasawara trip in March -aka the Bonin Island Paradise trip.

EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT (ESID)

A selection from Earth Jonathan Bennett`s comics at: www.angelfire.com/comics/esid/

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