Summer 2012 Trip Itinerary

3 & 6-week Trip Itineraries
- Hokkaido to Kyushu -

This trip will encompass a wide variety of landscapes around Japan from Sapporo to Fukuoka. Stops of physical and cultural interests will be made in these areas at Sapporo, Otaru, Hakodate, Nikko, Tokyo, Matsumoto, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Fukuoka before either returning to the US or continuing on to Yatsushiro.

Click on Map for LARGE Rail Map of Japan (300k)

May 21: *average high = 56°F *average low = 44°F

Weekly weather forecast

Airline ticket and hotel reservations are made (10 April 2012).

Day 2

May 23 - Weds

Sapporo

Arrive Japan Narita -transfer to Chitose flight

Toyoko Inn Sapporo Hokudai-mai
011-717-1045
(coin laundry)

Day 3

May 24 - Thurs

Sapporo

A walking day to overcome jet lag and to see some of Sapporo, such as the Akarenga and Tanuki Arcade.

Toyoko Inn Sapporo Hokudai-mai
011-717-1045
(coin laundry)

Day 4

May 25 - Fri

Otaru

Train to Otaru

Otaru Green Hotel
0134-33-0333
(coin laundry)

Day 5

May 26 - Sat

Otaru

Day 6

May 27 - Sun

Hakodate

Day 1 of JR Pass

Toyoko Inn Hakodate Ekimae Asaichi
0138-23-1045
(coin laundry)

Day 7

May 28 - Mon

Hakodate

In the morning we'll check out the seafood morning market next to the station, perhaps have a Japanese breakfast there, and then check out the hillsides with Western influenced architecture dating from the Meiji Period. There are also some old temples and cemeteries in the area.

2

Toyoko Inn Hakodate Ekimae Asaichi
0138-23-1045
(coin laundry)

Day 8

May 29 - Tues

Morioka

Express for Aomori and a Shinkansen for Morioka

After dropping our luggage at the hotel, we'll cross the river and walk through Zaimoku-cho, an urban renovation project that transformed an old run down section of the inner city into the shopping street it now is. It was spearheaded by civilians, and not the government.

Toyoko Inn Morioka Eki mae
019-625-1045
(coin laundry)

Day 9

May 30- Weds

Tsunami Coast

Up very early and we pick up a rental van to drive to Miyako-shi on the coast to see the state of the tsunami cleanup and restoration 15 months later. We'll drive up to Taro, a town noted for its tsunami walls which weren't high enough for this last wave.

4

Toyoko Inn Morioka Eki mae
019-625-1045
(coin laundry)

Day 10

May 31 - Thurs

Tokyo

Shinkansen from Morioka to Tokyo and then we'll start running into people. Our hotel is in Shinagawa so we need to take the Yamanote loop line there and either walk or take the Keikyu line one stop to the hotel. After dropping off our bags we'll head up to Senkakuji, famous for having the graves of Lord Asano and his 47 retainers, the participants in the very famous tale of 47 ronin, or Chushingura, which took place in 1704. Afterwards we'll cross to Odaiba, a manmade chunk of land and check out the layout and malls.

5

Shinagawa-Shuku
03-6712-9440
(coin laundry)

Day 11

June 1 - Fri

Tokyo

Bay Tour if weather cooperates - Up early for a train to Kurihama, at the tip of the Miura Peninsula just past Yokohama, where we take the cross-bay ferry to Kanaya on the Boso Peninsula. In Kanaya we make our way to the Nokogiriyama Ropeway (Cable Car) to ride up to the top for views of the peninsula and the bay. Also at the top is Nihon-ji, a temple with walking paths and a 31 meter tall stone buddha carved in 1786. The temple itself was established in 785 AD. Back to Kanaya and then return northward up the east coast of the bay to Chiba and Tokyo.

6

Shinagawa-Shuku
03-6712-9440
(coin laundry)

Day 12

June 2 - Sat

Tokyo

Tsukiji Wholesale Market to see one of the world's largest fish markets. This is the place to have sashimi for breakfast but more often, we stop in a C-Store. Stop off in the Caretta Building along the way for a good view over the Ginza and Tsukiji. We might check out the old Shogun's property next door which is the Hama-Rikyu Park, a good break from the hectic pace of the streets of Tokyo. From there we'll go north to Ueno, a Meiji Restoration battle site, and now the site of museums and temples.

7

Shinagawa-Shuku
03-6712-9440
(coin laundry)

Day 13

June 3 - Sun

Matsumoto

Shinkansen to Nagano and an express to Matsumoto, a small city noted for its castle and old Edo-era buildings. After dropping our luggage, we'll hike up to the castle for a tour and to visit the museum. This is one of 3 castles in Japan listed as "National Treasures" (the other two are Himeji and Hikone). There is an old Edo Era part of town on the south side of the river that we can return through.

8

Super Hotel Matsumoto
0263-37-9000
(coin laundry)

Day 14

June 4 - Mon

Matsumoto

Up early for a day trip down to Narai-juku, a post town along the old Nakasendo, one of the ancient highways connecting Edo (Tokyo) with Kyoto. Narai is the least visited of the 3 most famous still existing post towns. It has the fewest souvenir stores (but still has some).

9

Super Hotel Matsumoto
0263-37-9000
(coin laundry)

Day 15

June 5 - Tues

Kyoto

We head for Matsumoto Station to catch an express for Nagoya and a Shinkansen for Kyoto. Lunch at the instructor's favorite ramen shop in Kyoto before exploring the Gion and Higashiyama areas.

10

K's House
075-342-2444
(coin laundry)

Day 16

June 6 - Weds

Kyoto

Choice of 2 since we're only here for this 1 complete day. 1) on your own to see what you want to or 2) Head to Sekigahara. This is the site of the most famous battle in Japan where in 1600 the eastern faction under Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated the western faction led by Ishida Mitsunari uniting Japan and setting up the Tokugawa Shogunate. We'll then take trains to Sakamoto on the other side of Biwa-ko to check out Hieizan and Enryku-ji . Hieizan is the mountain where warrior monks once lived. The remnants of their temple complexes are spread around this peak. It is several thousand feet higher than Kyoto, so it is a bit cooler.

11

K's House
075-342-2444
(coin laundry)

Day 17

June 7 - Thurs

Miyajima

Depart Kyoto for Hiroshima, transfering to a local for Miyajima-guchi. We'll then take the ferry over to Itsukushima and take the cable car up to the top of Mt. Misen for views over the Inland Sea. We'll go down to the main shrine area to have a look around at dusk. [Tide charts] High Tide is important if you want to see water around the shrine. If the tide is out, you can walk out to the torii. There's a 7-11 and Chinese restaurant near the hotel that's good for lunch and/or dinner.
High tide 10:45 AM and 11:54 PM

12

Backpacker's Miyajima
0829-56-3650
(coin laundry)

Day 18

June 8 - Fri

Hiroshima

High tide is 11:27 AM.

Grab our bags, drag them up and down the underpass, then up and down the stairs in the station, and catch a local back into Hiroshima where we'll drop them at the hotel. We then catch a streetcar for the Peace Museum. Afterwards, we can wander through the arcade and look for an okonomiyaki restaurant before returning to the hotel.

13

Hana Hostel
082-263-2980
(coin laundry)

Day 19

June 9 - Sat

Yatsushiro

Up early for the station where we continue by the Sanyo Shinkansen to Hakata. where we transfer to the Kyushu Shinkansen for Shin-Tosu, transfering to the Nagasaki Line for Yoshinogari, a huge reconstructed archaelogical site dating back to 300 BCE. It is thought to be the main city of the country of Yamatai, the earliest known Japan. It's then on to Yatsushiro to be met by your host families at the train station for the 3-day or 3- week homestay.

14

Yatsushiro
Homestay

Day 20

June 10 - Sunday

Yatsushiro

Free day with host families

Yatsushiro
Homestay

Day 21

June 11 - Monday

Yatsushiro

Meet at IEC by 8:30 AM. All students (3- and 6-week) will go on one of the field trips below to be decided by the instructor and the weather.

Yatsushiro
Homestay

Day 22

June 12 - Tuesday

Drive to Fukuoka Airport

Flight to US

12:10 PM flight for Tokyo.
We'll take an IEC van to the airport in Fukuoka leaving IEC at about 9 AM. . It's a 1 1/2 hour drive from Yatsushiro.

Flight for Chicago departs Narita.
Arrive in Chicago before you left Japan. It won't feel that way though.
Flight to Lexington

June 8: *average high = 80°F (27°C) *average low = 64°F (18°C)

Green is free time with your host family and to work on your project.
List of Field Trips we might do while in Yatsushiro -
(these are some we've done in the past.)
Activity and date DO NOT correspond as they're weather & transport dependent.

June 11 Mon

Meet at IEC by 8:30 AM. All students (3- and 6-week) will go on one of the field trips below to be decided by the instructor and the weather.

Sendantodoro - Gokanosyo - Heike no Sato

Drive east into the Izumi area of central Kyushu, an area more isolated and cut off than Lonely Planet's favorite Iya Valley in Shikoku. This is 70% of Japan's area, but the population is aging and leaving, becoming a depopulated tree farm for Japan's newspapers. Attempts to draw in tourists have largely failed, but we will see the attempts in rebuilt suspension bridges, waterfall viewing platforms, and paved trails. We'll drive through the Kawabe River Valley to visit the site of controversial dam project.

Minamata - "Minamata Disease" Museum - Methyl mercury released into the bay by the Chisso company caused nerve damage to hundreds of citizens in the 50s and 60s. Close ties with government kept the cause hidden for many years. It is now known as the site of one of the world's great industrial catastrophes, and the museum is built on top of reclaimed bay and dredged polluted sediments. 50th anniversary was 1 May 2006. There is also a bamboo garden next to Chisso that is nice when the water is running. Along the way back we can stop at the Maizuru Castle site in Tsunagi-machi.

Tour of Yatsushiro castle site & Honmachi, the old shopping area of the city, as compared to the new Rindou commercial strip that connects Route 3 to the port area. We can stop in at one of the new malls that is taking business away from the old downtown. Jusco is on the New Port Road and Youme Town is next to the Mercian sake factory.

Matsushima - Amakusa Islands

Just across the bay from Yatsushiro lie the Amakusa Islands. Many people here still make their living from the sea. It is also an area known for its aquaculture of oysters and the resulting pearls.

Mt. Aso and Kumamoto Tour for conference members

Mt. Aso National Park - Nakadake - Mt. Aso is the main volcanic complex that built the island of Kyushu. So much material was ejected over the millennia that the entire region collapsed forming a large caldera. Instead of a lake, however, two rivers drain the floor exiting over waterfalls through a canyon on the west side. The caldera floor is intensely farmed and also filled with many hot spring resorts and hot spring ryokan.

Kumamoto City - Kumamoto Castle
Kumamoto castle is half original and half rebuilt. It was burned down during the Satsuma rebellion in 1878 when government troops attacked Saigo Takamori who had recently taken the castle. Saigo retreated across Kyushu and was defeated again at Nobeoka, where he escaped southward through the central part of the island to his home in Kagoshima, where the rebellion ended. A quick stop at the craft center by the castle will show what local artisans are making.

We'll drive up Ryuhosan for a close view of Yatsushiro, and then the Sakamoto Observatory for a view out to the Amakusa Islands, followed by a stop at the Japanese TKU "house store" to see what the Japanese want in a modern house and a stop at NafCo, to see what a Japanese "Lowe's" or "Home Depot" contains. If it's raining we'll scratch the observatory.

Ebino Kogen - Kirishima Jingu

This drive south through the 26 tunnels that go under central Kyushu take us to a volcanic complex that in the mythology of Japan is where the islands were formed, beginning with Takachihonomine. The sulfurous vents have slowed a bit since the 1993 eruption of Fukendake at Unzen to the north, but there are still some smelly remnants as well as hot springs. We'll also check out the shrine area with Japan's largest torii, fitting for the birthplace of Japan. The original site was damaged during an eruption and only the foundations of the 8th century shrine remain. We can look these over if it isn't raining. We may head to Jomon-no-mori to the south of Kirishima, to see what the oldest Jomon site in Japan has to offer this year.

June 27 Weds

Reserved Day to Work on Project - No Field Trips

June 28 Thurs

Reserved Day to Work on Project

June 29 Fri

Reserved Day to Work on Project

IEC 35th Anniversary Conference

July 2 Mon

If we need to, we'll leave the day before the flight for Fukuoka, taking the Shinkansen Tsubame to Hakata. We'll drop our stuff off at the hotel and head off into town.

Toyoko Inn Hakata Eki Minami
092-475-1045

July 4 Weds

Depart Japan
US