5 Recommended Paragliding Sites For You Who Like The Outdoor Activities!

Most of us have at some point in our life wondered what it is like to be a bird. How it is to see the world from a birds-eye view as we soar through the sky? As luck would have it this is something you can try at many great venues across Japan.

Paragliding, The Outdoor Activity Of The Sky

Paragliding is a great outdoor activity. It’s a wonderful way to experience the great outdoors, and view the world from a new perspective. What exactly is paragliding? Well, its flying, or rather soaring, in a lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider. The pilot is strapped in a harness that in turn is connected to wings, or a canopy. Paragliding is soaring without actual propulsion created by an engine. Despite this a skilled paraglider can, by using airflows and wind, make a flight for a very long time. In the right conditions an expert can make a flight last for several hours, and cover up to hundreds of feet.

However, the norm is far less extreme than that. A normal tandem trip, where you go on a flight with an experienced pilot, is far more likely to last for two to three hours, and at longest covers about 6.2 mi(10 km). A skilled pilot can, under the right conditions, use the currents in the air to gain altitude close to a thousand feet. The record for straight distance flying was set back in 2016, and the pilot managed to go for 350 mi(564 km). The highest altitude recorded using a paraglider was at 26,761 ft(8,157 m).

To get into this sort of activity there are a few things you should do. First off try a tandem flight! Tandem flying means that you go on a trip with an experienced paraglider taking the reins. After that signing up for the course should be the next step. If possible, you should try to sign up for a course, to learn the basics. This is an ideal opportunity to learn what kind of equipment is necessary. The equipment is quite expensive, and it will be necessary to buy some stuff. At the bare minimum a paraglider, harness, a reserve and helmet is necessary. All this equipment will cost about 380,000 yen.

Top 5 Paragliding Sites In Japan

Ski Jam Katsuyama, Fukui

At Ski Jam Katsuyama they teach visitors the basics behind paragliding. They allow you to take short solo flights, these are limited to an altitude of 98 ft(30 m). If that doesn’t do it for you, then tandem flights are the other options. On these flights you go with an experienced pilot, and they take you up to an altitude of 1,115 ft(340 m). This activity is operated by Jamsports Paraglider School.

Address: Fukui Prefecture, Katsuyama City 170-70, Skijam Katsuyamanai
Tel: +81-779-87-6311

Paragliding in Japan - Fly to the Sky, Mount Fuji

If you want to go paragliding in Japan there is one spot that should not be missed. That spot is Mount Fuji. It is possible to go on tandem flights close to Fuji, all days are available for booking as long as it is during the daytime. The starting position is at Kawaguchiko. The flights here usually last for 10-15 minutes, but it isn’t uncommon for flights to stretch to 30 minutes on days with good weather.

Address: Nehara 282-1, Fujinomiya-shi, shizuoka JAPAN 418-0101
Tel: 1-800-747-4201

East Japan Outdoor School, Ibaraki

If this isn’t your first rodeo, and you have decided that you want to take a license, then Ibaraki is the place to go. They offer tandem flying for beginners, and there is even an option for children as well. Ibaraki also offers a licensing course for the more experienced people. There are actually two options here, one is paragliding with no power, the other option is in powered paragliding. Powered means that there is a means of propulsion. East Japan Outdoor School in Ishioka city is the provider of the unpowered paragliding. Ishinoka can be reached in about an hour by train from Tokyo. The powered option is located at Angel Zip Sky Sports in Joso city. Joso can also be reached by train from Tokyo. It takes about 45 minutes.

Address: 3813, Yoshiu, Ishioka-shi, Ibaraki, 315-0156, Japan
Tel: +81-299-36-4775

Dodaira Sky park Paraglider School, Saitama

In Tokigawa there is a number of courses available for visitors. Dodaira Sky Park Paraglider School offers introductory, tandem and custom options based on the customers wishes. All of these are for unpowered paragliding. The area is easy to access, it doesn’t take more than an hour with the Tobu-Tojo line from ikebukuro. After the train you need to take the bus for one more hour.

Address: Saitama-ken, Hiki-gun, Tokigawa machi, Ono Shobudaira 1251-18
Tel: +81-493-67-1733

MPG Sorachi, Furano

Furano is a small town in Hokkaido. Often times referred to as the flower capital of Hokkaido. MPG Sorachi is the name of the group offer paragliding here. Floating hundreds of feet above the flower capital of Hokkaido sounds quite nice. One thing is for sure, you will be treated to a view that most people won’t see in all their life, the flower fields from a bird's eye perspective.

Address: Hokkaido, Furano-shi, Nishigakuden 2-ku, 140-1
Tel: +81-167-23-6638

Paragliding Levels

While Paragliding might look like a piece of cake, nothing could be further from the truth if you want to do by yourself. It requires practice to learn how to ride the air currents properly. If you want to master this, you need to find a school. Like the East Japan Outdoor School. If getting a certification is your goal you should set of about 10 days. As a beginner you need to go through a lot of basics, for example the elementary theories of flight, along with the basic structure and how to operate the paraglider. In the start all of this happens on the ground. As the students’ progress and become better and better, new challenges arise. Then they start taking flights, practice turning the glider in flight and controlling the speed. Eventually the venture on to 360degree turns and other more advanced techniques. At the highest-level people actually compete. The competitions are cross-country flying, which is the classic form of paragliding. For the more adventures pros there is also Aerobatic competitions, in which the participants perform complex maneuvers. This can either be done solo, or in synchronization with another pilot.

Reference List

https://allabout-japan.com/en/article/5650/

http://www.paraglidinginjapan.com/paragliding-near-tokyo.html

https://www.hisgo.com/j1/Contents/OptionalTour/DetailOptionalTour.aspx?TourCd=TYO0644&lang=en

https://www.skijam.jp/green/access/

http://dd-skypark.com/

http://www1.odn.ne.jp/~syadan-hk/mpg/index.html