Okurayama Jampu Kyogijo
Okurayama Jammu Kyogijo (Mt. Okurayama Jump Stadium) was host to the 1972 Winter Olympics 90 meters class ski jumping competition. Today, it's still used for competitions and has be modernized to include an Olympic museum with winter sport simulators and Summer Hill, a ski jump that allows skiers to practice jumping even during the summer. The museum and observatory at the top of the jump hill are both well known tourist destinations in Sapporo, so we decided to check them out last Friday.
This was another one of those sites where I wasn't sure if it would be all that interesting to visit, and again I was wrong. Just walking up to the jump hill from the bus stop I was in awe. Watching ski jumping on TV does nothing to impress upon you just how high and long and STEEP the jump hill actually is! I have no idea how anyone ever gets up the nerve to do this.
Before heading up to the top of the hill, we went into the museum to try out some of the simulators. First up was the jump simulator.
In launch position (sort of)...
Jump!...
Soaring...
Somehow this kid managed to land herself in fourth place for jumps for the day! I thought it was just a fluke, but then she repeated her performance later with very similar results. She drew all kinds of applause from other people visiting the museum and ended up with a little fan club that followered her around.
Meanwhile, I had such a dismal performance that I didn't even make it far enough for a score-able jump!
Next up was the jump take-off simulator:
This time she came within 7 m of the simulators longest recorded jump!
Her fans went wild!
They were seriously impressed by her...I'm not sure if it was her actual "skill" or the fact that people seemed to be enamoured by her in general over here. I need to figure it out though, because it seems like we may have found her calling.
My performances just kept getting worse:
...tried out some speed skating...
...and blocked more ice hockey penalty shots than I could count.
Once we finished up in the museum, we had worked up quite the appetite, so we ordered two onigiri from the snack bar and headed for the top of the jump hill. I have to say this was a kind of "onigiri" we had never encountered before...and hope never to again. What we were served was a cylinder of rice on a skewer, wrapped with bacon, and microwaved until lukewarm. Ugh! We were both so hungry that we still choked them down, but they were not enjoyable!
There are two routes to the top of the ski jump hill - the chair lift, or a steep walking trail to the top. We decided to walk up so we could stop along the way and explore. These cement terraces make up the "bleachers" used for stadium spectators. They can hold as many as 50,000 people!
Here we were also able to learn a bit more about ski jump scoring. Points are awarded both based on distance and style. The "P-spot" (outlined by the blue lines) indicates the area landing area in which standard points are awarded for landed jumps, while the "K-spot" (outlined by the red lines) designates the landing area in which successfully landed jumps are awarded additional points. This is a good reference point for the simulator results Fiona and I were seeing. All of her jumps landed her well within the K-spot while none of mine even made it into the P-spot!
Not a bad view even from the "nosebleed" seats at this venue!
After leaving the seating area, it was a loooong series of staircases to top.
My future ski jumper at the top:
She took one look at this view point which is supposed to replicate what it's like to be a skier preparing for a jump and said, "Mommy, I wish that jump was open! I'd do that!" The most terrifying part? She was dead serious.
I loved this view from the observatory roof top - it illustrates perfectly one of the many things that's so great about Sapporo. Despite the fact that it's a HUGE city, there are endless options for outdoor adventures right on its doorstep.
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