Spring 2003 Newsletter

Letter from the Editor
Letter from the President
Bicycle for Everyone's Earth Ride 2003
Upcoming Events
Tidbits Corner
Exclusive Interview (with Ross Findlay)
This month's articles
Every Situation Is Different (ESID) Comic

SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR THE SUMMER NEWSLETTER IS JULY 10th.

Please send all submissions (in MS Word Doc as attachments) to newsletter@outdoorsig.com

Letter from the Editor

Welcome back everyone! Hope you have enjoyed the fabulous snowy winter and your refreshing Spring Holidays. Thank you Dave and John for organizing Powdatopia and the Bonin Island Trip! Otsukaresamadeshita!

At the moment, I am looking for a new Editor for the newsletter. I have had a great time being the Editor of the Newsletter, but my time is up. Two individuals would be better, that way the work can be divided amongst the two of you and there won't be as much stress.

Okay, back to the newsletter, for this issue, I was able to trek my way up to Niseko and get an exclusive interview with the creator and owner of the Niseko Adventure Centre (NAC). All I can say is, he is amazing. Read on to find out what I mean. But I must warn you, it is a long one! Also included are the accounts of OSIG members' adventures and little quirks. Yes, we have some great stuff in this issue, so get reading!

But more importantly, the deadline for the next issue (Summer) is JULY 10th. So send in your photos, stories, and quotes from your adventures! Afraid your little outing is not "outdoorsy" enough? Don't worry, if you had a great time, then it is worth recounting to your fellow OSIGers! I hope there will be plenty of stories.

The Newsletter chick,
Donna Chow
newsletter@outdoorsig.com

Letter from the President

Dear OutdoorSIGers,

All of us here at OutdoorSIG are pleased to announce that this year's Powdatopia was the best ever! It was the largest and most diverse group yet, with over thirty JETs coming from 9 prefectures. The award for farthest traveled goes to Sam and Joe, who came from Nagasaki. On top of this we had exceptional weather, except for the first day, and Karrina was the only one to walk away with an injury, after cutting herself trying to snowboard through a tree! Finally, I want to thank all of you for helping out and making this trip truly memorable. I hope to see you all next year!

From winter to summer! By the time you read this a group of OSIGers will have returned from our second annual Bonin Islands Spring Paradise trip. These 6 will have spent 3 to 9 days in the Ogasawara Island chain, perhaps Japan's best kept secret. Take a moment to read the report written by Ross about the trip below.

A big high five to Sara Russell our webmaster for all the work she has done recently on our website. She has worked hard to add a search engine to the www.outdoorsig.com website in order to facilitate finding information on our site. Now, you can simply type in the sport, prefecture, or any other keyword into the search box to receive a list of related articles. She has also added an Amazon section which contains books recommended by our members.

I also want to thank Dave LaRose for all the work he did to organize Powdatopia. Domos to Saitama Dane and Tim who have volunteered to help organize trips to Mt. Gassan during Golden Week, a Fuji san climb (June 28), and a whitewater rafting trip. Stay tuned!

Finally, OutdoorSIG is starting to prepare for the upcoming changeover of our national council members between May and June. This will coincide with the Returner's Conference in May, and the New Jet Orientation this July and August. If you want to see more events in your area please get involved. It isn't hard, and all you need is an internet connection. We need webmasters, treasurers, administrators, event coordinators and much more to help the excellent people who are staying on for another year. Contact me for details.

Happy Spring!
John Marshall
OutdoorSIG President
pres@outdoorsig.com

Bicycle for Everyone's Earth 2003

This is to let you know the annual Bicycle for Everyone's Earth Ride (BEE) is now open for team member sign-ups and on the road supporters. If you don't know, the BEE Ride is a bicycle journey from the northern to the southern tip of Japan during summer.

You may think that is a long way but you need not go the whole way. Though previous years' riders come away from the ride wishing they had gone longer. Seeing Japan by bike certainly is one of the best ways to go.

The ride suits anyone with a couple of months spare next summer, keen to cycling and would like to learn and share about environmental issues as they go. The ride took this years' team to many public schools, local communities, libraries, beaches and rivers to join in environmental activities on the way. They had a busy media schedule with a radio interview by phone most days with the odd TV appearance too. Apart from becoming a celebrity and saving the world, you get to stretch out on the open road and see some amazing scenery, camp in the outdoors or stay with other members of the JET (Japan Exchange Teaching Programme) community.

In other words, this is a great opportunity!

We currently have 4 people interested in joining the ride. More are welcome. From this core team we will be looking for a coordinator to see the project runs smoothly.

We already have a team of 15 on-the-road helpers (in different parts of Japan) who will provide support/arrange events along the route. But more are welcome!

The timing for sponsorship is very tight as we need to send any appeals for sponsorship out in December. This means a coordinator for the project must be decided in the next week or so.

If you would like more information about the BEE Ride, please see this year's website. The diary is particularly interesting.

http://www.beejapan.org/

For general information about EcoSIG, check out
http://www.geocities.com/green_in_japan/about.html

To speak directly with an EcoSIG coordinator, please reply to Andrew or Dan at ecosignc@yahoo.com or phone Andrew 076-288-4890 (after hours, also fax)

Upcoming Events

Hey Y'all,
Here's a little reminder about upcoming events heading your way care of OutdoorSIG. To start off, we would like to give a big congratulatory "hurray" to those who made the trip to the Bonin Islands (Ogasawara) at the end of March. You are certainly the envy of all who have knowledge of that place. Also, to those who made it to Gassan Yamagata for the Golden week ski trip, I hope you can let us know how it went.

Here is a little bit of yet to be definite info on the Pre-season Fuji-san Climb...
June 28 midnight ascent, June 29th decent and go home. No camping. Bring your own food. Dane (the co-ordinator) will try to arrange a bus from Fuji Nomia eki to Station five, and those taking part will go up from there. The meeting at Fuji Nomia would take place at around 8 or 9:00pm followed by some pre and post ascent partying. Bring a headlamp, batteries, warm clothes, rain clothes, and water.

So here is the formal outline of events that OutdoorSIG has taken part in over that past years. Remember everyone, OutdoorSIG is what its members make of it. If you want to help organize one of these events again this year or if you have a new event to try please email events@outdoorsig.com.

APRIL

-OSIG's GASSAN BACKCOUNTRY SPRING SKI TRIP (over Golden week) Gassan is famous for its season that doesn't BEGIN until April 1st!!! Gassan in Yamagata, Tohoku gets so much snow in the winter that it can't possibly plough the roads to the skijoo. Join other OSIGers skiing/boarding in t-shirts as you get a tan while exploring the backcountry around Gassan. Camping and partying just down the mountain. Check out the OSIG articles on Gassan on SkiJapanGuide:Gassan on SnowJapan.com

-EARTH DAY EVENTS
Earth Day Events (April 22 weekend) As OUTDOORSIG is all about the outdoors we try to take an active role in keeping our beautiful Earth clean. Starting in 2001 we have an ECO position on the national crew....and liaise with ECOSIG to promote such events as Beach and Hiking Trail Clean-ups......take a look at the OSIG Green Section in the OSIG seasonal newsletters. If you are thinking of organizing an Earth Day Event in your town....check out the awesome Earth Day Event Planner'S Guide on the Ecosig website.

MAY

-HOKKAIDO 'LOOP THE LAKE' BIKE TOUR Held around Lake Kussharo, a beautiful lake in Akan National Park. Quiet roads cover 3/4 of the distance around the lake, about 45 kms. The other 15 kms is off road riding. As not everyone is into off road riding, there are often 3 options: Option 1/ full circuit by bike, both off road and on road Option 2/ 45 kms road riding, 15 kms hiking/jogging/sprinting Option 3/ 45 kms road riding We hope these options will allow more people to participate. Camp at Wakato Hanto, a peninsular on the lake, with good facilities and two free rotenburo. The main event takes place on the Saturday daytime. Then there is a BBQ enkai at the campground. Other possible activities for the weekend include canoeing on the lake, windsurfing, soccer, other local onsens, and sightseeing. Maybe even horseback riding, if you can take it after the ride. In the past other Hokkaido bike tours have been attempted but were too hardcore for most (such as the 125km in one day 'Mountain to Sea' (M2S) tour. Check out the Outdoorsig website for past articles.

-OSIG's WHITEWATER RAFTING WEEKEND in Tochigi-ken (organized by Mike Sandstrom) Spend the day rafting, cliff jumping, and climbing a waterfall. The river is class 2 - 3 rapids. Nothing too wild but can offer a few good bumps here and there depending on the water level. It proves to be a good river for beginners and intermediate rafters. The thrilling part of the day is definitely the two hour waterfall climb and the numerous cliff jumps on the way. It climaxes at the top of the canyon with a 7-meter waterfall that you can jump off of!!! It is wicked cool. On the way down take some time to have lunch and then finish the day rafting with more cliff jumping on the way. Then we head to one of the local onsens to warm up....and off to the cabin. This in no ordinary cabin. It can house up to 40 people and is located in a great area. Spend the night drinking, playing cards, hangin' out at the fireplace, etc. To top it off, the next day there are some really cool waterfalls we can check out....just a hike up from the cabin. Stay tuned for further details.

-RENEWER'S CONFERENCE- 'NEW BALANCE MORNINGS' and CLIMB OF ROKKO-SAN at both the Tokyo and Kobe Renewers conferences we had some people interested in going jogging in the mornings!! (if you aren't hung over that is).....if you are into this drop us a line and we'll get you in touch with other such genki OSIGers....to decide on the where/when to meet each morning. Also on the weekend either before or after the Kobe Renewers Conference there is a CLIMB OF ROKKO-SAN.......a nearby mountain with a great view of Kobe and the surrounding area (highly recommended). Contact us if you're interested in either event. Lots of info about climbing Rokko-san Click Here

JUNE

-OSIG's PRE-SEASON FUJI-SAN CLIMB In order to miss the crowds on the "most climbed mountain in the world" OSIG's trip to Fuji-san is PRE-SEASON (How DO you close a mt. anyway?) No holiday necessary as we climb on a Sat night......to see the surreal sunrise on the Sunday morning. You might want to be in reasonable shape to attempt the 1700m vertical climb.

JULY

Interested in organizing an event!? We need your ideas and help. Drop us a line at events@outdoorsig.com

AUGUST

-OSIG's SADO ISLAND ALPINE HIKE and KODO EARTH CELEBRATION Sado Island's Earth Celebration (EC) - (Niigata-ken) An extended weekend trip in late August....a MUST to experience the very best of traditional Japanese and world music...very laid back...the taiko drum is featured prominently as EC is hosted by the world-famous KODO taiko drummers. Beach camping a must....and alpine hiking along the northern ridge truly breath-taking. Often, this is the final pinnacle and farewell for those leaving JET (after the one month of bumming around post-contract). Check out all the info on Earth Celebration thru the KODO website, and stay tuned for further information.

-OSIG's HOKKAIDO SUMMER PEAKS TREK Join other OSIGers as we trek around the hyakumeizan in Hokkaido....Niseko, Daisetsuzan range, Shiretoko peninsula, Rishiri Island etc. Inspired by the three Brits that hiked over the length of Japan on the 8,000km+ hyakumeizan challenge to raise money for landmine clearance.Check out their site.

HERE IS A LIST OF NON-OUTDOORSIG EVENTS

APRIL

NISEKO ADVENTRURE CENTRE.......In Hokkaido... Tons of well-organized events all year long......whitewater rafting races, sea kayaking camps, adventure survival camping, night trekking, concerts, parties.... and of course the annual Niseko Adventure Triathalon in which OSIG enters a team every year (see the OSIG EVENTS October section) Of course they run all kinds of snow stuff in the winter....given they are in the 'powda capital' of Japan! Check out their NEW WEBSITE

MAY

Know of any events? Drop us a line at events@outdoorsig.com

JUNE

-ROLL YOUR OWN BLACKOUT June 21 (every year) One of the ECO-PROJECTS that OSIG takes part in.... What better way to help the earth (and consequently the outdoors) than to join people all over the world on the same day and use as little energy as possible. On June 21st (the first day of summer) turn off all your lights and electrical appliances .........and roll your own blackout. For more info on the blackout Click Here

JULY

NAGANO TUBING RACE The Tenryu Tubing race happens in late July. A lot of fun and the perfect way to cool off. In 2001 Nagano JETs managed to scoop up some seriously cool prizes, including a BBQ set, collapsible chairs and a very fetching bag. The entry fee is in the region of 2000 yen which includes a free t-shirt. If you want more info, get in touch with Nagano AJET well in advance: Entry deadline is early July. For more info Click Here Also, see the All-Japan Tenryuugawa canoe championships in late August. Click Here

AUGUST

-FUJI ROCK FEST Held at Naeba ski resort in Nagano....every year....camp and party for three days straight. From the website: "We are pleased to welcome back to Fuji Rock Festival 2002, The Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, Alec Empire, Audio Active, Gomez, Shibusashirazu Orchestra and Brahman. Plus we have many FRF newcomers Spiritualized, The String Cheese Incident, Muse, Doves, Electric Soft Parade, the Parkinsons and so much more." For all the info check out www.fujirockfestival.com (there is an English version too!)

-IBARAKI AJET FUJI-SAN CLIMB
Ibaraki AJET usually runs a Fuji-san climb every year in August (soon after the new JETs arrive).....if you are interested in joining them in the climb contact them directly at http://www.ibarakijets.org

-SHIZUOKA AJET SUMMER FUJI-SAN CLIMB
High season in August with often crowded trails.......yet still chilly at the summit! Stay tuned for further info on the OSIG email discussion list.... The Annual Shizuoka AJET Fuji Climb.... I don't know how long the tradition has been going on, but every year at the end of the climbing season we like to round up the new ALTs who've just arrived and haven't had time to hear the horror stories to send them on an all-night climb up our prefecture's tallest inactive volcano, also known as Mt. Fuji, Fujisan, or That (long list of colorful and bitter expletives) Mountain That I Swear I Will Never Climb Again. Some say that being the first in Japan to see the lovely sunrise makes it all worth it, others, that it's just something that has got to be done, and still others, just are insane, I suppose. But there's something about the world's most photographed mountain that beckons. If you are eagerly awaiting your very own opportunity for self-abuse, keep an eye on the OutdoorSIG announcements and track down the newly inaugurated Shizuoka AJET Prefectural Representative sometime before August. The price is usually well under �6000 for a bus ride to and from Fujinomiya station to the starting gate at the 5th station, some volunteers to aid and abet, and some 50 or more comrades in climbing.

-FUJI-SAN MARATHON! (calling all 'human-lungs' out there!)
Each July, the Fujiyoshida City Hall hosts a half marathon beginning at City Hall (elevation 770 meters) and ending on the summit of Mt Fuji (elevation 3,776 meters). As you can tell from any photo of the graceful, perfectly conical Mt Fuji, the climbing angle only increases the higher that you go. Click Here for more info.

-BICYCLE for EVERYONE'S EARTH (BEE) ECOSIG trip (from Aug thru Oct) A multi-week trip for the eco-conscious and super genki!...travelling the entire length of Japan by bike to raise environmental awareness. The BEE Ride across Japan started in 1997 when a group of three ALTs rode their bicycles from Wakkanai, northern Hokkaido to Kagoshima, in southern Kyushu. The subsequent BEE Rides were equally successful. This year, get in on the Bicycle for Everyone's Earth.....no matter how small your contribution to the ride it would be much welcome. Check out their website at: http://www.beejapan.org

-SCUBA-SIG SUMMER TRIP TO Nha Trang, VIETNAM SCUBA-SIG will be diving with Rainbow Divers (www.divevietnam.com) in Nha Trang, Vietnam. They offer several different options, including boat dives, a variety of PADI courses, and trips to Whale Island. Vietnam is quickly emerging as a popular (but not too crowded) diving destination. Its coastline is about 3450km long, and except for around the Mekong Delta, the water visibility tends to be really good. Nha Trang, and the 70 or so islands offshore in its turquoise waters, boasts numerous dive spots to keep you busy. When not in the water, the Cham Towers of Po Nagar (built between the 7th and 12th centuries), the pagoda, and the nearby fishing villages will all conspire to lure you away from your fruity drink under the coconut palms. Usually held around the second week of August. Interested? Contact SCUBASIG at scuba_sig@hotmail.com

Dane and Dave
OutdoorSIG Events Staff
events@outdoorsig.com

Tidbits Corner (Quotes from Powdatopia 2003)

"Fuck! Wading again!" Exclaimed by editor after she had fallen, yet again, into another tree well at Hakkoda-san and had to dig/crawl/wade herself out.

"I don't want to kill you, and you don't wanna be dead." Danny Glover in Silverado (late night DVD courtesy of Saitama David)

"These guys got balls the size of melons." John (while watching Silverado)

Tim: "Is there even an OSIG uniform?" David: "Yeah, a bandage"

"This is not an apology situation." Lara, when Karina cracked a tree and came down the slope bleeding from her head and apologized.

Do you want to be immortalized through a key phrase? Do you think that you are constantly saying one-liners (or know someone who does) that should be quoted? If so, then submit them to newsletter@outdoorsig.com!

Exclusive Interview (with ROSS FINDLAY)

During the recent renkyu, I made my way up to Niseko and got a great interview with the owner of the Niseko Adventure Centre (NAC), Ross Findlay. We spoke of the Centre, politics, the environment, his future aspirations, and so much more. Before I knew it, an hour had gone by! So the result was one super long interview that I spent two weeks transcribing. Alas, an hour interview equated to more than 8 pages of reading! As a result, I had to cut out some things and left you with what is below. It still is worth checking out. So grab a cup of your favorite drink and scroll down! If you want to check out the Centre some more, go to their web site at www.nac-web.com. Enjoy!

Click Here for the Interview

This Month's Articles

Bonin Islands 2003-Ross Allen (May 2003)
Strangers In The Night-Daniela Papi (Feb 2003)
Caught Out Big Time (Hiking Mitsutoge-san)-Mary Austen (March 2003)
Exploring Tohoku On Skis-Dean Ruetzler (Jan 2003)
Powdatopia, Recommended Over Viagra by 9 out of 10 Doctors-Dane Sjoblom (Feb 2003)
Powdatopia Notes-Tim Wagner (Feb 2003)
Just In Case (Injury on the slopes)-Kim Vlack (Feb. 2003)

EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT (ESID)

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

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