Shenanigans, Cliff Dives and Bagels: The Annual Hyogo Rafting Adventure

The annual Shikoku rafting trip has, over the past few years, become a permanent fixture in the Hyogo AJET calendar, and with good reason. Each year, between 20 and 25 JETs from Hyogo head out into the remote wilderness of a place called Happy Raft in Kochi prefecture to enjoy a wet and wild time on the October long weekend. This year, thanks to the collective planning of the brilliant Sylvette Pinet and, less helpfully, your author, there were 24 participants, 5 cars, 1 pumpkin pie and a lot of screaming.

Bright and early on Saturday morning we rose and headed towards our designated pick up points. Like all best laid plans of mice and men, however, things immediately hit a snag when it turned out that there are not just one or two, but in fact seven Toyota-rent-a-car offices around Himeji station and our cars were at one of them, but no one seemed to know which. Luckily though, with quick thinking and a bit of artfully applied Japanese, all was salvaged and according to the Facebook conversations we were all well on our way.

The drive to Kochi is a beautiful one and it’s about three hours or so from Kobe by car, but there are also a few train and bus options. However, no amount of beauty makes up for the fact that you’re stuck in a small metal box on wheels for 3 hours, so when we finally arrived, we were more than willing to get out and stretch our legs (shout out to Cody at 190cm; Japan has never considered the likes of you). We were lead up a tiny country road to an old style guest house with a view to die for and set up for the night’s BBQ. We indulged in conversation, games and a really decent pumpkin pie from Costco. Most of us were awake to the wee hours of the morning swapping stories of terrible fanfiction and coming to terms with how truly atrocious Bundaberg Rum is. Apart from a brief encounter with a mukade, all was delightful.

Early in the morning, we headed down to Happy Raft to get kitted up. There is nothing quite like a slightly moist wetsuit in the early morning to make you feel alive, but as our mini-bus made its way to the starting point, excitement began to bubble. Lloyd, the instructor of the indomitable Team Rainbow (members Lizard, Codfish, Razzle Dazzle, Emo, Fifi and Goose), gave a fantastically occa and pun filled safety instruction and split us into groups of six to begin our adventures. The water was cold. Like really bloody cold.

The day was split into two halves. The first half was dedicated largely to learning how to paddle, some beginner rapids, and literally getting our feet (and the rest of us) wet. The initial portion of the trip accumulated in an optional cliff jump, in which your author screamed for the entire descent before heading onto dry land for a sumptuous home-made bagel lunch and hot tea. The second half of the journey involved some slightly more difficult rapids, inter-team shenanigans and “team building exercises” aka falling in and taking your mates with you. By the time we reached the end of our journey, we were thoroughly knackered and more than a few of us had a cheeky nap on the bus ride back.

When finally warm and dry, we enjoyed the photo slide from the day laughing uproariously and, as a collective, acknowledged that wetsuits are not attractive attire. We then high tailed back to our prospective homes and promptly passed out from the long, hard slog. The next morning, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. Thank goodness it was a long weekend.

For those of you interested in having your own rafting escapade, I strongly recommend Happy Raft. Their guides were hilarious and helpful and their expertise and guidance gave us a wonderful and safe day. You can find out more about them at www.happyraft.com and go on your own adventure.

Rackle Beaman