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Option A - Tour Dates for tour commencing June 26th 2009
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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APR/14-15
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APR/16
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MAY/03-05, JUN/05
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JUN/25
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8 weeks
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APR/28-29
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APR/30
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MAY/03-05, JUN/05
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JUN/25
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6 weeks
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MAY/12-13
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MAY/14
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JUN/05
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JUN/25
|
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4 weeks
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MAY/26-27
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MAY/28
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JUN/05
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JUN/25
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2 weeks
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JUN/09-10
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JUN/25
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X
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JUN/25
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*Arrival - there is an airport transfer available on arrival for the study component.
**Public/Institute holidays affecting classes are listed here in full.
Proposed Tour 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)/Notes
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Depart+
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Return+
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Lunch+
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1
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June 26th
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Day trip: We start with a visit to Okutono Jinya and drink tea in a 300 year old samurai barracks,
and stroll through the moss garden, before heading to one of the key reasons for Japan's emergence as a modern economy.
At Toyota Motor Corporation we walk through their superb
Kaikan, learning about the processes involved
before heading to a Toyota Motor Factory for
a birdseye view of thousands of robots and an exceptionally sophisticated production system. On our return journey we visit historic Daijuji -
the ancestral temple of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Matsudaira
clan, with its unique pagoda and artworks. Our next destination is another
center of excellence, however instead of the 21st century technologies of
Toyota, the methods used by
Hatcho Miso are ancient and the product
unchanging throughout the centuries.
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0900
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1730
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Yes
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2
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June 27th
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Day trip:
Today we drive into Gifu Prefecture, stopping at Kawashima Aqua to visit the large new freshwater fish aquarium & its gardens. This multistoried aquarium is one of the largest of its kind in the world, and includes not only fish but other denizens of the Nagara River valley habitat. We then head to Gujo Hachiman. This small town is mostly famous for its "iron" Obon dances during the summer, but equally interesting for its heritage value. Its extremely cool. The late English born writer Alan Booth, a long term resident of Japan, appropriately described Gujo Hachiman in his book "Looking for the Lost" as as being "like an Edo-era stage set", and the kind of town foreigners dreamed about - albeit one where you half expected a Japanese film director to leap out and scream "Lights! Camera! Sutaaaaato!" You can be the judge...... We will visit the mountaintop castle, and then walk through the narrow streets and laneways looking at some fine temples, shrines and shops. Gujo is a town famous for its folk dancing, but also for an unusual craft. Many restaurants in Japan have (inedible) food displays in their front windows to attract customers, and Gujo is one of the main producers of these "food" samples. One of the shops we will visit is a workshop (sampuru koubou) that produces and sells the plastic food models that you often see outside restaurants throughout Japan. Made primarily from wax, plastic etc, we will have the opportunity to make our own food samples - its a very unusual souvenir.
Before we begin our return journey, we will make a visit to the Otaki Shonyudo Cave complex. Apart from the interesting cave formations, this is the site of an unusual and fascinating destination - the highest underground waterfall in Japan.
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0800
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1900
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No
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3
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June 28th
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Day trip: We head to Magome and Tsumago. Magome-juku and Tsumago-juku were post towns on the old Nakasendo highway linking Edo (the capital of the Tokugawa Shogunate, now called Tokyo) and the imperial capital of Kyoto. Magome was the home of the famous Japanese novelist Shimazaki Toson (1872-1943, author of "Before the Dawn") and we will visit a small museum dedicated to him there@while we enjoy the village. The main attraction for us though is the chance to hike (mostly downhill) part of the original Nakasendo on our way to fascinating Tsumago. This old town was bypassed when the railroad was built in the Meiji Period and as a result is almost perfectly preserved, with no overhead electric cables etc blighting the landscape. We will be able to enter the wonderfully restored Honjin and a superb museum. The small village is also a perfect place to pick up some souvenirs.
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0830
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1845
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No
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4
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June 29th
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Overnight trip: We head to Nara, the location of Japan's first permanent capital and a treasure trove of cultural heritage and masterpieces. Most trips to Nara begin
with the deer of Nara Park, but to obtain a better overview, we will start with a visit to some difficult to get to areas. We start with
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. Next we visit the small temple of Onodera. Set beside a flowing stream, Onodera provides a
good vantage point from which to see a famous Magai Butsu, a 14 meter high image of Buddha carved into cliff during the Kamakura Period. Please bring a towel, because if the water isn't too deep,
it will be possible to wade across the stream for a close up look at the Magaibutsu and also the sanskrit engravings hidden around its base.
In the afternoon we explore the vast complex that comprises
Horyuji and Chuguji.
Horyuji is the oldest surviving temple in Japan and one of the oldest wooden structures on earth. We will have the opportunity
to explore the large compound, make a visit to the Pavilion of Dreams, and the amazing art museum. We will also have the
chance to visit Chuguji, a royal temple nearby that contains the beautiful Miroku Bosatsu - a work of Buddhist art that
would not appear out of place in an Italian renaissance collection - except that it is significantly older.
Our accommodation is in Nara city, and we will eat well. Those who are still genki will be able to find a cosy bar.
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0830
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N/A
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Yes
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5
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June 30th
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After breakfast we will visit the interesting NaraNaraKan, before exploring the grounds of historic
Kofukuji temple, before walking through
Nara Koen with its sacred deer to
the ancient shrine of Kasuga Taisha.
From here we head across to Nigatsudo and
the wonderful Todaiji, the largest wooden
structure in the world and home to Nara's famous daibutsu. If the weather is wet we'll visit the
Isuien Garden & the Neiraku Museum.
If it is dry we'll drive to the top of
Wakasayama which gives us a fantastic view of the Yamato plain stretching from the outskirts of
Osaka northwards to the southern outskirts of
Kyoto, before returning via the scenic drive through the
World Heritage listed primaeval forest of Kasuga Taisha.
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N/A
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1900
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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 - Yes/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.
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 program fee (in addition to the accommodation discounts offered through the "early bird" pass) if payment is completed more than ten weeks before program commencement.
Notes:
In the week before a tour commences, a briefing will be held for the participants. If the number of students
participating is 9 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
