Canyoning in Gunma

I tried something new this weekend – canyoning.  When I had signed up to go on this trip to Gunma (the next prefecture over from Fukushima), I was under the impression that canyoning was like hiking in a canyon.  Fail.

My parents are actually the ones that looked it up and kindly informed me that canyoning is traveling in canyons using a variety of techniques that may include hiking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, rappelling, and swimming.  It is associated with technical descents and is frequently done in remote and rugged settings that often require navigational, route-finding, and other wilderness travel skills.  …haha…

            Actually, it was a blast!  We started early in the morning and geared up in a full wetsuit, harness, life jacket, waterproof boots, gloves, and, of course, a helmet.  We took a bus up into the mountains and arrived at a calm little stream.  I was thinking, “this doesn’t look too bad…”  With our life jackets on we just bobbed on the surface and floated down the creek.  I was having SO much fun!  But I did mention technical descents, didn’t I?

Our guides stopped us before a river bend and explained some safety procedures.  Like don’t flail your arms when you drop down the waterfall… wait, what?!  Like the 12-meter high (that’s 39 feet for you Americans) waterfall that we had to descend to continue our route.  I started to worry a tad bit then.  But I just sat on my butt and let the water pull me off the edge - screaming and flailing my arms the entire way down.  Such a rush!

The rest of our route was easier but still exciting.  We slid down several more waterfalls – on our stomachs, backwards, headfirst, superman-style.  Unfortunately, my camera isn’t waterproof so I don’t have any pictures from Canyoning or river rafting later that day.  L  That night was also a good time – yakisoba, a bar, live music, and conversing with friends that shared the experience of almost peeing their pants, sliding down a waterfall.  Good times!

Luckily for our sore bodies (and hangovers) the next morning we went to an onsen to relax.  Baths aren’t really a big deal in the U.S. but the Japanese LOVE them!  In a traditional Japanese family-setting everyone takes a bath before going to bed.  An onsen is a term for hot springs in Japanese, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs.  As a volcanically active Japan is, it has thousands of onsen scattered across it.  Talk about a way to get to know people!  Can’t be much more embarrassed if you’re already naked.  Normally onsens are separated by sex (thank God!) but, seeing how it was my first time, of course we went to a mixed bathhouse.   For your sake, I won’t go into any details…