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Option A - Tour Dates for tour commencing May 27th 2005
Study Component Schedule
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Study Length
|
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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MAR/15-16
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MAR/17
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MAR/21, MAY/04-06
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MAY/26
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8 weeks
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MAR/29-30
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MAR/31
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MAY/04-06
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MAY/26
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6 weeks
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APR/12-13
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APR/14
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MAY/04-06
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MAY/26
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4 weeks
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APR/26-27
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APR/28
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MAY/04-06
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MAY/26
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2 weeks
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MAY/10-11
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MAY/12
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N/A
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MAY/26
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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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MAY/27
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Today we look at some of Japan's traditional industries, concentrating on handcrafts. Our first stop is
Tokoname, one of the most important kiln towns in Japan, where we will make ceramics with a master potter. Yamasa will ship the finished ceramics to you after the pottery is
fired. We visit the preserved house of an Edo period shipping merchant, and will also walk along the pottery path, and have plenty of time for souvenir hunting. Just as ceramics long played (and continue to) a vitally important role in daily life, so does our next destination. At
Kunizakari Sake we enter a 300 year old sake brewery. We learn all about both the traditional and modern methods of making fine sake, and spend a fair bit of time at the business end, sampling the product.
Suitably lubricated, our next destinations is the famous
Yoshihama Ningyou.
Again the work of master craftsmen, this museum is perhaps the best doll museum in the world and
needs to be seen to be believed. Apart from learning about dolls, it also presents a good opportunity
to learn about Japan and its history. Our final destination is the fantastic (but also somewhat bizarre) park in Anjo called
Denpark. Apart from enjoying the extensive gardens and the
microbrewery, visiting a place such as Denpark or DisneySea, or Osaka's
Universal Studios Japan
gives a useful insight into how Japanese people perceive the mysterious gaikoku.
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0800
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1900
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Yes
|
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2
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MAY/28
|
We begin an overnight trip to the Kansai region. Our first stop today is in
Nara, where we visit the
extensive
Horyuji and Chuguji complex. These
world heritage listed temples include the oldest wooden buildings in the world, the
Pavilion of Dreams,
famous art treasures including the beautiful
Miroku Bosatsu (the Future Buddha) a carved
camphor wood masterpiece and the bronze
Yume-chigae Kannon.
This "Dream Changing" Kannon is a delicate creature with a soft, secretive
smile, credited with turning bad dreams into good. From
Nara we drive into
Kobe, visiting the old foreign settlement of
Kitano with
it's winding streets & historic buildings such as the old
Chinese consulate and the US Consul's
Moeginoyakata. We will have dinner and
enjoy a night out in
Nankin-machi
and the many restaurants and bars lining the old
waterfront area.
Those who are still genki afterwards can enjoy bar-hopping and the nightlife of Kobe's Sannomiya district.
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0700
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N/A
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No
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3
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MAY/29
|
Today we move along the bay by car to
Osaka. Our first stop is the massive
Osaka castle with
its extensive moats and exhibits. From the castle we will visit the brilliant new
Osaka Museum of History.
This is a cleverly built museum including glass floors to see the archaeological site below the building,
panoramic views of the actual Naniwa palace site, superbly annotated exhibits and so forth.
After lunch we move to
Namba, the heart of Osaka's most modern shopping and
entertainment areas. We will visit the new
Namba Parks complex,
Dotombori,
and you will have time to enjoy the massive arcades of
Minami. We will not be leaving
Osaka until early evening.
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N/A
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2100
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No
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4
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MAY/30
|
Today we 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 head to
Kyoto and our next destination of
Uji, famous for the best green tea in Japan.
Our first stop in
Uji is the
Byoudoin - the most extensive existing Heian Period
building remaining, with an incredible museum. Nearly 1000 years old, it is
beautiful as well as of great importance, as recognised not only by its UNESCO world heritage value but also by featuring
on Japan's 10 yen coins. We will then cross the fast flowing Uji river to
Ujigami Jinja (also World heritage listed).
Leaving Uji we follow the river towards
Lake Biwa and visit
Ishiyamadera, the temple where the world's first
novel, the "Tale of Genji" was written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu. On our way back to Okazaki we stop and explore the
battlefield of Sekigahara. A busy day.
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0730
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1930
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Yes
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|
5
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MAY/31
|
Today we head deep into
Gifu, but not before making a quick visit to the famous/infamous
Tagata Jinja and Oagata Jinja near
Komaki in Aichi. From to here we head to
Gujo Hachiman, an old castletown with historic
streetscapes before we make a stop at Hirugano
Kohgen. Our main destination today is 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. We will return via the Shokawa area and Lake Miboro.
|
0820
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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
