ExperienceJapan

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ExperienceJapan

• May-June 2008

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Basics

• Tour leaders
• Larry Neuman
• Kasumi Kato
• Enroll in Sociology 350Contemporary Japanese
  Society, and select the Study Tour Option (4
  credits) class meetings are once a week,
  Wednesday 6-730 pm, plus on-line assignments.
• After the on-campus part of the course ends, we
  visit to Japan for 14 days, Thurs. May 22 to Wed.
  June 4.

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Weather

• The weather should be very pleasant.
• Expect it to be a little warmer than Wisconsin
• Expect it to rain once or twice.

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Traveling

• Thursday May 22 Depart early morning for Japan
  from Madison, arrive late afternoon Friday May 23
  at the Kansai International Airport (KIX).
• Take a limo bus to Kyoto, stay there 4 nights
• Take trains to Kobe Osaka stay 1 night
  overnight in Osaka
• Take a train up to Mt. Koya, a major
  historic-culture site. We stay 1 night at a
  traditional Buddhist monastery.
• Return to Osaka take a bullet train to
  Hiroshima, and stay 1 night
• Take bullet train to Tokyo, stay 4 nights
• Go to resort area near Mt. Fuji, 1 night
• Return via Tokyo Narita airport, arrive Madison
  Wednesday June 4 (same day)

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Japanese language(Nihongo) ???

• Speaking or reading Japanese is not a
  requirement. However, you will find being able
  to speak some Japanese is a great advantage.
• Knowing how to say even a few Japanese phrases or
  being able to read some characters or Japanese
  script will help you a lot.
• While many Japanese people speak some English,
  many do not and even if they do, it may be with
  Japanese pronunciation that can confuse you.
  Likewise, many signs are in English, but you can
  easily turn a corner and find yourself in an area
  with all signs in Japanese only.

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Physical Fitness Walking
There will be a great deal of walking on this
trip. This is very common in Japan. Be prepared
to walk 2-3 miles a day each day. Japan has many
mountains steep hills and lots of stairs.
There are not many elevators.
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Public Transportation
We will travel using regular Japanese public
transportation, not a special tour bus. It will
be a cultural learning experience. It can be
extremely crowded and congested. Trains quickly
come go, so youll need to be careful and stay
with others in the group or you will get left
behind.
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Shinkansen (bullet train)???

• We will ride the bullet train from Osaka to
  Hiroshima, then from Hiroshima to Tokyo. They
  travel about 300 miles per hour.

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Food (tabemono)???

• Food and eating are central to a culture.
• Japanese food in Japan is very different from
  what most Americans typically eat. It is
  important to be very flexible and willing to
  experiment with new food. Eating real Japanese
  food is an important part of the trip. NOTE The
  drinking age in Japan is 20 and alcohol is common
  with the evening meal.

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FOOD
Much of Japanese diet is fish-based.
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Chopsticks (hashi) ?

• Expect to eat with chopsticks most of the time.
  They are used with almost all Japanese meals and
  forks may not be available. It is a part of
  experiencing the culture.

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Traditional Tea Ceremony

• You will have a chance to experience the
  traditional Japanese tea ceremony and drink the
  special type of green tea served at it.

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Onsen??

• We plan to visit an onsen (natural hot spring
  spa) in the mountains. Onsens are extremely
  popular among the Japanese and central to the
  culture. Your teachers will review bath
  procedures and etiquette with you in advance.
  Bathing is in the nude, there are separate baths
  for males and females.

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Communal Bath Experience

• The Onsen blends the mysticism and spirituality
  of the East into the traditional sweat bath
  practice, lending it a Zen, meditative quality.

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Ryokan??

• We will to stay 1-2 nights in a traditional
  Japanese inn, sleeping on the floor on tatami ?
  mats in futon ??. For this we may have 4-5
  people in one room, with a shared toilet and
  traditional Japanese bath.

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Japanese Business Hotels

• Most of the time we will stay a business hotels,
  twin room (same sex).
• The rooms are very small and bathrooms are tiny
  by U.S. standards.
• They are clean, safe, and sparsely furnished.
• They have vending machines, washing machines
  Internet access.
• The staff do not speak for than a few words of
  English.
• A small, simple Japanese breakfast will be
  provided each morning.

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New and Old

• The goal is for you to experience various aspects
  of todays Japan with its mix of traditional and
  modern, in nature in dense urban settings. We
  especially want you to experience things you
  cannot experience anywhere else, and what makes
  Japan special.

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We will try to take advantage of on-going events
that take place regularly in Japan and have some
fun.

• We cannot always tell in advance.

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Intensity

• Most days you will need to be up by 7 am and we
  leave the hotel after breakfast, about 800 am.
  We will not return until after dinner, about 800
  pm. After you return in the evening you will a
  little time to make a diary entry, do laundry or
  pack, check email, etc.
• The trip is fast-paced and tightly scheduled. We
  will visit several sites each day, and all day we
  will be changing trains/buses and walking
  quickly.
• At the same time, you will have some free time
  shopping time, for a 1-2 hours scattered in the
  trip.
• Also, a site visit might include a quiet walk
  in a park or forest for an hour with
  opportunities to sit and take in the beautiful
  scenery.

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Kyoto??

• We begin with 4 days in the cultural center of
  Japan and another ancient capital city (794 to
  1868) Kyoto.

Kyoto, is famous for its temples, shrines, and
other historic sites, and is a virtual storehouse
of officially designated National Treasures and
Important Cultural Properties.
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Kyoto

• In Kyoto we will visit major cultural and
  historical sites, temples and parks.
• Many of the sites are not just the most famous in
  Japan, but are designed World Heritage sites.

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Fushimi Inari Shrine

• We will visit this shrine just outside Kyoto.
• It is dedicated to Inari, a Shinto god of rice.
  You will also see foxes are thought to be his
  messengers. It was in the film, Memoirs of a
  Geisha and is sometimes call the shrine of 10,000
  toris. A tori is a gate or entrance to religious
  area, these are painted bright orange.

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?? Nara

• Well take a day trip to Nara is one of Japans
  most historically important cities. It was
  Japans capital, 710-784 CE and holds many
  important designated National Treasures, temples,
  shrines, statues, carvings and paintings.
• In Nara Park, nature and history are beautifully
  preserved. Nara park is also famous for its
  hundreds of tame deer that roam freely.

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Kobe???

• We will visit the city of Kobe and there, a sake
  brewing museum.
• We will also take in a Japanese baseball game
  that features the Hanshin Tigers of the
  Kobe-Osaka area.

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Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum

• Rice wine or sake is a major part of Japans
  historic culture. This sake museum is in Kobe's
  compact brewery district. There are life-size
  mannequins throughout the big two-story
  structure, caught in the act of inspecting the
  mash or stirring the yeast or performing any of
  the other many sake-making steps that are
  explained in great detail.

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Takarazuka Revue

• We will also see a performance of an all female
  dance/song troupe near Kobe.
• This is a famous Japanese form of contemporary
  entertainment.
• Young women (16-30) take all roles.
• It is very colorful and extravagant.

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Osaka??We will briefly visit Japans 2nd
largest city, Osaka. It is a modern city with
8.8 million people, 7 of Japans population.
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Mt. Koya (koyasan, ???)

• From Osaka we will take a train to Mt. Koya.
• It was settled in 819 AD and is the headquarters
  of a major sect of Japanese Buddhism.
• There are over 100 temples, and religious
  pilgrims come from all over Japan to visit them.
• We will stay at a monastery overnight.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Hiroshima???

• We will leave Mt. Koya and take a bullet train to
  visit the city of Hiroshima and the world famous
  Hiroshima Peace Museum.
• The museum shows how terrible a nuclear bomb can
  be.

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Miyajima??

• Miyajima shrine island is about a 20 minute
  local train ride outside of Hiroshima.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Site.
• It is called one of the most beautiful places in
  Japan and has been considered a holy place since
  806 AD.

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Tokyo??After Hiroshima we take a 6 hour bullet
train ride to Tokyo
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Tokyo Scenes
The Tokyo metropolitan area is considered the
worlds largest city. We will be there 4 nights
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Tokyo

• Tokyo is the center of government, business,
  finance, education and entertainment in Japan.
• We will be very busy visiting major sites in and
  near the city.
• We will use Tokyos mass transit system.

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Worlds largest urban mass transit systemTrains
subways of Tokyo
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Kabuki???

• In Tokyo we will see a type of unique Japanese
  theatre form with roots going back centuries.
• Males play all parts.

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Cutting Edge Street Fashion in Tokyos Harajuku
district
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Hakone district
The last full day we will visit a Hakone a hot
springs, lake, national forest all in the
shadow of Mt. Fuji. It is a major world resort
area. We will stay overnight in a resort hotel
with onsen have a karaoke party.
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Depart from Narita Airport, Tokyo
On Wednesday June 4 We leave Hakone after
breakfast. We take a 2 hour train ride to Japans
main International Airport and return to the USA
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Course Details

• This is an academic course about Japan that will
  prepare you for the trip plus the trip itself.
  Full participation is both parts is mandatory.
• While in Japan, students are expected to
  participate in all activities. This includes
  attending all site visits and showing respect for
  the cultural and religious practices of the
  Japanese people.
• Students who feel they can not participate fully
  in all aspects of the course and the trip should
  not enroll in the travel part of the course.

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Course Assignments after departure

• All students will complete regular coursework.
  For students selecting the travel option, there
  are two additional academic requirements
• 1. Personal Journal Each student going to Japan
  is required to keep a diary/personal journal to
  record their reactions/reflections on their
  experiences. Each journal entry should be 1-3
  pages in length, neatly written, with the date
  and time indicated.
• 2. Portfolio on an aspect of Japanese society -
  Each student going to Japan is to keep and create
  a portfolio on an aspect of Japan that you will
  investigate while there. Supplement pre-departure
  information with photos, artifacts, and excerpts
  from your personal journal. After return, you may
  wish to reorganize or add to the portfolio.

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Costs

• INCLUDED
• Lodging (shared double, except in Ryokan, then
  4-5 per room)
• Transportation (RT airfare and public
  transportation inside Japan)
• All breakfasts all but 2 dinners, but no
  beverages at meals although tea and tap water is
  often provided free.
• Admissions to museums, temples, baseball game,
  etc.
• Includes mandatory trip health insurance fee
• Estimated total 3,750 (subject to change
  depending on final airfare, number of
  participants and currency rate changes). You pay
  a 300 deposit now, then 3,450 will be on your
  spring semester student bill to be paid by the
  time we leave.
• Note that food, lodging transportation in Japan
  typically run 10-20 higher than the US.

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Costs

• NOT INCLUDED
• Shipping luggage between hotels in Japan (30-35
  total) THIS IS A NECESSITY, we do it once.
• Lunches (8-10 per day),
• Beverages at meals and between-meal snacks (cost
  varies), Example, 1.20 is what a very small can
  of coke costs from a vending machine in Japan and
  3-4 is a small coke at a restaurant.
• Any passport fees if you do not have a passport.
• Storage lockers (3 per usage, youll need to use
  them 3 or 4 times).
• Getting to/from airports in US, personal items,
  and souvenirs. Personal items and souvenirs.
• Total will be about 200-350

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Warnings

• Health conditions are equal or better than in the
  U.S. You should still check with your doctor and
  bring medications.
• Get into shape. The trip is physically rigorous
  and there will be a great deal of walking. Few
  Japanese train stations or public places have
  elevators, expect to go long distances and up
  many flights of stairs.
• Be prepared to use Asian style squat toilets,
  Western style will not always be available. Some
  adjustment may be required.
• As with all university trips out of the country,
  serious misbehavior will not be tolerated. Be
  warned the offending student may be DEPORTED
  FROM JAPAN and sent back to the USA immediately,
  at his/her own expense.

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CAUTION

• Packing extremely light is very important.
• Do not take what you cannot carry long distances
  (5 busy city blocks with huge crowds of people).
• Most days we will be staying at hotels with coin
  washers (small, Japanese-sized ones), so you only
  need to take enough clothing for 3-4 days.

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What Next?

• Fill out an application with the International
  Education office.
• Get a passport if you do not have one.
  IMMEDIATELY! It can take 3 months for it to be
  processed and you cannot leave the US for Japan
  without one.
• Apply for financial aid scholarships.
• Register for SOCIOLGY 350) in Spring semester
  through the International Education Office
• Coreq Concurrent or prior completion of any
  course on East Asia or an East Asian language, or
  consent of instructor
• Class meets 600 pm on Wed).
• There is a upper limit of 22 students.
• Practice eating with chop sticks, almost all
  Japanese restaurants we will go to do not provide
  forks and the only way to eat is with chopsticks.

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Financial Aid and Scholarships

• The cost of a study tour counts as part of your
  financial aid package (Grants Loans). There
  are also scholarships available.
• Students should contact the International
  Education and Programs Office or the Financial
  Aid Office for scholarship and grant applications
• As Soon As Possible.
• Absolute last date is November 15.

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May 2005 UWW Students in Tokyo
May 2007 UWW Students in Japan (with a city mayor
his staff)
From trip March 2006 in Kyoto