By Hiroya Sobajima
As the last of the scouts finally arrived and gathered together in the lobby of Takeshiba Ferry Terminal, Troop 5 started to line up with our given tickets to board the High Speed Jet Ferry, which would arrive in the island of Izu Oshima, an island about 22km off the coast of Izu peninsula. With the Jet speed of the Ferry, we were able to arrive at the island after just an hour and 45 minutes. This trip was a very different experience for all of us as a troop, and we hadn’t known what to expect. But as soon as the ferry started moving, we were experiencing the beginning of our adventure. We would never travel this far for a campout, and certainly not a boat. This felt a lot more like a school trip of some sort, rather than a Boy Scout trip, where we built tents and cooked set up our campsite and cook our own meals. Although we were able to plan the details as we would for a normal campout, with bookings for campsites, and setting up tents, but because of the distance and limits on what we could carry, we could not plan on cooking. and plans for cooking at a barbecue.But we also got the chance of riding a boat to an island and biking for the day. We all knew that this would be something different, and we didn’t know what to expect. As soon as we stepped into the outside, we were able to feel the island wind coming from the oceanside, as we looked past the small city into the mountains. After a crowded public bus ride, we arrived at the bike rental shop with all of our luggage, which the store owners kindly allowed us to store in the back of the bike shed. Because we were disallowed the use of mountain bikes, everyone grabbed a “mamachari,” a type of japanese bike that has a heavier frame, smaller wheels, and large basket attached to the front. This type of bike is meant mainly for the use of comfortable, riding on flat roads. Later, this would prove very difficult to ride with on the steep hills. Before everyone could gather, a portion of the group with most of the boy scouts headed off, and started the route. With everyone together, it was a playful, fun ride for the first few kilometers. Everyone was happy with their bikes, and had lunch to eat during the ride. But, after just a few more kilometers, the road started to become very bumpy and rough, until it got to a point with patches of unpaved ground. As we went down hills, we had to be very careful to avoid large bumps, or we could fall and hit the ground hard from momentum of the hill. After almost thirty minutes of cruising on the road along the ocean, we reached our turnaround point. To satisfy a camping merit badge requirement, all boy scouts were required to ride 15 miles, or a total of four hours. In order to get 15 miles, we had to get to one destination, turn around and ride back to the start, and repeat that process once more. This meant that we had completed a quarter of the entire ride. This caused the first bunch to start to branch out a little, with riders in the front riding back quickly, while the others saved their legs for the rest of the ride. Us front riders started to ride on the road a little, to avoid the bumpy patches. With a few short breaks in between, we then made our way back to the starting line. On the way back, we quickly found that there was much more uphill than on the way down. Also, the oceanside wind had started to blow a little, meaning that there was some headwind while we tried to ride up the hill on our squeaky “mamachari” bikes. These hill rides were extremely hard, and took a lot of effort. But, we were able to get over them through breaks and waiting for each other. Once we kept going like this, we eventually got over more hills, got to the flat section, and rode back to the start. By then, most people had almost finished their first bottles of water, and were buying seconds. With sweat dripping down on shirts, we rested for about ten minutes before heading off again. By now, we had finished quite a distance ahead of the second group. As we headed down a few downhills, the bumpy patches, and flat sections with overviews of the beautiful, blue ocean, we passed the other scouts and parents. As we waved and smiled, we eventually reached the turnaround point. This would mean that we had just one quarter left to go. By now, everyone was tired and sweating much more than just thirty minutes before. And now, we all knew that the hills awaited us. Also, we had started to feel slightly more tailwind on the way down, which meant that there was more headwind than last time. As we climbed the first hill, we all knew that this would be the hardest quarter of them all. We stopped a lot more often on the way back this time, and drank lots more water. There was a specific section in between the group of hills and the last hill, which was the steepest hill, where it was flat. We all thought that this flat section was a chance where we could rest our legs and take a break from climbing to prepare for the last one. But, it turned out that we were wrong. The wind had gotten a lot stronger than it was just a few minutes ago. This, of course, meant more headwind. Even during this flat section, we were all directly facing this oceanside wind, which felt like it could make us lose all of our speed if we stopped pedaling. As we were struggling, we saw the same view that we had before, where it overlooked the ocean, and we could see it best. Through our struggle and sweat, we looked at the beautiful ocean and sky next to us. It was such a hot day, that all of us thought of jumping in, and dunking ourselves into the cold water. After a small break and a few riders catching up, we were able to move through the wind a little quicker, and finally got to the extremely steep hill. This hill was the hardest ground to ride on by far. A few of the scouts had to finally get off of their bikes and push. Finally, we made it over the hill, which meant that we had one long downhill, and flat ground until our finish. As soon as we got to the finishing point, us four scouts who had finished first sat down on the ground. Eager to eating and resting, we returned our bikes to the shop, and sat down at a local store, where we were able to freely sit, and also order food. This was where kids sat on the two tables inside, or on the ground outside, eating ice cream and enjoying the island experience. Us four riders ended up eating our packed lunches in the store, and not on the ride. After a nice, long rest at the store, we picked up our bags from the rental shop, thanked the owners, and waited for the adults to pick up our rental cars. From there, we went to a very small, local supermarket where we bought our breakfasts for the next day, to be eaten at our campsite. We then drove out of the city and into the mountain area for about 45 minutes to our campsite. The campsite was quite a large, organized area with many campsites full of children and adults. We were able to borrow tents and tarps from the main lodge. We took a wheelbarrow to carry our things to our campsite, where we all set up our tents and moved our bags. Because of a lack of equipment at the supermarket, we could not have a barbecue at our campsite as planned. So we decided to head back into the city to eat at a restaurant. But, after about 10 minutes of searching for an open restaurant, we realized that this island did not have many restaurants that were big enough. Even after trying to split up into different groups to try to fit in any restaurant, we were not able to find one due to lack of restaurants, and sizes. We headed to our last resort, which was the supermarket. After shopping there for the second time, we drove back to the campsite and ate our meals there. We also discovered that there were showering buildings below our campsite downhill, where we were able to take proper showers. As we settled into our tents, we made sure to open all of the tent’s ventilations to get as much cool breeze air flowing through during the hot night. Next morning, every camper woke up quite early to pack up their tents and return it to the lodge on time. After that, we decided that we would go to a beach and swim or fish. After some driving, getting off to check the ocean, finding out it was too dangerous, and more driving, we decided to go back to the main city area where we searched for restaurants the night before. There, we fished off of a boat dock which was free to the public. After about an hour of fishing, and three whole pizzas finished among the troop, we moved to the dock closest to the ferry terminal we would take later. Everyone encourages scout who persistently reels rod with a fish on the line Also, we were given the choice to swim this time, which split the scouts in about half, with the swimmers walking a little while down the beach to swim, while the other half fished at the closest dock. Again, we were allowed to store our bags, this time at building center for the ferry’s. In the fishing group a lot of the scouts were aiming for a certain fish that was caught earlier, which hid in the rocks in the depths of the ocean, which deemed the name “rock fish.” We all lowered our lines until it stopped, meaning that it had reached the bottom, and waited for the fish to catch on. “Rock fish” caught After forty minutes and one fish caught, everyone met back at the building to buy ice cream and drinks before picking up our bags and moving to the boarding dock. As soon as we boarded ten minutes later, many “wow”s, “Whoa”s, and excitement rose from the scouts. The first thing that we saw when we stepped onto the second floor of the six-floor cruise ferry was a staircase. It looked like a small hotel. We followed signs, which eventually led to our bunk numbers on the third floor. As more excitement arose, we walked through the thin corridors, each leading to bunk units. Most of the scouts stayed a certain unit to the left of the hallway. There were top and bottom bunk beds on each side. We immediately got into our own bunks and got comfortable. We had sheets and blankets, some sort of holder above our beds, lights, charging outlets, and a small locker for prized possessions coming with a key. Soon after the ferry started moving, all of the scouts scrambled to get back to the main area and explore the rest of the ship. We moved through all of the floors, discovering bathrooms, small lounge rooms, “washiki” rooms, food vending machines, a restaurant, and even showerrooms for ¥100 per five minutes. As we moved up to the final two floors, we found outside seats and tables on the outside of the floor. When we discovered the outside, we all rushed up the stairs to get to the dock. We ran to the front of the dock and leaned on the rails. The matching colors of the sky and ocean surrounded us, as the wind blew in our faces. After taking many photos, pointing and shouting, we silently looked over at the ocean. We reflected on the whole trip in our minds, from the first ferry journey to the exhausting bike ride and dinner problem. We felt truly happy where we were, and secretly hoped that this boat ride would never end. All of the scouts and adults used this space given to the full potential. A few of us had showers and cup ramen from the machine, while others basked in the blankets and curtains given, to sleep. At one point, we even had a game of reverse hide and seek. After what felt like an extremely short four hours, we gathered our things and got off the boat. We all thanked Mr.Wheeler for the amazing planning and coordination for the trip. Although the trip was barely two days, everyone had the same surprised reactions when stepping into the humid, Tokyo city air. And although it was just two days, we all knew we were right in thinking that this was one different, unforgettable Boy Scout trip. - by Taichi Kakitani
Our troop (Tokyo Troop 5) went to Tohoku for our troop’s annual service trip for 2 days, December 12th and 13th. During this trip, we helped a farmer, Saito-san, and served food at a relocation center. Our troop had visited Saito-san a couple of times before, so our troop members and Saito-san are bound to each other by a strong tie. The reason why we help Saito-san is that he lost his house, farm, and everything after the tsunami on March 11th, 2011. We saw a lot of people suffering from such a tragic disaster on TV and we wanted to support them to recover. Recently, we’ve been clearing the rocks, bagging rice, and pulling the dead plants at Saito-san’s farm. On the first day, we headed to Tohoku by bus from Roppongi early in the morning around 6:30 a.m. On the way, we had a guest speaker from Hands on Tokyo. She talked about the purpose of this program and why she’s supporting it. After a few rest stops, we arrived at Saito-san’s farm before noon. It is always a pleasure to meet Saito-san. This year, we helped Saito-san clear out the eggplant field to prepare for the next year. Our work was to remove all the white rings, ropes, and poles that were used to hold the eggplants upright. We managed to finish our work around 3:30 p.m. Saito-san gave each of us a pack of vegetables that he grew. This gift was really important and meaningful because he could have sold these vegetables to make money for himself. In the evening, we stayed at the same hotel as last year. On the second day, we left the hotel in the morning and moved to a temporary housing center which we visited last year. Similar to last year, we cooked breakfast for the residents. We made hot dogs, soup and desserts. But this year, unlike other years, we decorated Christmas cookies with the residents from young children to elders. After the activity, we gave Christmas presents to everyone. Then we left Tohoku and came back to Roppongi in the late evening. Our Tohoku service trip this year was successful. I was pleased to see the smiles of the people who I met in Tohoku. After spending time with them, I felt a stronger affinity with each resident and started to think that I wanted to help other people who are in similar situations. Each one of us felt proud of ourselves and that built up confidence. I hope that we can keep this relationship and visit Tohoku again. But I also hope that they will be able to recover completely, and live a normal life again without our help in near future. |
AuthorTroop 5 Scribe |