Summer Activities Outdoors

July/August

June/July brought mostly rainy days but as usual August has pulled out a stunner in Hakuba with bluebird sunny days through most of Obon perfect for Canyoning, Kayaking, Canoeing, MTBing, Hot Air Ballooning, Hiking the Alps or just bbq’ing at the river. Below are some of the few excerpts from the last few weeks:

 

 

Canyoning – August 12th

Downriver Kayaking -August 15th

 

July 11th
Today saw the visit of a hot air balloon to evergreen allowing everyone a different view of Kokusai and the Happo area.

hot h-air balloon

Kokusai ballooning

nighttime


July 17th
A wonderful cycling tour from Togakushi over part of the Japanese Alps to Minami Otari and down into the Hakuba Valley. The tour travelled through high moutain passes once used to train ninja assassins. Some parts of the passes are closed in winter due to snow and only open for a few months of the year and even then only accessible by foot or on bike.

mountain biking dave

The route wound passed old shrines and soba houses that are hundreds of years old.

300 year old soba

pit stop lakeside
On the way the tour was attacked by ninjas

Ninja attack

luckily some members of the tour were trained in the ninja arts themselves.
ninja defenders