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Option A - Tour Dates for tour commencing January 25th 2008
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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NOV/06-07
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NOV/08
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DEC/31, JAN/01-04
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JAN/24
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8 weeks
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NOV/20-21
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NOV/22
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DEC/31, JAN/01-04
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JAN/24
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6 weeks
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DEC/04-05
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DEC/06
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DEC/31, JAN/01-04
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JAN/24
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4 weeks
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DEC/18-19
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DEC/20
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DEC/31, JAN/01-04
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JAN/24
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2 weeks
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JAN/08-09
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JAN/10
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DEC/31, JAN/01-04
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JAN/24
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*Arrival - there is a free 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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JAN/25
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Early today we head to historic Daijuji - the
ancestral temple of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Matsudaira clan, with its unique pagoda and important artworks,
before heading to one of the key reasons for Japan's emergence as a modern economy. At Toyota Motor we walk through their
superb exhibition hall, learning about the processes involved before heading to a
Toyota Motor Factory
for a birdseye view of the welding robots and production lines.
On our return journey we visit Okutono Jinya and
drink tea in an historic samurai barracks with a beautiful Japanese garden. In the evening we head
through the Japan alps and make our way to
Nagano and our
hotel accommodations (modern single rooms, doubles or twins may be requested). Provided we haven't been delayed by snowfalls,
there should be enough time to hunt around for a cosy izakaya.
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0820
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N/A
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Yes
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2
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JAN/26
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In the morning we drive towards Shiga Kogen and head to
Jigokudani Onsen and fascinating
Yudanaka Snow Monkeys - enjoying
the walk through the snowy forest on the way. There are several hundred monkeys, and we will spend a fair
amount of time here observing them, as well as other animals (kamoshika etc) we may encounter in the national park.
We then head back towards Nagano City and the
famous Zenkouji, one of the
major pilgrimage centers in Japan and home to the "Key to Paradise". Zenkouji is perhaps the largest non-denominational site of
Buddhist worship in Japan.
From here we make our way to
Matsushiro, where we will
enter the incredible underground
WWII Imperial Headquarters carved out of the rocks
beneath the mountains by forced labour (primarily Koreans who endured severe hardships) during the 10 months leading up to
Japan's unconditional surrender in August 1945. We still do not know how many people died digging the headquarters, and
during the long walk through the underground tunnels its hard to come to grips with how many more lives would have been
lost had the war continued. We will also visit an old zen temple nearby that contains the only known graves of the victims.
If time permits, we will visit the castle and some of the historic samurai sites including the Sanada residence.
From Matsushiro we move to
Matsumoto, an old but prosperous town centered on
Matsumoto Castle - one of the few castles in
Japan designated a national treasure. We will stay in modern hotel accommodations, but make a diversion to Asama Onsen to enjoy
an outdoor rotemburo hot spring bath. We will also visit the castle grounds as the castle is illuminated at night.
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N/A
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N/A
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No
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3
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JAN/27
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Today we start by entering Matsumoto Castle and its museum.
This is one of only 4 castles in Japan designated a national treasure. We will then visit the Ame market, before visiting the museum and then
magnificent Japan Ukiyoe Museum.
From Matsumoto we will then head south, making a brief stop at Komagane
before visiting the historic village of
Tsumago, before returning to Okazaki.
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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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JAN/28
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We head to the ancient capital of Nara, visiting
Kofukuji, and walking through
Nara Koen with its sacred deer to Kasuga Taisha. From here we head across to Nigatsudo and the world heritage listed 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.
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0800
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1900
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No
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5
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JAN/29
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Time to go skiing or snowboarding (or for the less energetic, playing in the snow).
We leave Okazaki fairly early to avoid traffic, and drive to Gifu prefecture where we will enjoy the large but
uncrowded snow resort of "Dynaland" (website / profile).
The tour fee includes an optional lesson, as well as ski/stock/boots or snowboard/boots rental, but not clothing & wear. Snow gear can usually be borrowed (except for very large sizes) if you contact Admissions well in advance.
Once you are tired, we return to Okazaki and finish the tour.
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0700
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2000
|
No
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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
