Luckily in Japan we have many odd random holidays. For Tokyoites we often look at our calendars for the the year and plan on how were going to get away for the 3 day weekend or san-ren-kyu before it comes up. November 3, or Culture Day, was not a long weekend this year, but it did come on a Thursday offering a perfect chance break the week in half and get away for a day.
My friend Nathan invited me to <FOREST フォレスト（森） vol. 4> An event by Parties 4 Peace that whisks us away from Tokyo for a night and brings us back the next day. Although it was only a day it felt like a weekend. Although we initially had a group of five people booked to go my lawyer friend Nathan and model friend Rae were the only ones that could make it. 
No worries, everyone on the bus was friendly and we boozed the whole 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Gunma. The party was already set up for us at the hotel with a disco ball in the main hall, DJ, and full bar. There is not much more I can say for the rest of the night except, shots!
The next morning were supposed to go canyoning, but slept right through it. Laziness settled in until 1 p.m when we were driven to Takaragawa Onsen.
Stroke of luck! This mixed and separate bath hot spring is voted by Rakuten to be the best in Japan. There were lots of odds and ends including bears on the trek to the baths. I got the impression that Japanese men are quite fond of getting naked in public and the baths felt more of a nudist colony than a quiet place to detox. Rae and I opted to bathe in in the women only section. Nathan was a nudist.
On our way back we remembered amongst the haze of alcohol promising a bungee enthusiast that we would show up at 4 the next day. Since Rae had never jumped we decided to book a cab to take us the the bridge. 10 minutes later we signed our lives to an unknown insurance company, weighed in, and had our feet bound. It is not my first time to jump so I opted to go backwards. The thrill was excellent and the rush is worth jumping for every day. They had a whole menu of different ways to jump. Next time I am running and jumping.
Back at the hotel there was a BBQ ready and waiting. We sipped some more chu-hi’s and boogied till the bus arrived to take us back to Tokyo. I have to say the Autumn leaves themselves would have been worth the trip. Japan is infamous for the neon green, yellow, and red leaved Maple trees. The second week of November is the best time to catch the changing season, so if you have a chance, make your way to Takao Mt. near Tokyo or to Kyoto to catch the traditional beauty of Japan. Takao is only a 50 minute train ride from Shinjuku station and Minakami, Gunma itself has beautiful rivers and mountains that is worth a drive through and a random day trip on it’s own.
I hope you enjoy the video I made of my jump.
Cheers and Good Luck,
Liv Lo
