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Option A - Tour Dates for tour commencing June 23rd 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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APR/11-12
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APR/13
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MAY/03-05
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JUN/22
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8 weeks
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APR/25-26
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APR/27
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MAY/03-05
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JUN/22
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6 weeks
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MAY/09-10
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MAY/11
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JUN/22
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4 weeks
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MAY/23-24
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MAY/25
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JUN/22
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2 weeks
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JUN/06-07
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JUN/08
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JUN/22
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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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JUN/23
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We first visit
Takisanji with its perfect
Kamakura period
architecture and magnificent
gate built in 1267 by Mitsunobu Fujiwara,
also taking time to get a close look at the beautiful
Toshogu built by the 3rd and most
powerful shogun of the Edo period
Tokugawa Iemitsu. We then drive to Horaiji-san - a
1300 year old temple set amongst the cliffs and if the weather is fine we'll hike up to Oku-no-in for the spectacular views (if the weather is wet we will instead visit one of the increasingly rare senmaida). We finish the day with a visit to the Nagashino Castle Ruins and the
Shitagahara Battlefield and Museum - a turning point in Japanese history where
Oda Nobunaga and
Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated the cavalry of the Takeda clan in 1575.
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0820
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17:30
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Yes
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2
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JUN/24
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We begin an overnight trip to the Kansai region.
Our first stop today is in
Shiga Prefecture where our 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 through
Kyoto tod our next destination of
Kobe.
In Kobe, we visit 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, before heading to our final destination,
Himeji. At this time of year the magnificent Himeji castle
is floodlit. We will have a look around, and then those who are still genki will find a nice cosy bar.
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0700 Please bring passport or ARC with you for hotel check-in
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N/A
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No
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3
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JUN/25
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In the morning we will visit the massive and world heritage listed
Himeji Castle. This is the
most extensively preserved castle in Japan, never damaged by war (including WWII) and one of only four castles in Japan
that are designated as national treasures. Rebuilt from 1600 by Ikeda
Terumasa, many famous figures including Senhime and
Miyamoto Musashi, the master of two-sword fencing are closely associated with Himeji Castle. From here we will head to the
vast hilltop monastery complex of Shoshazan. This is
one of the most important pilgramage sites in western Japan, extensively preserved, and yet rarely crowded - you may have
seen some parts of it before since it was where many of the temple scenes of the movie "The Last Samurai" were filmed. Our
final destination today is the city of Nara, the first
permanent capital of Japan (710-794). In Nara we will (assuming traffic is kind) visit
Todaiji, home of Nara's famous great Buddha, the
Nara Park area with
the sacred deer and Kofukuji.
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N/A
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2130
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No
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4
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JUN/26
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Early today we head 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 Corporation 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 Daijuji -
the ancestral temple of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Matsudaira clan, with its unique pagoda and artworks. We finish the day visiting another
center of excellence, though 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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0800
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1830
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Yes
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5
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JUN/27
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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.
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0700
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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.
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
