お茶の間留学

Ero in Italia nel Gennaio di quest'anno quando un mio caro amico mi fa una proposta folle: provare a pilotare un vero aereo! Proprio mentre iniziavo a pensare che fosse andato fuori di testa, Tommaso specifica rapidamente che sarebbe stata una lezione di prova, ben organizzata, non troppo cara, e il nostro istruttore sarebbe stato un famoso campione italiano d'aviazione.

Dopo iniziale sconcerto, decido di accettare.

La settimana successiva io e Tommaso stiamo visitando il piccolo club di aviatori che si nasconde dietro le montagne della zona di Lecco, a pochi chilometri da Milano. L'istruttore, un uomo sui 40 dai modi schietti ma piacevoli, comincia con una rapida lezione di teoria: cos'è un aereo? come funziona?

E prima che potessi assorbire le tante informazioni, mi invita, come se fosse normalissimo, a salire sul piccolo aereo a due posti, pronto a pilotare!

Lo spavento durante il decollo è svanito presto, per fare posto a una sensazione indescrivibile, un misto di stupore, incredulità e acutezza di sensi. Ci è voluto qualche minuto prima che la mia mente si stabilizzasse, e realizzasse quanto stava accadendo: stavo pilotando un aereo sopra fiumi e colline, in una tiepida mattinata di sole invernale!

L'istruttore ha preso i comandi per effettuare l'atterraggio, accompagnandomi fin dove il mio amico mi aspettava trepidante. Sono sceso dall'aereo una persona nuova, e da quel momento mi sono ripromesso di tornare nuovamente a solcare i cieli!

E voi, amici, avreste il coraggio di provare? Venite a lezione e parliamone insieme!

Sadly, this will be my last year in Japan. I've seen so much of this country, but also haven't seen so much more. That's why I want to try to see and do as much as I can in this last year. To that end, I went to Hokkaido for this year's Sapporo Snow Festival. It was an amazing trip that reminded me a lot of Canadian winters (so cold!). I think the most memorable bits were the festival, a beautiful countryside hot spring, and the view from the top of Mt. Moiwa.

This was the first time I'd ever seen ice sculptures, even in Canada I never bothered to do anything like that. And some of the snow sculptures were massive, bigger than a building! There was a dinosaur mural, many anime characters, and even a NOVA Usagi sculpture! I went to Hokkaido on vacation from work, but it seems like work followed me anyway…

My friend and I also went to Hoheikyo hot spring. It was fairly out of the way, and definitely felt “in the middle of nowhere”. The snow-covered mountains and gently falling snow created a sense of pure calm and quiet, and it was so, so peaceful. The onsen itself was perfect, with thick layers of snow bordering the bath, and hot water soothing the body. It was truly the ideal Japan hot spring experience, what I picture in my mind when I think of the word onsen. I hate the heat, but the contrast of freezing cold air and hot water is very bracing and refreshing. To top it off, the Indian-style curry afterward was the perfect conclusion. And going outside to wait for the bus back to Sapporo, I was treated to another quiet dusting of snow in the dark of the countryside.

Another impressive bit of the trip was the view up Mt. Moiwa. We took a cable car to the top, which in itself was picturesque, but the view from the top was really something. Excellent panoramic views of the city of Sapporo, seeing mountains in the far distance with ski slopes, and the snowy city were all sights I'm unable to see in such a warm place as Osaka, where I live.

All in all, Hokkaido was an unforgettable experience. I didn't even mention the other impressive things, like Genghis Khan-style yakiniku, Hokkaido ramen, or Asahiyama Zoo. Despite being in Japan for almost seven years, I still have nearly unlimited new experiences to try, and I hope I can touch as many of them as I can before I leave in October!