Japan's Physical Setting: |
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Several field excursions each year visit active volcanic complexes. The photo above was taken at Ebino Kogen, in Kirishima National Park in Kagoshima Prefecture. |
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Occasionally, during the rail tour, stops are made at unusual volcanic complexes along the way. The photo to the right shows one of the world's newest volcanoes, Showa Shinzan, which first erupted and grew in 1943. The Japanese government at the time asked the owner of the land to try to cover the glow of the eruption somehow so that it couldn't be used as a navigational beacon for US bombers. Unfortunately, a major eruption in March, 2000 destroyed much of the town and closed many of the nearby hotels. |
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Above a group crosses the 1993 lava flow from Fuken-dake, on the Shimabara Peninsula, commonly known as Unzen, in Nagasaki Prefecture. |
Here we hiked through the Oirase gorge which drains the Caldera Lake at Towada. Waterfalls entered from the sides every couple of hundred meters. |
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Not all physical outings are to volcanoes. This photo was taken in a limestone cave in the village of Itsuki, in Kumamoto Prefecture. |
Several students wanted to explore Mt. Aso at bit more and we went hiking up the edge of the main crater. The views were good. The rest remained at the bottom. |
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This group poses in front of the active crater at the Mt. Aso volcano in central Kyushu. (Imoto on left) |
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Cultural Landscapes: |
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A stop is always scheduled in Kyoto, the cultural and ancient second capital of Japan. The area is filled with temples, shrines, and old architecture. The group poses in front of Kiyomizu-dera, on the east side of the city. |
Much of Japan has hillsides held up with various forms of concrete. This on the side of Mt. Donden on Sado Island. |
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This is an energetic taiko performance at IEC's 25th anniversary in Yatsushiro. |
Here we have a student seeking "enlightenment" in Nara's Todaiji. The hole in the column is the same size as the nostril of the large statue of Buddha. If you can make it through, you achieve enlightenment, or at least a dirty T-shirt. |
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For a better understanding of the culture, we visit various museums along the way. A student makes a friend with a stuffed bear in Tohoku. What is "Do Not Touch" in Japanese?
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At Takachiho we met a statue of an angry god. |
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This group poses in the kitchen of the restored Matsuda house of Heike descendents in Gokanosho, Kumamoto Prefecture. |
Commodore Perry statue in Hakodate, Hokkaido. |
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In Morioka, we visited a section of the city, Zaimokucho, that had been renewed; changed from a dark and dirty street to a wide open area with many shops. |
The area of Tohoku around Akita, Hirosaki, and Aomori is famous for its Neputa festival. A float is on display in the Hirosaki City museum. |
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We have also visited the largest Ainu museum in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, the Tokyo National Museum, the Kyoto National Museum, the Nara National Museum, the Kumamoto Folk Museum, the Takayama Minzokumura museum, the outdoor Ogimachi museum in Shirakawa, and many others. |
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In Kyoto we walked to the Heian Shrine, after we hiked around Mt. Hiei, Ginkakuji, and points between. |
We found one of the last old buildings in Tsukudashima, an area of Tokyo that was settled in the early 1600s by fishermen brought from Osaka by the shogun. They were placed on this island and were both suppliers of fish and watchers of the bay for the shogun. |
Economic Visits |
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Many field excursions are meant to expose the students to a wide variety of economic activities and levels. The photo to the left was taken on Matsushima, in the Amakusa Islands, an area famous for fishing and pearl culture. |
Much of Japan's economic activity is focused on the seas, both historically and presently. As a result, there are many fish markets of varying sizes around the country. To the right, a brand new cutout in the Hakodate Asaichi, morning market, Hokkaido. |
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The photo above was taken in front of a favorite destination: the Sapporo Beer museum, factory, and restaurant. |
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Kentuckians visited a racehorse farm in Shizunai, Hokkaido. The cost of this horse could have paid for first class airfares to Japan for several years. |
The Japanese love to have their picture taken, and various cutouts with holes for your face are found around Japan. Both of the above pictures were taken in front of the same store, Takadaya, in Hakodate, except that the sign had changed over the years. By 2004, the sign had gone. A generic one was back in 2005. |
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To the left the group visits a land of contrasts. This area, Gokanosho, in central Kyushu, did not get a road into the area until 1959 and electricity until 1960. Suspension bridges and walking paths were the main transportation routes up to this time. There has been an attempt to lure tourists into the area, but without much success. |
Here the group poses in front of the famous bust of Dr. William S. Clark, one of Sapporo's leading forefathers and source of the famous "Boys be ambitious" saying now synonymous with Hokkaido University and famous throughout Japan. |
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Participation Activities |
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Where possible, students have the opportunity to enjoy "hands on" experiences in Japan. To the left a group tries its hand at making their own pieces of pottery at the Sakai Kodayaki kilns. |
In Yatsushiro, the group was treated to a real tea ceremony by a real master in a real tea house and garden. Those that had two bowls of macha didn't get much sleep that night. |
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The Japanese Calligraphy group shows off their skills. There's a joker in every lot. |
Occasionally, Japanese ryokan owners put on their best show for the foreign guests. At the Kohama Ryokan in Akita City, everyone got a chance to wear traditional Japanese attire. |
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The climate of southern Japan is Humid Subtropical, the same as the southeastern US. It gets hot. When the weather gets oppressive, the instructor knows of several waterfalls and swimming sites that can cool you off even on the hottest summer day. These two photos were taken at Sendantodoro-no-taki in Itsuki village, Gokanosho, Kumamoto-ken.
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A common activity can be observed in the photo to the left - the picnic breakfast. To save money, many times we stop at a Japanese convenience store such as Sankusu, Lawson, or 7-11, and buy ready made food that we take to a park to eat. This riverside meal is just below the morning market in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture. |
Cooling off at Sendantodoronotaki in Gokanosho, Kyushu Sanchi Highlands Park. |
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Each trip culminates in a Japanese party for the host families. The party this year was in a Japanese snack bar at Chamu in Yatsushiro's Honmachi where everyone attempted to sing songs. |
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