Free Announcer Aika Kanda, Putting an End to the Battle with Glamping!

At last, we have entered full-blown spring. Until the rainy season begins, it is time to enjoy spring leisure. However, for me, who hates insects more than ghosts, it is the exact opposite. The coming of spring is the coming of insects. If you don’t like bugs, you should just keep your distance from the natural world, but I love being in nature. That’s why winter glamping is my favorite leisure activity, and I’ve been three times this fall and winter alone.

My first glamping trip was three years ago. We were a group of four good friends from school. We booked a place that we thought had a great atmosphere. We booked a glamping facility that we thought had a great atmosphere. We were excited to have a BBQ on the outdoor wooden deck. But when the sun went down and we started grilling, something unexpected happened. The only light was an orange light hanging above the dining table. It was too dark to see if the meat was cooked or not. Besides, it was too cold. The temperature was 5 degrees Celsius. I couldn’t even hold the cold can of beer I was looking forward to without gloves. In addition, the restrooms were far away from the hotel, and the road to them was pitch black and scary. After giving up beer to minimize the number of bathroom visits, we thought to ourselves, “It’s cold!　I want to go inside the tent! I want to go inside the tent! We all gave up on beer in order to minimize the number of times we had to use the restroom.

The following winter, out of frustration, the same members tried glamping for the second time. After reflecting on the experience last time, they booked a glamping facility with a BBQ room, complete with air conditioning and restroom facilities. It was a perfect facility, with large windows from which to enjoy the view of nature while dining. The pleasure of eating well-cooked food, starting with appetizers, and the pleasure of drinking plenty of beer kept the conversation flowing. But when it came time to grill the steaks, I realized that I was in for a real treat. I realized that we were all already full. Everyone was already full. There was no room for the main course. We had lost out on glamping again! Four adults over forty had gathered together for this fiasco. It made me even more frustrated.

Then, last fall. For the third time, we made reservations at a new glamping facility. On the train on the way there, we vowed, “This time we will finish with no mistakes, graduate from glamping, and move on to the next step! I vowed to myself, “This time I will finish with no mistakes, graduate from glamping, and move on! True to our word, we finished off our steaks first in comfortable surroundings, and then continued to snack on appetizers and drink beer. Yes, we had finally graduated from the days of being at the mercy of glamping. We toasted, “We beat glamping!” We toasted many times and slept comfortably that night.

The next morning, I decided to have a leisurely breakfast with a cup of coffee. For some reason, every glamping facility has coffee beans and a hand-ground coffee mill. I began to grind my own coffee, saying, “It’s so elegant to grind coffee by myself. But then I ran into a new problem. No matter how hard I turned the mill, the beans did not become very fine. How long would it take? My wrists were getting tired and aching. It was half an hour before check-out time when the coffee was finally made for everyone. In the end, we floundered at the end, and on the train ride home, I raised the white flag, saying, “I can’t beat glamping anymore,” and “Third time’s a charm is a lie. ……

The settlement was settled with morning coffee.

And this March. (Victory is right around the corner, but can we put it off until the next late fall?) I asked myself. If only the coffee problem could be solved, my battle against glamping would end in victory. What’s the point of putting it off?　(No ……!!!). . And (I have to settle this before the end of the season!) I was excited.

I invited my husband to revisit the facility where we lost out on coffee. This was my fifth glamping trip in total. From the time we arrived until we woke up the next morning, we repeated the same process as last time. Finally, it was time for breakfast. I asked my husband, “Would you like some coffee? I asked my husband, “Would you like some coffee? He replied, “Sure! Well, the time had come. I take out the drip coffee I brought from home from my bag and boil water. On the shelf, as before, there are coffee beans and a coffee mill. I glared at them. And to them, a voice leaked out, “I win. It was a heartfelt declaration of victory over glamping. I set the drip coffee in a cup. Hot water was poured and the coffee was ready. It only took a few minutes. Then I lifted the cup with my strong wrist and drank it gracefully. It was delicious. (I finally won …… glamping. Finally, I’ve established my own way of enjoying it!) ) The trees outside the window seemed to glow.

Now I can finally move on. I wonder what the next ″leisure without bugs″ in nature will be?　Let’s find out ♫

Aika Kanda was born in 1980 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from Gakushuin University with a degree in mathematics, she joined NHK as an announcer in 2003, and left NHK in 2012 to become a freelance announcer. Since then, she has been active mainly in variety shows, and currently makes regular appearances as the main MC of the daytime TV program “Poka Poka” (Fuji Television Network).

From the May 10 and 17, 2024 issue of FRIDAY