Going big in Japan

In April 2026 I travelled to Japan, where I was welcomed and guided by two charismatic pilots and instructors: Kaoru Ogisawa (Ogi) and Naohisa Okada. We flew a few hours’ drive from Tokyo, first near the iconic Mount Fuji in fine spring conditions, then over the Izu Peninsula, which offers beautiful panoramic and thermal flying right by the Pacific.

Later the Tsukuba region introduced me to a more rural side of Japan, where the plains offer a range of conditions ideal for long-distance flying. What I take away from this trip is the thrill of the morning thermals, the Japanese way of life and their extraordinary cuisine; a real change of scenery from my usual haunts in the French Alps. “Arigato Gosaimazu” – Thank you very much!

Kaoru Ogisawa

Ogi is a charismatic figure in the Japanese free-flight scene; he discovered paragliding in 1987 alongside pioneering European pilots. Encouraged by...