The Yatsugatake camp was the first of the 2024 summer program and was attended by the largest number of people in Campship's history.
A total of 68 people, including 53 participants and 13 leaders, headed to the Yatsugatake Youth Nature House.
The group departed on a large bus with participants of a wide range of ages, from preschoolers to sixth graders. Some participants were in tears as it was their first time staying overnight, but smiles grew throughout the recreational activities and snack time on the bus.
After arriving at the Nature House, the children competed in a team orienteering event. To prevent differences in points due to age differences, older and younger children were combined into teams and competed against each other. Thanks to this original rule, all the groups were able to have lots of conversations, deepen their friendships, and have fun.
After that, we moved to the tent site and prepared the tent and dinner.
Each group was assigned a role to prepare the meal. The older group made the somewhat more challenging yakisoba, while others grilled grilled rice balls and sausages, while the younger group made chocolate bananas for dessert. Everyone shared and ate their finished meals. The group enjoyed eating freshly picked summer vegetables that the leader had kept in ice water, and the food prepared by the other groups served in a buffet style, which felt like a festival. 
Before we settled into the tent, we had a campfire. We all sang along to the leader's guitar and watched the fire, enjoying the time we could only have at camp. Waking up to the sounds of birds and the wind was a very pleasant experience. The participants played tag and hide-and-seek from early in the morning. The leaders went to wake them up and called out to everyone to play together. There were also participants, and it seemed like they were becoming closer and closer.
The morning of the second day was the much-anticipated adventure hike for the participants. It was a famous athletic course at the Yatsugatake Youth Nature House. The participants worked together as a team with their group leaders to complete the athletic course. Although there were some arguments among the participants, they were able to discuss and resolve them within the team and complete the course together until the end.
In the afternoon, each child was free to do whatever they wanted. They did crafts, bouldering, watermelon smashing, water play, sledding, and other activities with other children from their own group. I also enjoyed interacting with the participants.
The second night was the much-anticipated fun party for the participants. They enjoyed the Campship Summer Festival prepared by the leaders. Everyone walked around various booths, including ring toss, 1000-piece pull, target shooting, candy grab, and rock-paper-scissors, and got their hands on sweets. It was a particularly exciting time.
On the last day, we were busy cleaning up from the morning The participants fought off sleepiness, packed up their belongings, thanked the staff and left the Nature House. They enjoyed souvenirs and soft serve ice cream at Seisen Ryokuchi and left with smiles on their faces. The participants were full of energy on the final day. They had lunch at the Great Purple Emperor Center, searched for rhinoceros beetles, strolled around the center, and took a break in nature, enjoying their time in their own way.
The three days spent in the forest flew by in a flash. The camp experience was full of slightly difficult challenges, sleepless nights, and conversations with friends and leaders. I hope this will be a memorable experience for all participants. See you again!
