Japan -day 22: (Aoki)

In the morning (0700-1030) flying has been possible, but then Masa stopped flying, as pilots had reported some turbulence. One could also see that the clouds above launch moved rather fast...

I had walked form my Ryokan and just saw the last pilots landing.

Aoki village

looking to launch(es)

LZ - much larger than it has been in 2007 (my last visit here)

I was happy to see 4 pilots I have met previously in Europe when they have been travelling with Masa; either in Interlaken or in Italy (Canazei/ Dolada).
Masa took all interested pilots to nearby Bessho village, where we had soba (buckwheat noodles) for lunch and some ice cream afterwards...

Eating - I might already have mentioned it- is extremely important to Japanese pilots. Many will even land in order to lunch - however good the flying...

The whole temple/ Shrine is built without a single nail and very resistant to earthquakes (Maybe because of this fact?)

Japan -day 22: Ryokan dinner

'dining room'

In this entry you'll see tonight's complete dinner...

...ready...

sukiyaki

'antipasti'

yes - I've tried and finished ;-)

maguro-sashimi

squid

carp - the only dish I didn't finish...

more sashimi

spring vegetables

steamed vegeteables and mussel-soup

rice - if you're still hungry

ice cream

Yesterday's dinner has been similar :-))

Japan -day 21 / 22: Onsen / Ryokan

A 'Ryokan' is a most typical Japanese accommodation, where also dinner and breakfast is served. Often combined with an 'Onsen' - in this case there would be no shower/ bath in the room.

day use

While dinner is served in a seperate area, the room will be changed from 'day' to 'night' and the futon bed prepared (same in reverse in the morning while having breakfast).

night use

'dining room'

Dinner consists of a series of (small) carefully perpared and arranged dishes, served one or two at a time .There are no options, it's a kind of 'set menu'. Not the 'amount' of food is important, but the focus is on 'texture', 'taste' and optical appearance. Rice is served only at the very end - and you are not supposed to finish the rice, as this would indicate to your host that you've had not enough ;-)

                                           >> see next blog entry!

Breakfast on the other hand: all dishes are already waiting (including rice).

breakfast

Aclever idea: the water that is going to refill the water you have used to flush the toilet can be used for washing your hands...

Japan -day 21: (Happo) and travel

After a few 'lousy' days in a row finally the weather was becoming better again.
It would even have been possible to fly today here at Hakuba-Happo. Already at 1000 the first students have been thermalling. Luckily my train left at 1221, so I was not tempted too much... (And I had also flown here before.)

Hakuba Happo

Mari & Koji

In Ueda my long-time friend Masa picked me up and drove me to an Onsen / Ryokan near his school at Aoki.

The Onsen / Ryokan turned out to be a very traditional place, with dinner and breakfast served as well.

Japan -day 20: snow

Nothing missed today as it was even snowing at times! The day was spent recovering and in the evening I was even able to cook dinner for my friends: Spaghetti al limone, Risotto and Chocolate Mousse.

Japan -day 19: problem

Already the evening before my left eye had started itching. At 0200 I woke up and the eye was hurting strongly and was also very sensitive to light. The situation didn't get any better until morning. So Koji offered to take me to an nearby hospital to have my eye checked by a specialist.
Diagnosis: 'Uveitis' (= Regenbogenhautentzündung)/ inflammation/ high IOP (intra ocular pressure).
This needed to be treated by stereotic drops. Luckily already after a few application of these medicaments, the pain became less. But of course no more flying :-((
At first I was considering an immediate return back home. Luckily I was able to contact a friend of mine in Switzerland, himself an eye specialist. He concurred with the diagnosis and treatment; but he also recommended that I wait with travelling until the eye got (more or less) back to normal. So I'll fly back as planned this Friday (3.May). 

Japan -day 18: travel to Hakuba

I was not missing much flyingwise today. Before my train left from Shin-Osaka, I was meeting Masako, a Japanese lady pilot, who had suffered a major accident in 2010 in Canazei. A helicopter overflow the LZ and the downwash made her glider collapse during the approach to landing :-((  We had stayed in loose contact all aver these years...
So 3 changes and and 5 hours later I arrived in Hakuba and was picked up by my friend Koji. I had met him and his wife Mari in the 90's when I came for the first time to Hakuba for paragliding. Ever since we met (infrequently) here on my layovers and later pg-visits or in Europe, either in Switzerland or twice on his yacht as he was cruising the Adriatic sea or the French canals. He graciuosly offered me to stay with him at his house in Hakuba - many thanks!!

Later I was invited to an excellent Soba dinner.

Japan -day 17: Osaka: sightseeing

Yesterday evening I had received an email from a Japanese Fligt Attendant I had been flying with a few times in the 90's. As 'luck' would have it the wx today didn't permit flying, so I was free to meet Chikako in the afternoon ;-)  (I had spent the morning working on my pix and blog.)
She took me to the Osaka Aquarium and the nearby Ferris wheel. Unfortunately I had left my camera at the hotel so the following pix have been taken with my old iPhone5s.
For dinner she suggested a local speciality: 'Okonomiyaki'. Then back by bus to Osaka station and my hotel, The bus ride lasted almost an hour and cost only 210YEN / 1.75CHF -flat rate.

Ferris Wheel

Osaka Aquarium (seen from Ferris Wheel)

some Jelly fish

Okonomiyaki

Japan -day 16 : Iwaya, Sightseeing, Onsen

My friend Atsushi had recommended that I go today to Iwayasan, a flight area in Aogaki town. It was the only area nearby that at least showed a small window for a flight before it would become too windy. But that meant, that I would have to take the first train from Osaka to Kaibara at 0555.

It's interesting to see how close the sequence of trains on a specific platform can be: as short as 3 minutes between trains. I think that's something only the Japanese manage to do!

In Kaibara I was picked up by Shoichiro, Tak-san's son, and driven to launch.

note the wooden 'extension' of the launch platform

LZ is the green field in slightly to the left of the center of the pix (just beyond the river)

As forecasted there was only this one short sledder. But Shoichiro and Tak-san took us pilots on a short sightseeing trip. But first was lunch - never to be missed by any Japanese pilot ;-)

Soba lunch (Tak-san: left / Chikuchi: right)

Izushi Castle

Tulip Festival

Shoichiro repairing my cockpit

Tak-san is now 73 years old. He started hangliding in the 70's and ran his PG.school until a few yeras ago, then his son Shoichiro took over. But he still assists on TO, Ldg and with driving. I was happy to meet him again and also to see that he still is very fit: biking/ hiking up to launch every week more than once.

Later in the afternoon Atsushi came to drive me back to Osaka: we had Onsen on the way and Shabu-Shabu for dinner.

a place to relax in the Onsen

Shabu-Shabu with Atsushi

Atsushi even offered to drive me on Thursday (his day off) to Hakuba. But I had to decline his generous offer, as it would be a 6.5hr drive (one-way!) in rainy conditions.