Day 1
Today, you'll leave your host families and take the bullet train to the historical old capital of Kyoto. You will travel on the 4:22 p.m. Hikari bullet train (train no. 130, 2nd class) and will arrive in Kyoto at 6:32 p.m. Your baggage will be sent ahead of you, from Ehime to your hotel. After checking in at the Hotel Karasuma), your evening is yours to enjoy as you please!
Day 2
Today the adventures begin! This morning the group will depart after breakfast from the hotel on a guided morning tour of Kyoto. You will be picked up at your hotel, the hotel Karasuma, at 8:40 a.m.
You'll take in the world-famous sites of Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavillion) and Kyoto Imperial Palace. At the end of your morning tour you will have the opportunity to visit the Kyoto Handicraft Center to see demonstrations by skilled craftsmen. Your tour should end around 1:30 p.m. following which, the afternoon is yours to enjoy as you please.
At 6:30 p.m. you will be picked up at your hotel again, to embark on an evening of cultural learning and entertainment, enjoying a traditional Japanese tea ceremony in the Japanese Inn "Yoshiima". This will be followed by a Tempura dinner at the inn and then a walk through Gion Corner where you may see the "Maiko" (young Geisha) and the old, traditional-style houses of ancient Kyoto. At Gion Corner you will see a variety of traditional arts, such as koto music, kyomai (Kyoto-style Japanese dance), kyogen (ancient comic play) and bunraku (puppet drama). After the tour the group will be returned to the drop-off point (at or near your hotel) around 10:00 p.m.
Day 3
Following breakfast at your hotel and a morning to be spent at your leisure, you will embark on an afternoon tour of Nara, leaving from the designated pick-up point at the nearby Kyoto Tower hotel at 1:30 p.m. The tour includes three separate visits: first the Todaiji Temple, the world's largest wooden building housing a colossal image of Buddha. You will also see the scarlet Kasuga Shrine and your day will come peacefully to its conclusion in the company of tame deer at the famous Deer Park. Information about these is attached below. The tour will finish at approximately 5:00 p.m. back at the drop-off point at the Kyoto Tower Hotel. Again, the evening is your own. You may stroll the old neighborhoods or visit a local restaurant for some elegant Kyoto cuisine!
Day 4
The group will check out of the hotel this morning after a leisurely breakfast. At 12:00 noon you'll be picked up by motorcoach at the hotel, and make your way to Osaka for the return flight to the United States.
Official club name: The Friendship Force of Ehime
Closest major airport(s): Matsuyama Airport (by way of Kansai Airport)
Cost of transportation between the airport and our city (based on 20 people): ? by private car, if Hosts meet the Ambassadors at the airport: X
The maximum number of Ambassadors our club can host: 22
About the club: The Friendship Force of Ehime started in 1986. We have about 70 members. We like to welcome two incoming exchanges each year (in our spring and fall) and send one outgoing exchange in summer./p
About the region: Ehime is on the smallest main island called Shikoku, which lies in the southwestern part of Japan. Facing Seto Inland Sea, one of Japan's oldest national parks, we have a mild climate. Especially in the fall, fruits are our specialties. Hospitality to visitors is our tradition. Shikoku is famous for "the pilgrimage to 88 temples".About the exchange: Across the Seto Inland Sea lies Hiroshima. You can visit the Peace Park on your way to the second exchange or from the first week exchange. We will see you off at Japan Rail station in Hiroshima upon request. A sunset cruise by ferry here is wonderful.
Edited 4/98Official club name: The Friendship Force of Tokyo
Closest major airport: Narita (Tokyo) International Airport
Cost of transportation between the airport and our city (based on 20 people):
by Limousine bus: approximately ¥ 3,000
by train: approximately ¥ 3,000 (reserved seat special
express train)
approximately ¥ 1,200 (unreserved seat special ordinary
train)
by private car, if Hosts meet Ambassadors at the airport:
approximately ¥ 3, 000 per car (transit tax, etc.)
The maximum number of Ambassadors our club can host: 25
The Tokyo club covers a wide metropolitan area and has 17 years of history since the club was founded. Now we have more than 300 members and 15 club directors (including a president, 3 vice-presidents and 2 accountants). Directors are elected every two years. We have 6 exchange programs every year (3 outbound and 3 inbound).
Tokyo is the capital of central Japan and 12 million people (one tenth of Japan’s population) live there. Spring and fall are good seasons to visit Tokyo. The temperature during these seasons is between 12 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius. Many of the people who live in the Tokyo area don’t use cars everyday because it is difficult to find parking places. We have networks of public transportation systems in our area that we can conveniently use.
While the Ambassadors are staying at host families’ homes, we have a welcome
party that all Ambassadors, host families, and club members attend. We usually arrange one day tour. If the Ambassador club requests, Nikko Tour, for example we’ll prepare this tour which will cost approximately ¥ 5,000 per person. Besides these two events, our exchange committee prepares some optional sightseeing tours. Host families can choose whichever they like after consulting with their Ambassadors.
As not all Host families have cars, please don’t bring more luggage than you can carry. We frequently use public transportation such as railroad lines, subways, and buses and there are a lot of steps and staircases in the stations. Basically, each Ambassador should cover the transportation fees. Please understand that the cost of the transportation fees in big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, is much more
expensive than that in small cities or the countryside.
It takes all my courage to talk about the following situation. Some years ago, our club hosted an Ambassador using a wheelchair. Before this exchange, both Exchange Directors had exchanged faxes Club Profile – The Friendship Force of Tokyo, Japan and letters many times. We thought we had good communications. But when we met this Ambassador, we recognized our misunderstanding. We thought the Ambassador could get out of the wheelchair in the house, but she stayed in the wheelchair all day, except at night when she went to sleep. The structure of Japanese houses is inconvenient for a person in a wheelchair. We also keenly realize that Japan is behind in social welfare for handicapped persons. The Ambassador might have been surprised to face this situation. She was very smart and didn’t complain, and her host family did their best during her stay. After the exchange we had several discussion meetings about this problem, and we decided that, at present, it is very difficult for us to host an Ambassador who uses a wheelchair in the house. Please understand the present special conditions of our club.
Edited 6/98