The Jump

I was invited to the Tokyo Game Show as a VIP by the CoFesta Ambassadors program, with the privilege of being able to enter free of charge on the press day. And I couldn't find a work cover. What a disappointment that was. So I opted for the next best thing and decided to throw myself off a bridge.
Let me take you to the scene. Minakami is a sleepy town in Gunma prefecture. Though it originally was an onsen town like any other, it eventually became known as the ideal spot for outdoor adventures such as rafting, hiking, skiing, canyoning, and all the rest. Walking through the town, it's hard to miss all the sports clubs as they undergo their ritual of driving high school students and young adults from one hot spot to another in their minibuses. The town found some kind of new life.
Fitting then, that Japan's first bungee-jumping bridge would be here.
Suspended 42 meters over a jagged river is the Suwakyo bridge, where people line up for their turns to jump. It's poignant even to watch, but by the time it was my turn, I could hardly wait. I fell in love with bungee jumping from the moment my feet left the platform.

 

It's an odd feeling I think I can't really give justice to by describing, but it was a good feeling, and over too quickly. And there was this weird sense of serenity I had when my rope stopped bouncing me up and down and I was just hanging there, looking at the mountains while upside down. It just made me happy. Will I do it again? Not necessarily, but I feel like it's a stepping stone of some sort.