European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 22, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pages sunday april 22 2007 00 americans japanese reach great Heights in Okinawa gym s i theres a place near Kadena air full q i base and Camp Foster where american and Japa i Nese athletes Are faking their skills to new Heights its the Okinawa Yama Acha climbing gym a d j place where climbers Are getting a grip on a 73 fast growing sport in fact one of the instructors there holds japans Junior title Nobuyuki Nagata 19 already considered one of the worlds Best Rock climbers says his love for climb ing began on Camp Foster six years ago during a base Ope House event one of the attractions was a climbing Wall i instantly fell in love with it Nagata said recently explaining that As soon As the base event ended he headed straight for Okinawa Yama Acha climbing gym from that Day on Rock climbing became his life the Joy of scaling Walls and boulders has enabled Nagata to climb up the ladder of the sport last August Nagata placed 17th in the world Junior Rock climbing championship in Austria where youths from 35 countries tested their free climbing skills Sagatas gym is in an old rundown Concrete building near Kadena air base More than half of the members and visitors Are americans its a great Way to Recycle the building laughed Masayuki Higa the owner of the building and the gym he Learned Rock climbing 15 years ago in the mountains of Nepal where he worked As a Volunteer technician to help the Nepal government i found that the physical Strain tension and thrills we get from Rock climbing Are really Good for our mental health he said the gym was opened in september 1999 inside Walls stand straight up to the ceiling of the four Story building some vertical and others tilted slightly in Ward All the Walls Are mounted with rocks of different shapes marked with tape in various colors some of the rocks seem climber Friendly easy to grab onto while others appear inhospitable Small with narrow handholds the different colors of tapes indicate the difficulty Levels of climbing Nagata said yellow is the easiest and Black is the hardest route he said on a vertical Board in one Corner of the building three us marines were testing their ascending skills snaking their bodies and searching for holds for their hands and feet they managed to scale the Wail to the top i loved it said pfc Jason Warren 20 from Camp Hansen after descending to the floor but it was not easy he said at first i thought this is going to be but after i was about 10 to 11 feet up i realized that it was much harder he said he was fascinated by the Challenge i think Ive found something i can enjoy he said Lance Cpl Terry Hall 19 from Camp Courtney said it was a Good workout it surely wears you out especially the arms he said Rock climbing was not new to Lance Cpl Andrew Venable 20 of Camp Hansen i used to go to a gym in Rochester by with my brother All the time he said he plans to come Back to the gym and bring More people with More friends its More fun and More exciting indoor Rock climbing is becoming increasingly popular in Many parts of the world including Japan photos by Chiyomi children Are natural climbers Joshua Vanguider 6 above and his brother Elijah Vangilder 8 scramble a Wall in Okinawa Yama Acha climbing gym in Okinawa City the boys whose father is air Force tvs a James Vangilder had visited the gym Only once before at first i thought this is going to be but after was about 10 to 11 feet up realized that it was much pfc Jason Warren 20 Camp Hansen Okinawa it surely wears you out especially Hie arms Lance Cpl Terry Hall Camp Courtney Okinawa i used to go to a gym in Rochester by with my brother All the time with More friends its More fun and More Lance Cpl Andrew Venable Camp Hansen Okinawa