Mikkabi area in autumn and winter, when the mandarin orange trees bear fruit and the wide sky is sparkling with orange.

Among them, I visited the Hamanako Paragliding School, which is a 5-minute drive from the Tomei Mikkabi Interchange, because I heard that it had a spectacular view.

We spoke to Tsubasa Aoki, the principal of the school, at the paragliding flight site that overlooks Lake Hamana from an altitude of 420 meters.

5 minutes by car from Mikkabi Interchange! Spectacular scenic spots to ride on a trolley

Mr. Tsubasa Aoki participates in tournaments overseas and is active as both a player and an instructor. The name “Tsubasa”, which evokes an affinity with the sky, comes from his father, who was a hang glider, and a relative who works for an airline as a flight attendant.

When he was young, he felt embarrassed because he had the same name as the main character of a popular soccer anime, but as if his name represented his body, he naturally admired the sky and started paragliding.

To get to the recommended flight spot, drive from the school along a forest road, then climb the mountain slope on a monorail with a pop of red body.

This place normally requires about an hour of climbing, but it’s easy to get there if you use the monorail, which is similar to a trolley train. Across the rail, you can leisurely walk through the sunlight filtering through the trees, with a natural forest on your right and an artificially planted forest on your left.

Paragliding field tour

As soon as we arrived at the paragliding area, the paragliders of the customers flying that day soared into the sky.

“Are only people who want to experience paragliding allowed to come to this place?”

When I asked Mr. Aoki, he told me that they offer tours of the paragliding field that include drinks and meals.

(*Drinks and lunch boxes will be provided at the shop)

The tour, which is also popular with children, is conducted with a small group of up to three adults, so the number of participants is increasing even during the coronavirus pandemic.

After traveling on the monorail, you can sit on an outdoor beaded cushion and relax and soak in the scenery of Lake Hamana.

It is also popular among young women, who say, “You can take photos of yourself jumping as if you were flying on a paraglider.”

Lunch time while looking at the luxurious scenery of Lake Hamana

Mr. Aoki thought, “If we only target paragliders, this place won’t develop.” Mr. Aoki came up with the idea of ​​a tour that would allow people to experience the Mikkabi area and this scenic spot.

If you want to eat your lunch while looking at the scenery of Lake Hamana and paragliders flying through the sky, you can choose from a yakiniku bento box made with local Mikkabi beef or a picnic pack packed with organic ingredients. The outdoor lunch experience, made possible with the cooperation of local restaurants such as “Charcoal-grilled Yakiniku San-ai” and “Farmer Inn Cafe Coco-Rin,” is an experience unique to this location.

There is also a “Wanko Plan,” where you can bring your dog along, and a drink plan that includes Mikkabi tangerine juice from Wada Farm, and reservations are accepted up to three days before the event.

“We also have parasols to protect you from the sun.In winter, please come dressed warmly.”

[Tour details]

「http://jpmsports.com/tour.html」

Unknown scenery is spreading closer than you might think.

Mr. Aoki was attracted to this place and moved to Mikkabi, where he inherited the paragliding school from his predecessor.

“Do you know that there is a place where you can go paragliding in Hamamatsu?” We conducted awareness research with local university students, and the results revealed that only 16% of people living in Hamamatsu even know it exists. It has become.

“In addition to the location, this place has all the conditions, including sunny days, high-quality wind coming over Lake Hamana, and good conditions,” says Mr. Aoki. We hope that the tour of the paragliding field will spark an interest in paragliding.

This time, we were introduced to a tour that comes with lunch during the warm hours of the day, but it seems that from autumn onwards, the scenery is even more beautiful in the evening.

It seems that they are planning systems to attract more people in the future, such as a magic hour project where the orange reflection of the sunset on the lake fades into the darkness of the night.

[Hamanako Paragliding School]「 http://jpmsports.com/」