Rafting in Gifu

Summer goes on and to make it more fun, me and my Japanese friend decided to try rafting. It was my first time to do rafting and I was so excited. Saturday October 13 we went to Gifu, the weather is not that good, no clear sky, cloudy and a bit rainy. On my friend's time calculation in his car navigation, we'll be late to catch 9 am, our starting time. In a hurry, we never got the chance to stop and eat breakfast. It's a good thing that we traveled smoothly, we were 30 mins. earlier from our expected time of arrival, we quickly dropped by at a konbini, bought some foods and drinks and ate breakfast on the car, then went directly to our rafting base.
At the camp, we had a brief orientation about rafting. After that, we went to our appropriate lockers room to changed clothes and wear our rafting suits. Outside, ODSS staffs were starting to distribute rafting gears like life jackets, helmets and paddles. When we are all set, we took a bus ride to the rafting place. Along the way, one of the staff discussed some extra precautionary methods while rafting. The rubber boats were ready when we reached our destination, then we divided ourselves into groups, the boat can accommodate 8 person, each group has its own team guide. There are 7 persons in our boat including our guide Abe chan. I taught his a very serious man, but my impression on him was wrong, his a very funny, talkative guy and I like his sense of humor. At last! we are ready to paddle. All of a sudden, the weather is favourable to us, the sky is clear and the sun came out. Together with my boat mates we paddle down the river and obeyed whatever instructions our guide gave to us. As the boat flow by itself gently down the stream, I felt so relaxed seeing the beautiful green surroundings, clear water from the river, hearing the sound of nature, seeing the birds and the fishes. Off course, the intense, fun and thrill is present as I pictured rafting akin to a roller coaster with no trails. The excitement rise up every time we encounter waves, high current and even a drop. Also, plunged ourselves into the river and do diving from a cliff. We made a stop at a riverside for a homemade lunch, everyone enjoys a sweetfish (ayu アユ, 鮎 ) meal. Lunch break is over and we are off to set for our afternoon rafting tour. Finally, we have reached ODSS camp, our tour is over. We returned the gears and changed our clothes. Lastly, we had our snack and watched a photo session, photos which are taken by ODSS photographer during our rafting course. Before, heading back home, me and my friend went to an onsen to have a relaxing bath. I had a great time on that day, rafting is so much fun, it's a must try for everyone seeking thrill, fun and adventure for their summer activities.

For further details:
Visit ODSS website http://www.odss.co.jp/

Nagara River
The Nagara River (長良川, Nagara-gawa) has its source in the city of Gujo, Gifu prefecture, joining many branches, and flows into Isewan as one of the Kiso three rivers. Previously, the river was named Sunomata River (墨俣川 Sunomata-gawa). With a length of 166 km (103 mi), it drains an area of 1,985 km² in the Chubu region and empties into Ise bay. The waters of the Nagara River is chosen as "the 100th selections of clean water", and is uniquely chosen as "the 88th selections of the best beaches in Japan " as a river. Although the river flows through the center of the city, its clean water is loved by many people. When summer comes, the dry riverbed will be crowded with people enjoying water activities. The river is also a popular tourist destination because of Nagaragawa onsen, a collection of natural hot springs that are known for their high iron content.