another fool wrote:

> Eric Takabayashi <etakajp@yahoo.co.jp> wrote in message
> > The motorized paragliders can be reasonable. I've seen a place advertised
> > near Tokyo, I think, they provided hours of instruction, and also let the
> > student solo by the end, and it was just 10,000 yen.
>
> Yeah the wife has lived a relatively sheltered life in the Osaka
> suburbs near Itami airport so there is probably a no fly zone around
> it for small planes.  And we live up in the foothills/mountains so not
> a lot of private guys would head up here, mostly it's the local naval
> airstations guys flying their helicoptors around pissing off the
> locals.
>
> Anyway I write this and what did I see while we were out by the lake
> this afternoon?
>
> Paragliders...
>
> I figure it must all be expensive as hell - probably cheaper for me to
> fly back to Texas and use my buddies crop duster.  Wonder if my
> lisence is any good here or if I'd have to go through all that crap
> again.

This would definitely be worth looking into. For example, there was some
trouble a while back, because so many Japanese were going to the US to get
their helicopter licenses (in English), mostly because it cost half as much -
three million yen instead of six million.