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Option A - Tour Dates for tour commencing September 15th 2006
Study Component Schedule
|
Study Length
|
Arrival*
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Commence
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Holidays**
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End Studies
|
|
10 weeks
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JUL/04-05
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JUL/06
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AUG/14-15
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SEP/14
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8 weeks
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JUL/18-19
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JUL/20
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AUG/14-15
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SEP/14
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6 weeks
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AUG/01-02
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AUG/03
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AUG/14-15
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SEP/14
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|
4 weeks
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AUG/15-16
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AUG/17
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N/A
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SEP/14
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|
2 weeks
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AUG/29-30
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AUG/31
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N/A
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SEP/14
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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
|
Depart+
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Return+
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Lunch+
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1
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SEP/15
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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.
|
0930
|
1900
|
Yes
|
|
2
|
SEP/16
|
We head to the ancient capital of
Nara, visiting the "NaraKan" explaining in detail many aspects
of the World Heritage sites in the area. Our first stop is historic
Kofukuji, 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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0820
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1830
|
Yes
|
|
3
|
SEP/17
|
We commence a three day trip that begins with one of the most accessible and yet for
foreigners an often unvisited part of Japan - the beautiful
Izu Peninsula. Heading into
Shizuoka we visit
Mishima Taisha and (hopefully be able to) enjoy the views of
Mount Fuji before turning south to follow the west coast of the peninsula along
Suruga Bay all the way to the old trading port of
Shimoda. On the way we visit Cape Matsuzaki and the
fascinating Dogashima - taking a boat
inside Dogashima's caves. Once a vital anchorage for wooden sailing vessels plying the
trade between Edo (now
Tokyo) and southern ports such as
Toba and
Tokoname,
Shimoda became famous along with equally isolated
Hakodate in
Hokkaido as one of the first new ports
to be opened up after more than two centuries of isolation, and was the residence of
Townsend Harris, the first American Consul. These days
Shimoda is an onsen resort, so apart from a walk around the bay, the old quarter and the
interesting museum, we will also enjoy fresh seafood and a good soak.
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0730
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N/A
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No
|
|
4
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SEP/18
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After a detour to Yumigahama beach, we head north into the National Park through some
spectacular scenery until we reach the mountain "temple town turned onsen resort" of Shuzenji.
Shuzenji temple dates
from AD 807. From here we head through the forests to beautiful
Lake Ippeki and the town of Ito where
William Adams
built his first ship for Tokugawa Ieyasu, and then take a break at
Atami beach. In the evening we drive around
Sagami bay to our final destination tonight -
Kamakura.
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
No
|
|
5
|
SEP/19
|
After breakfast we will stroll around Enoshima island
visiting its caves before heading across to the mainland and historic
Ryuko-ji.
From here we follow the coast along to Kamakura, capital of Japan from 1185 to 1333, dropping in to see
the Daibutsu (even today probably the most famous attraction in
Kamakura) and the wonderful Rinzai Zen temple of Engaku-ji.
Leaving Kamakura we drive across to the Miura peninsula to
our last destination for this trip, the battleship Mikasa. This
ship was the flagship of the Japanese Navy under
Admiral Togo during the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese war. Completely
restored
(inside and out) it is now an incredible museum. In the evening we head to Yokohama's Chinatown for dinner, before we
return to Okazaki.
|
N/A
|
2130
|
No
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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
