Hello All,
The spring season is winding down, but the colors outside have just begun. It’s a new world here in the mountains of the Japanese Alps. I have been getting out much more lately to see all of the wonders of nature that can be found in Japan. The smells are just as good or even better, which has allowed me to find another side of life called allergies. I don’t think I have ever been around so many different plants in bloom all at once. I wish I would have thought of packing allergy medicine before I left!
Tonari ni Totoro
We had many good weeks of adventure this spring. One of our main spring events was the Kirara [sparkle/shine] Camp for young, skilled snowboarders. It was an event sponsored by Burton and lead by a former olympian who rode half-pipe in the Salt Lake winter Olympics. NORTHSTAR staff helped by providing coaching for the kids, and we also did some of our regular activities as well. When the kids were not up the mountain riding in the park, we introduced them to mountain biking , rock climbing, and a different challenge called a tyrolean traverse.
Kirara Camp
All of the kids loved these new adventures, and they challenged themselves to go beyond the ordinary and comfortable to really push themselves. We saw many of these kids improve not only their riding skills, but they encountered personal growth as well. It was very special hearing what the kids had to say about doing a challenge activity like the high-line tyrolean traverse and thinking about how doing something that might be intimidating or scary can help us handle real-life issues. Doing something fun yet challenging can create a big opportunity to learn so many things about ourselves and how to respond to bigger life issues.
Tyrolean Traverse
Now that we are at an end to the white season and packing up the winter gear, we have had some great opportunities to begin expanding our green season. On the last weekend of this month, there is a regular trail running event held just down the road from us which takes participants over miles of Norikura hiking trails – through open meadows, past waterfalls, and by enchanting mountain ponds. We assist the event by doing a lot of pre-event work such as setting up all of the directional signs for the race course and helping with logistics. Trail running is a moderately new sport in Japan and is just beginning to catch on. Instead of running on regular flat courses, trail running takes a different kind of endurance to push your way up a long arduous trail and safely navigate down the steep side of a mountain. But the one thing I sure love about trail running is that it provides fantastic views and is a great way to enjoy creation!
Trail Running in Noriura
This spring, several professional trail runners in Japan came to Norikura to discuss with locals about this event and other possibilities throughout the seasons. Afterwards, these runners came over to NORTHSTAR for us to show them a few of the local trails and enjoy what can be found here. I think they had a good time, but we are not quite as prepared to run a trail running marathon like these guys!
I’ll tell you a little more about some of the other things we’ve been up to a little later, but for this week here’s what is going on:
• Dan Junker (NORTHSTAR’s Director) will be returning from the U.S. after thee weeks of sharing about what we are doing here in Japan.
• New seasonal staff from America will be arriving for the summer and staff training will begin this weekend.
• I am preparing for a speech I will be giving next Monday to a group of Japanese who work with English tourism. I will be sharing about my home and some of the differences between life in rural America vs. life in Japan.
• We are still working on plans for the summer season including mountain biking groups, camps, and the ALTITUDE trips.
I hope you are enjoying the season just as much as we are! See you again soon.
Brad
Financial support may be sent to:
Grace Brethren International Missions
PO Box 80065
City of Industry, CA 91716-8065
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