English for Wizards

Go out and get some fresh air

By John Moore

Outdoor Japan のサイト。外国人も参加しているのでアクティビティーを通じて国際交流もできる

Techno-geeks have a reputation for sitting at their computers all day, never going out to have fun. But today's computers can help you get away from it all. That's because the Internet has lots of useful information that helps you plan fun activities.

School's out! Let's go outdoors and get some fresh air. But first, have a look at a wonderful Web site called Outdoor Japan (www.outdoorjapan.com). Here you can take your pick of hiking, camping, hot springs, cycling, boating, rock climbing and more. Each section offers special information for many local areas around Japan.

And the great thing is that all this information is in English. That has two advantages: First, you end up studying English while reading about activities you enjoy. Second, this is the same information that many English-speaking visitors to Japan are reading, so it's likely that you can meet and talk to foreign people through some of these activities.

For example, try clicking on "Activity Guides" in the left-hand menu of the Outdoor Japan site. In the lower-right part of the next page, you'll see a picture of some happy people standing together. Click on the picture to learn about this group, called Tokyo Ultimate, which seems to have a good mix of Japanese and foreign members. They have an e-mail list for contacts. By the way, "ultimate" is a sport involving Frisbees. See! You never know what you'll find, if you look.

My favorite summer vacation is to go on a bicycle camping trip. Here, the Internet helps us again. I found the Japan Cycling Navigator (www.t3.rim.or.jp/~sayori/), which features lots of tips and reports. Surprisingly, Japan has an excellent reputation among foreign cycling enthusiasts. Click on the link labeled, "What is touring in Japan like." A man named Rodger Grigsby sums it up: "Safe - Clean - Beautiful - Civilized - Delicious, etc., etc."

That reminds me of another corny bilingual riddle. Are you ready? What kind of bug is most likely to bug you on a camping trip in Japan? The answer is not the mosquito. It's the ladybug, which the Japanese call "Tent mushi."

If you don't like bugs in tents, you can also do American-style luxury camping in Japan, because a company called Kampgrounds of America has built seven camping resorts here (www.koa.com/where/japan) and each has plenty of comfortable facilities, such as electric lights and hot showers. These campgrounds even have their own Internet access, called KOA Connect, for those techno-geeks who can't stand to be offline for even one day.

Shukan ST: Aug. 8, 2003

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