The great outdoors is fun because it's not barrier-free. From the sky to the sea in a wheelchair

It's like a roller coaster without rails. Addictive dual skiing

JAL: How did it feel to be able to enjoy winter sports again after having given them up?

Nakaoka: I was speechless... I thought, "I can have such an experience." With dual skiing, you ski down the slopes while consulting with a pilot who has undergone rigorous training and obtained a license. So, depending on your own sense of fun, you can ski down mogul slopes that you would not be able to ski on your own, and sometimes even steep slopes that exceed 30 degrees.

It was like a roller coaster without rails, and was full of thrills. I was deeply moved, and enjoyed myself like a child again, squealing with joy (laughs). This is what it means to be addicted.

Nakaoka: For this snow play tour, we also introduced the first snow carts in Japan that people can steer themselves. Many people who can move their hands want to go in the direction they want to go.

Marathon running, diving, and eventually paragliding. I want to enjoy everything from the sky to the sea in a wheelchair.

JAL: The ata Alliance offers a wide variety of activities as "club activities," including skiing.

Nakaoka: Yes. We have a mountaineering club that goes mountain climbing and camping, and the marathon club participated in the "Nanairo 4-Hour Endurance Relay Marathon" organized by the University of Tsukuba last summer in a wheelchair. Running with a group of people connected to a single sash is much more fun than running individually. We also do ocean diving, although we haven't joined any clubs yet, and we're currently researching paragliding, as we want to fly in the sky.

JAL: You are truly trying to enjoy everything, on land, sea and air.

Nakaoka: I would like to travel more abroad in a wheelchair and venture more boldly into nature. We are not particular about barrier-free access, or rather, we do not set barrier-free access as a standard. Making nature barrier-free places a burden on the environment and is extremely costly. Above all, you cannot enjoy nature as it is.

When I travel, I like to go to places far removed from my everyday life and see unusual things, such as the aurora I saw at 60 degrees north of the Arctic Circle and Mount Fuji.

JAL: What are your must-have items when enjoying active travel?

Nakaoka: When I enjoy nature, I protect myself with reliable equipment that I developed in collaboration with the outdoor equipment manufacturer finetrack. Mother Nature is sometimes harsh, sometimes kind, and accepts all people equally. There are no "disability discounts" (laughs).

"Many people give up on the things they want to do, but if they just try a little harder, they can change everything."

JAL: So what is the best part of traveling for you?

Nakaoka: For me, a trip into the great outdoors teaches me all the joys, sorrows, and happiness of life. Mishaps are inevitable when traveling in nature, but you can solve them by talking with your friends and family. The new scenery and experiences you encounter after overcoming them are also special. Just like life itself, every moment has its ups and downs - I think that's all what makes a trip interesting. And being able to share those intense experiences and emotions with friends is something that only a trip or activity in the great outdoors can do.

JAL: I think that Mr. Nakaoka is pioneering the possibilities of such travel and spreading them to the world.

Nakaoka: The reason I started this in the first place was because I wanted to have fun. But I hope that by taking the initiative, I can increase the options for people who feel the same way. The places I want to go are extreme (laughs), so if I push myself to the limit, I can create a path to get there.

When a choice arises, it's up to each individual to decide whether to go or not. I think the important thing is to have a way to get to the place you want to go.

There are still many people who give up on what they want to do because of their physical environment. But if you think about it carefully, there are many things that can be changed if you just try a little harder. I hope that by increasing the options available to people, we can help them realize that "it's your life, so there's no need to give up."

"When you're taking on a challenge, you don't become discouraged. I want people to use travel as an opportunity to do that."

JAL: Nakaoka's ability to gather information and disseminate it in order to create such a "path" is also incredible.

Nakaoka: Actually, before I got sick, I wasn't that type of person at all. I preferred being alone to being in a group. But after I got sick, I couldn't do anything as an individual, and that's why I realized how grateful I was for the support I had from those around me. I started to think that if we want to change society, we should do it together.

JAL: So it was the support of those around you that helped you stay positive.

Nakaoka: "Look forward" and "move forward" are easy to say, but in reality, it's not like that at all, and it feels like I'm dragging my body. But as I keep trying, I gradually get used to it. Once I learn how to get up, I become bolder in a good way.

When people take on a challenge, they don't become negative. This is something I've realized every day since I started my activities. The more opportunities you have to take on challenges, the richer and more enjoyable your life will be. I hope that traveling will be that kind of opportunity for everyone, whether they have a disability or not.

Aki Nakaoka
Born in Tottori Prefecture in 1976. Representative of the general incorporated association ata Alliance. At the age of 25, while working as a flight attendant for JAL, she was diagnosed with a progressive and incurable disease called "distal myopathy: rimmed vacuole type (DMRV)" and was forced to live in a wheelchair. Starting with climbing Mt. Tategamine in Nagano Prefecture in 2008, she has been actively exploring travel and activity options for wheelchair users, such as climbing to the top of Mt. Fuji in 2010 and conducting research in Canada at 60 degrees north latitude and minus 30 degrees in temperature in 2012. At the same time, she is working to create an environment where everyone can choose and enjoy travel and outdoor activities from a variety of options, such as importing the equipment needed for these, such as the amphibious wheelchair "HIPPOcampe" and seated skis "Dual Skis," and training instructors.