132 yen per liter and rising

Fuel prices are steadily rising, with most prices now above 130 yen per litre. In addition to fuel costs, the increase in road tolls (from 3000 to 4100 yen) associated with the new Nagoya Airport and greater flexibility in start dates is putting enormous pressure on our airport pickup services. Changes are on the way. In fact the changes are explained in...

(1) The first bits:

(a) Airport Pickup Services: Due to the increased fuel prices, expressway tolls (now 4100 yen), as well as the higher parking and time costs associated with the new airport, we are going to need to switch to a new system at some stage in the next 3-6 months. Instead of providing 3 airport pickups a day (10am, 3pm & 9pm) on the 2 days immediately prior to start dates, we intend to offer hourly transfers (free) using the limousine bus service to JR Okazaki station, and for a small fee, an on-demand pickup service. The limousine bus service will be free, with the 1700 yen fare reimbursed in full. The on-demand pickup service will involve a small fee - not enough to cover the actual costs (to provide 1 person with an airport pickup costs Yamasa 11,400 yen - not including labor), but enough to reduce the current deficit. The English language site will be completed shortly, but out of concern for fairness the switch will not be made until the information is available in all languages. Maybe September?

(b) AIJP/AJSP/Acceleration Format 1: The deadline for the Summer 2006 academic quarter may be brought forward by 2 weeks from May 25th to May 11th as we are close to full capacity. If you have applied but have not yet paid you need to do so immediately.

(c) October 2006 Student Visas: The first deadline for applications for student visas for the October intake closed today, and the second deadline is approaching (June 8th). Language quotas are going to be tight in October due to the large April intake (see selection process). There are only 105 1K apartments with no new apartments currently under construction, so if you want a single apartment as your first preference you are advised to apply as early as possible. Please note that Student Accommodation will be allocated to successful applicants in the same order that the applications were received. Once all of the single apartments are full the only way to obtain a single would be via local real estate agents - paying market prices instead of the student rate - so don't delay.

(d) Okazaki Summer Housing - Yamamoto & Villa 2: Some applications are rolling in and about half are being approved at this stage. The majority of applications are asking for single accommodation. Normally once the student village is full we need to reject all new applicants unless we are able to obtain low cost hotel rooms (from about 5250 yen per night). In order to make better use of our resources, a decision has been made to allow short term female students to live in Yamamoto House and from late May, for short term male students to use Yamasa Villa 2. To keep prices down the rent will be the same as the single rooms in the student village (17500 yen per week, no deposit), even though the rooms are larger and include personal refrigerators. Both are also closer to the campus than the Student Village, so it should assist those students who prefer not to obtain bicycles.

(e) Sapporo Summer Housing: The new Sapporo Japanese Summer Program is full and all applications have been closed. Final notifications are being sent out this week. We will be increasing our capacity in Sapporo before applications for the 2007 winter and summer sessions open. A number of new Ski & Snowboarding in Hokkaido options will be added to the HCJS programs and we will be changing the format of the winter Discovery tours so that the study component can be in either Okazaki or the Hokkaido Center from 2007 onwards. Applications for winter 2007 in Sapporo will open in about 4 weeks.

(f) August Discovery Tour: The Japan Discovery Tour commencing August 18th is now fully booked. There are a handful of vacancies left in the July 7th - 18th tour option (includes the Horyuji and Chuguji temples in Nara, the Grand Shrines of Ise, the Fire Festival at Nachi in Wakayama and Gion Festival in Kyoto) and early applications are advised.

(g) Private Lessons Crunch: We have an extreme shortage of classroom and teaching capacity for private lessons at the moment, so we advise those planning to do private lessons options including Options B & C of the Acceleration program to apply and pay at least 3 months prior to your proposed start date.

(h) Aoi Hall CALL Seminar Room: During the Golden Week holidays we relocated the CALL lab from the 2nd to the ground floor of Aoi Hall to enlarge the facilities as part of our efforts to further increase the amount of customized one-to-one instruction at Yamasa. The move creates 2 new classrooms upstairs for SILAC and Acceleration's Option B & C, and increases the number of CALL booths in Aoi Hall to 8. CALL lessons continue to be coordinated by Sugita sensei of the Online Center who also coordinates our enlarged private lesson program.

(i) Upcoming Trips: The next weekend trip is to Kyoto on May 20th. Most trips through to August can now be booked online. If you don't know your Student ID number yet, just use your passport number. If you don't know your accommodation allocation yet (or won't require accommodation) just select "Off-Campus". We can change your details after you arrive.

Shinmei-sha Taisai

(f) Coming Events: On May 13th & 14th (always on the second Saturday and Sunday of May) go to the Shinmeiguu shrine (take the bus or ride to the Kousei-cho area north of Higashi Okazaki) for the Shinmei-sha Taisai (Shinmei-sha Shrine Festival). Here you can see children parading in colorful costumes, the beating of taiko drums, and flutes, young ladies doing traditional dances, young men pulling a huge mikoshi shrine etc.

Cherry Blossoms on Wakasayama		Conversing Hats		New CALL Seminar room		Wisteria flowers

(j) Other bits:

• Make a little bit of money by writing articles for the newsletter. See the contributions page for details.
• Find a course: see the program catalog.
• Contact Admissions if you have any questions.
• See below for information regarding course deadlines.

The Editor
Yamasa News
The Yamasa Institute - Aichi Center for Japanese Studies
1-2-1 Hanehigashimachi Okazaki
Aichi Japan 444-0832

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(2) Course Information

Accommodation

If you are coming to Okazaki City during the next few months, please visit the housing availability file (Opens new window).

Message from Yukiko Iijima (Housing Officer): Please also note that it is extremely important that you rank your accommodation preferences clearly. Upgrades are possible in the event of cancellations - so if your first preference is a single room in the village, select "Village single" as first choice, "Residence U" as your second choice and so on.

Long-term Courses:

Applications for October Student Visa intake: Admissions for long term visas for October 2006 are now open. Early application is advised due to the selection process and the limited number of visas we are allocated by the Immigration Bureau for October. To download application forms click here.

Short-term courses:

All Extension programs have space while accommodation is available. For Academic programs, the next available start date for AIJP, AJSP and Acceleration Format 1 is July 5th 2006. For applicants for 1 academic quarter only, using a short term tankitaizai (tourist) or other appropriate visa, applications close February 22nd.