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Option A - Tour Dates for tour commencing October 12th 2006
Study Component Schedule
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Study Length
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Arrival*
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Commence
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Holidays**
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End Studies
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10 weeks
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JUL/31-AUG/01
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AUG/02
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AUG/13-15, SEP/21, OCT/05
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OCT/11
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8 weeks
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AUG/14-15
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AUG/16
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SEP/21, OCT/05
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OCT/11
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6 weeks
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AUG/28-29
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AUG/30
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SEP/21, OCT/05
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OCT/11
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4 weeks
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SEP/11-12
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SEP/12
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SEP/21, OCT/05
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OCT/11
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2 weeks
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SEP/25-26
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SEP/27
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OCT/05
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OCT/11
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*Arrival - there is a Nagoya airport pickup on the days indicated.
**Public/Institute holidays affecting classes are listed here in full.
Proposed Schedule (this may change, please refer to notes below)
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Day
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Date
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Destination(s) - Click for info
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Depart+
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Return+
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Lunch+
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1
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OCT/12
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Our theme today is "monozukuri" - the art of making things. We begin with a visit to
Okutono Jinya and
drink tea in a old samurai barracks with a beautiful Japanese garden, before heading to one of the key reasons for Japan's
emergence as a modern economy. At Toyota Motor we walk through their superb
Kaikan, learning about the processes involved
before heading to a Toyota Motor Factory for
a birdseye view. On our return journey we visit historic
Hatcho Miso - one of the oldest and most
successful Japanese businesses in existence today.
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0815
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1800
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Yes
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2
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OCT/13
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Today we first head to
Shiga Prefecture where our first destination is
Taga Taisha. This important Taisha enshrines the
parent gods of Amaterasu. Apart from gods, its also a nice walk, breaking the journey before we cross the waters of
Lake Biwa and head up to the
the mountain monastery complex of Hiei-zan and Enryakuji.
Through the centuries, the Japanese have considered this to be one of the spiritual centers of their culture.
From Hiei-zan we descend into Kyoto,
visiting the famous Ginkakuji - arguably the most beautiful and refined of any of the Higashiyama -
before making our way to the heart of Kyoto's modern city. We will have some free time to enjoy the shopping area of Kawaramachi and the arcades, explore the entertainment
area of Gion to see if we can spot any geisha near the
Ichiriki Ochaya, and visit
Yasaka Jinja ("Gion-san").
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0730
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1930
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No
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3
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OCT/14
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Today we drive into
Nara, visiting historic
Horyuji and Chuguji.
Horyuji
is the oldest surviving Buddhist temple in Japan, World Heritage listed and rebuilt after extensive fires in 670.
Its near neighbour Chuguji (entered from next
to Horyuji's Pavilion of Dreams) has an
imperial connection remaining to this day, and an incredibly
beautiful Buddha, the famous Miroku Bosatsu.
We also visit the Fujinoki tumulus, an ancient imperial tomb, before heading into the mountains to
Muroji. Nestled
deep in the mountains, almost buried inside a large forest,
Muroji is the "Koya-san of women", arguably the most
beautifully located temple in all of Nara, and
also home to fantastic artwork and Enryaku era (780-805) architecture.
Our last stop for the day is the small temple of Onodera.
Set beside a flowing stream, Onodera provides a good
vantage point from which to see the famous Magai
Butsu, a 14 meter high image of
Buddha carved into cliff during the Kamakura Period. If the water isn't too deep, it will be possible to cross the stream for
a close up look.
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0730
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1930
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Yes
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4
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OCT/15
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Today we head deep into
Gifu, but not before making a quick visit to the
famous/infamous Tagata Jinja near
Komaki in Aichi. From to here we head to
Hirugano
Kohgen, before continuing to our main destination today - the
Shirakawa-go area.
We will spend the rest of the day in the World Heritage listed village of
Ogimachi, enjoying the atmosphere of the thatched roofs, and interesting attractions
such as the Wada House and the
Myozenji Museum.
The famous Doburoku festival is held today, so there will be some serious fun drinking traditional
unfiltered sake, enjoying the dances and so forth. We will return via the Shokawa area and Lake Miboro.
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0730
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N/A
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No
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5
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OCT/16
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This will be a fairly relaxed day, as the next 5 are fairly busy. We drive up the Tomei to
Shizuoka Prefecture stopping at Hamanako, a massive tidal lagoon and Fujikawa. Here we will hopefully have a view of
Mount Fuji, though this will depend on the cloud cover. From Fujikawa we will visit
Numazu, enjoy lunch at
The Fishmarket Taproom and visit Cape Osezaki, and the Numazu Imperial Villa Memorial Park, which
is the only chance to see the inside of a royal residence in Japan. If we get good views of Mount Fuji we will linger in
Numazu for a while, if not we will head to the
famous Shiraito waterfalls.
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0800
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1830
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Yes
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+Departure from/Return to Okazaki times given using 24 hour clock (ie 0800 = 8am, 1830 = 6.30pm)
+Lunch - No/No indicates whether lunch is included or not.
Return = N/A means an overnight stay, usually in a ryokan or minshuku, where evening meal/breakfast is always included.
Departure point is either your student accommodation, or in the case of students doing Homestays or living off campus, from
Aoi Hall.
Discounts: As this is an off-season tour (the usual number of participants is 5 or less), it is possible to obtain
a discount of 5000 yen off the total program fee if payment is completed more than ten weeks before program commencement. This
discount is refunded to participants after they arrive at Yamasa.
Notes:
In the week before a tour commences, an informal briefing will be held for the participants, usually on the Monday preceding the
tour start date. If the number of students
participating is 6 students or less (which is usually the case in the off season), then the actual destinations, or the
order in which they are visited, can often be altered to reflect the specific interests of the group members.
Please also note that the schedule may need to be changed in the event of inclement weather/typhoons etc,
or the unforeseen closure of any given destination. Appropriate alternative destinations are chosen only after
consultation with you.
To help ensure that students can budget for expenses accurately, Institute staff will either purchase food (usually
bento and drinks) for you to eat or find a reasonably priced restaurant (maximum cost 1000 yen - with Yamasa paying for the
remainder of your food bill) if due to traffic/weather conditions we are delayed by more than one hour on the days we
return to Okazaki accommodation.
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C O M M U N I T Y M E M B E R S
