At the top was a runway cliff paved in green where gliders launch in the air. Were they really expecting me to run off that precipitous cliff ? I mean, I have run and jumped off cliffs when canyoneering, but this time I was paragliding.  The wind was too strong at that launch spot so we went to a different location with paragliders launching off the mountain top. The pilot and I walked to a steep area of the hill and he strapped me in; I was careful of every step I made.  We were attached to each other and to a massive chute. 

He gave instructions in chronological order: Walk!- Run! – Sit! It was time! He stood there gauging the wind and I waited nervously. 

Then he said, “Walk!”

The wind pulled us to the side of the cliffside and lifted us off like a kite!  After launching, one of the straps pulled my jacket up, exposing my bare stomach to the views of the surrounding mountains. I felt like I was floating in the air while enjoying the serenity of the rolling hills. The adrenaline ebbed away, savoring the wind blowing through my hair. I giggled at the thought of my exposed stomach and made attempts to shield it from the camera. Everything seemed minuscule; cars strolling below and other paragliders in the air, with Mount Fuji looming in the background. The silence and the sound of the wind rushing past me, coupled with the magnificent views added to the thrill. While the wind swooshed us through the air to give us different angles of the panoramic landscape, the pilot steered the chute. We soared through the vast, calm sky, but when he whirled the chute, as part of the adventure, I tittered. The feeling was exhilarating!

It was time to land on the open space where the others were. I could see us getting closer to the ground. I’m not sure if I was in sync with the pilot, or if I my feet had touched the ground too soon, but I was hopping for a while on my way home.