Newsletter Issue

Letter from the Editor

When you get this, you'll be getting back from summer vacation (those lucky ducks that got one) and getting back in the swing of things. You've all been hiking, biking, surfing, snorkelling, and snowball fighting in the name of "study." Hope your summer was fun whether you layed on a beach in Thailand or sat in your office learning kanji.

Summer is also the time when many of us say goodbye, notably, a good chunk of the 2003-2004 OSig crew. We've enjoyed working with you, but we must move on to greener pastures. There's just times when...it's time! It's also the season for hello's, and our new members should all be ready to hit the ground running this year! For many of you, this is the first newsletter you see. Howevever, all of you can read past newsletters here at the OSig website to get ideas for how you want to do it outdoors this year in Japan.

So, I'll turn you over to your new editor for the year. Thanks for everything!
Newsletter Editor
Ashlea
newsletter@outdoorsig.com

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Letter from the President

Over the 3 years I have been on JET I have experienced many things, but some of my best memories are from the OutdoorSIG activities that I have participated in. From climbing Fuji to skiing at Powdatopia to hiking at Sado to paragliding in my local area, it has been a ball. I have met a bunch of dedicated outdoor enthusiasts with ready smiles and often a piercingly funny sense of humour. My work as the President has been made immensely easier by the support of the fantastic National crew. Events and Tres extraordinaire Iwate Dave LeRose, Unofficial Vice Pres and Powdatopia whiz Tim Wagner, Newsletter guru Ashlea Betzen, Recruit/signup yakuza David Lutz, and Kim Valch as Interactive and Paula Ruffell as Admin. Thanks also go out to Stuart Butchers who ran the Bonins Paradise trip and Lindsey who organised this years Pre-season Fuji hike. I want to send out a huge THANKS to you all for all your work. It has been a pleasure to work with you all! The new crew stepping up to bat for all of you are Shay Howard as Pres, Kush Rai as Tres, Glen Claydon as Powdertopia organizer, David Lutz returning now as Events, Tamlyn Claire as Admin, Teresa Ro as Newsletter Ed, Kristen Mcaree as Eco Liason, Stuart Cresp as Webmaster, Web consultancy and Interactive by Domic Swire and Josh Bear. I know that that the group is going into good hands and all the best for the next year. But as usual there are always people needed to help out with organizing events and making the Sig even stronger, especially in your local area. Get outdoors and invite others along!

Sado Island Earth Festival takes place August 20 to the 22nd this year, so head on over to this beautiful island to hear the amazing Kodo taiko drummers. Perhaps even do the Alpine hike before the event. If you are interested and want some information on where and what to do please contact David at events@outdoorsig.com and check out Sado trip page for more info. Having been 3 years running this event, it will be the last thing that I do before I go home, so I can?t recommend it highly enough.

Thanks to everyone this year who have participated, helped out at events and conferences, sent in articles for this newsletter and posted on the listbot. One member earlier this year sent me a great description of Osig ?to serve as a meeting place for members to organize their own trips?. The national crew only organizes a few big trips each year and then we hope that the members (all 400 or so) get involved and do some things in their area. This is really important, because the national crew cannot possibly know what is happening in every ken. So make sure that you have resigned up and paid again for next year otherwise your membership will be deleted. You can sign up on-line or pay at any of the Tokyo or Prefectural Orientations.

To those going home, good luck and enjoy the new challenges that this brings. For those remaining in Japan stay involved and make the most of it. Get outdoors and have fun wherever you are!
Sara Russell
Ex-OutdoorSig Pres

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