The Slippery Slope

While I am leery of making this blog sound like an advertisement for canyoning with the company I am currently guiding for, I have been spending so much time doing that, that I have little else to write about.

Not exactly true... but I don't have many photos of my other activities, such as...

1. This past weekend Tomoe and I did some volunteer work for a camp for children and adults with severe skin-conditions, asthma, and allergies. These are generally kids whose parents are afraid to send them on "regular" camps in Japan because - let's face it - Japanese society is not really known for its openness to provide a little personalized care. I recall my dad's experiences at an inn in Beppu - after I explicitly told the owner that he would die if he eats shrimp or shellfish (which he is allergic to) the meal had a bit of each in every single dish! When I confronted the owner, she said "He should try some. He may like it."

The camp was fun and I learned a lot in terms of working with an all Japanese group of kids (including some good "Japanese" games for kids). I also learned a lot about Japanese bugs and how to catch an amazing array of wildlife from the river with my bare-hands. Tomoe learned a lot working on the food preparation where they made it a point to make alternative versions of every dish so that everyone's food looked the same, even if the ingredients were different to accommodate different allergies. It seems like no big deal to me, but I heard several mothers commenting on how great it was that their kid could eat the same thing as everyone else when often times their child is the only one bringing their own lunch to school which can lead to some level of alienation (think about it... no trading food with the kid next to you.)

I was happy to get back from the camp which was in Fujino, a mountainous region just on the outskirts of Tokyo. As the train grew closer I could feel the temperature rising (despite the lowering sun). I barely slept the first night because it was so hot and humid. The folks who came from Tokyo, however, were all commenting on how suzushi (cool) it was in "the mountains". Although I slept well the next two nights after being worn out by the kids, I am still glad to be back in the cool Hakuba valley.

Anyway, I have some photos from that camp, but will not post them because they have a strict personal privacy policy.

3. Which brings me to the photos... These are all from a day of canyoning two days ago, or canoeing three days ago. It was another in a string of beautiful days here in Hakuba, now that the rainy season has ended, and I was even able to jump into the river without my wet-suit. At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, I can't think of a better way to stay cool in a hot Japanese summer.

4. I have finally succumbed to being an evil 21st century consumer. In the span of a week I have become the owner of an automobile (actually two - both given to us), and a cell phone (for which I have to pay). Let the trek across a slippery slope begin.

5. Tomoe will be visiting Sakae tomorrow to check out some houses that the village office has found for us, as well as attend a series of lectures and demonstrations about the traditional methods of farming there - unique due to its inhospitable environment. I wish I could go as well because the information would be valuable for our bike tours, but this is the busiest season for Evergreen, and I had already made a commitment to work through the summer... (besides, a part of me would rather be canyoning - which you can see me doing with a somewhat guidely air in the photos below)

Looking at these photos I really LOVE this work... not just because I get paid to do fun stuff, but because the people I am working for (the canyoning clinets) are all smiling and having a ball. Compare this to the often sullen-faced people I was making web-sites for before... None of my web clients ever let out a "Wooo HOOO!" when I made them a drop-down menu.