The Zao Program was the first of the Spring 2025 Programs. At the meeting point, participants were visibly excited and nervous.
Once on the Shinkansen, the anxious expressions at the meeting point were gone and everyone quickly became friends, enjoying the ride in their own way by playing cards, UNO, eating snacks, and more. Some participants were happy to be reunited after a long time!
Just when it seemed like everything was going smoothly, the bullet train was stopped due to strong winds, so we had to switch to the bus instead. Since it was lunchtime and we were all ravenous, each group leader found a restaurant and enjoyed a meal.
After lunch, we boarded the bus. The wind was still strong and we couldn't move as fast as we'd hoped, but we all arrived safely at our accommodation, JURIN! We were greeted by the entire staff at the inn. A hot meal had been prepared, and the participants, who were hungry after arriving, enjoyed dinner with smiles on their faces.
Unfortunately, we were unable to ski on the first day. All participants got up early and headed out to ski. Some went on advanced runs, others skied repeatedly to improve their skiing skills, and even a participant from Okinawa experienced snow and skiing for the first time in their lives. Everyone had a great day. After the ski lesson, the group split into two groups: one to play in the snow and the other to ski freely on the slopes in front of the hotel, allowing participants to enjoy interacting with friends outside the skiing group.
On the third day, the participants had lessons with their coaches to further hone their skiing skills. Each group had improved, and even the beginner group, who had been skiing on their second day, took on a slightly steeper slope. The advanced group tried out the moguls, and participants taking one-on-one lessons practiced in various places on the slopes to overcome their individual challenges.
After the lesson that day, the participants split into three groups to enjoy some free time: playing in the snow, free skating, and making oshiruko. The oshiruko-making group worked together with the leader to prepare and serve the best oshiruko possible. Of course, they were the first to eat, and some even had seconds.
Participants who had been doing outdoor activities were also smiling as they ate the warm oshiruko made by the oshiruko group.
The food at JURIN, where we stayed, was excellent. All the participants were excited as they enjoyed their meals. Also, at dinner on the third day, the hotel owner, Mr. Okazaki came and taught us the Zao greeting "Zaos." He is actually a friend of Tom (founder of Campship Academy) from his university days.
At the party on the third night, the much-anticipated Tom Cruise came to visit. The fun was intense as everyone had a quiz about the Academy Awards and a charades game to test acting skills.
The final day was a busy one from the morning. Many groups were busy tidying up and cleaning their rooms, but everyone was working hard, eager to get to skiing. Once that was done, it was time for their final ski day. Before taking off, everyone went to say thank you to the ski school that had looked after them. After that, each group enjoyed their final ski day to the fullest.
After skiing, we had lunch and then got on the bus to leave Zao Onsen Ski Resort and headed to the souvenir shop.
Each participant chose their own souvenir.
Besides skiing, the four days were packed with fun activities such as making red bean soup, playing in the snow, and having fun with the leaders. There was a lot of interaction beyond just the participants.
I look forward to seeing all the participants again.
