Special Tours kick off June 1st

The Special Tours get underway with a trip to Deer Canyon this weekend. It is tour for repeat customers as most of these full day trips involve more thrills than the half day versions.

Deer Canyon is over in the Kusatsu area and has plenty of vertical as well as some amazing sliders.

The Special Canyon Team are running Deer on 1st/2nd of June, and 8th/9th June. Spaces are limited so round up your friends that have been canyoning before and get ready for an amazing day of adventure.

Thank you KGV!

Last week we packed KGV International School from Hong Kong back to the airport after an action-packed, fun-filled week of adventure. It was great to have the students back in Japan and we look forward to seeing them again next year for another autumn school trip in Minakami.

The schedule was packed with hiking, rafting, canyoning, canoeing, a trip to the artisan craft village and plenty of other activities besides.

Great memories, great experiences and the chance to make new friends from all over the world. For a multi-activity, residential school trip Minakami is a fantastic destination.

Canyoning in Nara - Oct 6, 7 & 8

It's moving into autumn which is when we get to head out to some special locations for some truly amazing canyoning experiences. Places we can't go to all the time but are high on our list of high thrills Japanese adventures.

For the long weekend in October we are heading to Nara to hit up a very special course.

It is a one day tour on any of the days of the long weekend in October (6-8). 25,000JPY per person with lunch and a recovery onsen included. Spaces are limited so get your names in early.

Canyoning Work Experience Weekend

Ever thought you might fancy a career in outdoor adventures? Our Canyoning Guide Work Experience Weekend is a great way to find out.

It's a 2 days course that will give you a great overview of the role, and if you like it, the next step would be our training course in April 2013. It's a fun weekend and its free, and who knows, it could be the start of your new life?

Full details.

Minakami Adventure Fest 2012 - 29/30 Sept

Minakami Adventure Fest is coming up at the end of September and would you believe it is the 10th anniversary?

It's an awesome weekend - a chance to try loads of activities at a bargain price, top brand outdoor wear at huge discounts and lots of tasty food.

If you are looking for more of a challenge there is a trail run, a raft race and an adventure race.

It's one of the best weekends of the year up here so head up and enjoy the fun - Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th September 2012.

JR Gunma Campaign

From now until the end of September JR are running a poster campaign pushing Gunma as a travel destination. Expect to see posters for the prefecture popping up in stations near you focusing on cuisine, history, onsen, culture and ADVENTURE. Of course the natural choice for summer adventure had to be.....

Look familiar? You can see the original here.

Even JR wants you to come canyoning this summer.

Beer For Books Event - July 7-8

Here's a win/win opportunity - drink beer and raise money for childhood literacy. What's not to like?

Beer for Books are having an event at Canyons on July 7th/8th. For every beer you put away, money is donated to this great cause. There's a bus trip coming up from Tokyo courtesy of the Nippon Adventurers Club, there's a BBQ by the river, live music and optional rafting/canyoning trips.

We're hoping for loads of support for this Beer for Books event and personally I'm looking to donate the best part of a library on my own!

Maple Course Check

Twin Pack tours kick off next week - two half day tours in one day with lunch back at the base. The guides have been out and about checking that all the courses are in good shape for a busy summer of canyoning. Maple was next on the list - remote, lush and lots of sliders.

It was cool and refreshing up there on a warm summer's day so the guides made sure to check every possible sliding position. Another tough day at work....

Poison Canyon Course Check

No rest for the wicked. After a busy weekend of trips the guides had to head out and check out Poison Canyon in Kusatsu which is just about to open up for the season.

 It's a unique course with hot spring water coming out of the rocks at different parts of the course - one of only two courses in the world that has hot spring water running through it (though we are hard at work looking for other ones.)

Poison is good to go for the 2012 canyoning season and a great day out if you are looking for a challenging, unusual canyon.

Hanage Course Check 2012

Early season, Fox is the canyon of choice but it won't be long before some of the other courses are available. The guides are heading out to see what state they are all in as the snow melts. Today it was up to Hanage which is set to open on June 20th.

It's looking green out there at the moments so the 40 minute hike in is stunning.

Crystal clear water and plenty of waterfalls.

Hanage waterfall gave this course its name.

Still a bit of snow around but the guides did their best to move it out of the way.

The good news is that the course is running great and will open on schedule on June 20th. If you haven't done Hanage yet it is an awesome course and very kid friendly too, being one of the top choices for the Family Tour.

Golden Week Specials

Golden Week starts at the end of the week. The weather is getting warm, the cherry blossoms will soon be out and the mountains are starting to turn green again. You probably don't need much encouragement to leave the concrete jungle and get back to nature, but just to get you in the holiday spirit we have some Golden Week Specials for you valid anytime from April 28th to May 6th. One night in the lodge with a choice of activities.

Lodge + breakfast + half day canyoning
or                                                                   = 9,800JPY per person
Lodge + breakfast + half day rafting

Lodge + breakfast + full day rafting
or                                                                    = 15,800JPY per person
Lodge + breakfast + canyoning/rafting combo

There're some hefty savings in there so head out to the mountains and have some fun this Golden Week.

Spring Rafting Starts April 21st

The river season is about to get underway again in Minakami. The start of the season sees the river at its best with high water levels meaning serious whitewater and extra thrills.

We're celebrating the start of spring with a special opening day offer. On Saturday April 21st our half day rafting tour is just 5,000JPY and we'll throw in a hog roast BBQ too. Come and take the plunge.

Spring high water season opens up a huge stretch of the Tone River. While the water level remains high it is possible to run a massive 25kms course on the Full Day Rafting Tour with loads of thrills and spills along the way. This trip is only available until June 3rd  so if you want to experience this awesome adventure now's the time.

Canyoning kicks off Saturday April 28th.

Special Tour Schedule 2011

For those of you who have had an eye-opening experience on one of our canyoning tours it is time to step up and try one of the Special Tours.

Yamanashi Canyon is our big waterfall canyon - big drops with no ropework.

August 11 & 21, September 18 & 23

Crystal Canyon over in Niigata is for those who love the jumps.

September 3 & 4, September 25

Poison Canyon is one of the few warm water canyons in the world

September 24

Maple Canyon is better known as a half day tour but adding an extra section makes it an even more thrilling proposition.

September 10

Okutama Mononoke Canyon offers a bit of everything for the keen canyoneer.

August 2, 27 & 29

Remember Your Member's Card

Your wallet is probably stuffed with cards, but it is worth digging your Canyons card out from the back of the sock draw if you are heading up here. Each stamp you get has some nice swag attached to it.

Your first tour got you your first stamp and after that:

2nd - 500 yen cashback on a weekend or 1,000 yen on a weekday

3rd - Canyons T-shirt

4th - 500 yen cashback on a weekend or 1,000 yen on a weekday

5th - Coupon for 50% off a half day tour

6th - 500 yen cashback on a weekend or 1,000 yen on a weekday

7th - 500 yen cashback on a weekend or 1,000 yen on a weekday

8th - Coupon for free half day tour

The unpredictable weather at this time of year can cause havoc with your plans but canyoning and rafting only get better. If the weekend weather looks dodgy, head up here and pray for rain.

Fuji Rock '11

Beautifully warm weather up here at the moment which has us eagerly anticipating summer and all the fun it entails. Just had a quick look at the Fuji Rock line-up for this year and there are some stand-out acts to check out. If you're heading up this way and want to get in the mood, or heading home and looking to wash off the grime of a 3 day festival, there is no better way than jumping in the river. (That's the voice of experience talking.)

We'll see you there.

Yamanashi Canyon Japan

YAMANASHI SEASON IS ON!

The Yamanashi canyoning trip is the biggest sliding course in Japan. If you are after BIG water, BIG slides and BIG fun then this one is for you! The guides at Canyons love this trip and there is often a heated discussion about who gets to go every time there is a trip. It`s a long day but its well worth the effort.

Above: The approach is along well established hiking trail which takes approx 90min.

Above: After arriving at the top the crew take a short rest before getting suited up!

Above: Looking down the first few warm up slides, always gets the crew excited.

Above: The fourth slide is about 10m into a deep pool

Above: One of the crew decides to hit to jump on the fourth slide for some extra fun.

Above: Looking up the canyon at the fourth and fifth slides. The fifth slide is not for the faint hearted. When sitting at the top you are looking down into a narrow shoot not much wider than your body!　With no possible way to see the landing spot in the pool at the bottom its quite intimidating for even the more experienced canyoner! If your into big thrills and even bigger spills then this slide is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Above: You can see the scale of this awsome waterfall when someone is sitting at the top.

20m + of pure thrills.

Above: Taking a break to refuel for some more slides

Above: One of smoothest slides on the trip, great for headfirst sliding superman style

Above: One of the bigger slides near the bottom of the course, short slide - big free fall.

Above: Close up of the same slide, hold your breath as your sure to go deep!

Above: The last slide of the day! A bit of a corkscrew slide but with a smooth landing

Above: The hike out takes around 30min and leads us straight back to the car for a cold drink and the drive home.

Although the trip requires no rope work in normal conditions its not to be mistaken for a easy day in the park. The water in the pools is often quite strong and large part of the day is spent in the water swimming, sliding, climbing around and jumping. The course is over 2.7kms long and has over 30 waterfalls in total, so be ready for a physical day of adventure.

(If your looking for more info on the Yamanashi tour or tour dates please visit the Canyons website at - http://www.canyons.jp/Canyoning_F.html )

Crystal Canyon 2010

After the heat of the past few weeks we decided it was time to head over to Niigata and check out one of our favorite canyons before the first tours start later this month.

(For more detail on tour times check out - http://www.canyons.jp/Canyoning_F.html)

The large blocks of snow that normally sit in the sides of the canyons had all melted and the water temp was a warm 17.5 degrees. perfect conditions for the Crystal course.

( above: views up the canyon as we hiked in on the hiking trail. The waterfall looks small from here.....)

(above: Sam showing his jumping style on one of the first jumping areas)

(above: Mike in one of the narrows of the upper section)

From the get in point the canyon is split into two section, upper and lower. The upper section can be visited by swimming and climbing up the canyon to the top waterfall where the canyon starts. The upper section contains some of the narrowest parts of the canyon along with some great jumps in crystal clear water. The lower section open out as you go down with larger waterfalls and incredible panoramic views down the valley as you near the end.

(Above: The group bridges (steming as the Americans say) up the top section where the water flow is strong to swim)

（Above: Dave heads down the 18m drop to check it out for the others to follow. This is a picture taken from above the waterfall in the first picture. It looks a bit bigger from on top!)

One of the bigger waterfalls in Crystal canyon is a 18m drop into a beautiful pool. Its normally a great jump but we always send someone down first to check for hidden nasties (logs etc).

After Dave checked the pool below and gave us the all clear the rest of the group followed by jumping. Although not a jump for all its a great way to find out if your the jumping type!





(Above: Mike launching off the chock stone at the top of the 18m jump)

(Above: Sam exiting the pool below the 18m jump)

(Above: The final 30m abseil of Crystal Canyon)




As most of the staff at canyons know now Sam isnt to shy about getting his gear off. As a result has started a tradition of getting a few butt shots at every new canyon he visits.

This is Sam giving a final salute goodbye to Crystal.

To see just how beautiful crystal canyon is check out this short video below.