Essential Japan
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GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY ESSENTIAL JAPAN 2022 YOUNG ALUMNI ADVENTURE US DEPARTURE DATE: AUGUST 20, 2022 | LAND TOUR START DATE: AUGUST 21, 2022 RETURN DATE: AUGUST 29, 2022 START YOUR ADVENTURE. Dear Young Alumni and Friends! Can you think of a better way to travel than with fellow Georgia State Young Alumni? The GSU young alumni travel program offers you this opportunity by bringing you together withindividuals in the same age range, with similar backgrounds and experiences, while enriching you on well-designed, hassle-free tours of the world. Travel with young alumni and friends of peer institutions, ages 22 – 35. These programs provide social, cultural, and recreational activities and many opportunities for learning enrichment and enjoying a connection back to the Georgia State alumni family. They are of great quality and value, operated by a travel company with over 40 years of experience in the young professional travel market. In this brochure you will find a detailed itinerary, travel dates and pricing. Visit our website www.aesu.com/gsu for all details on all tours and to book online. If you have any questions about our young alumni travel program, please contact us by emailing our tour operator, AESU Alumni World Travel at [email protected] or call 800-638-7640. Sincerely, Renee Bazemore Renee Bazemore Senior Director, Alumni Affairs Georgia State University Alumni Association TRAVEL INSURANCE We highly recommend travel insurance. (Some schools or alumni associations may offer travel insurance to you at a reduced rate.) If not, AESU also offers group travel insurance. Ask our reservations agent for details or click on this link: https://www.tripassure.com/main/? welcome=AESU3922MD Visit our website WWW.AESU.COM/GSU for more details and to book 2 ESSENTIAL JAPAN 10 DAYS C I T I E S V I S I T E D : TOKYO | KYOTO | OSAKA W H A T ‘ S I N C L U D E D : 10-Day Land Package Transportation and Lodging • Lake Ashi cruise • Owakudani Crater cable car • 8 nights in superior tourist class hotels or better, 2-share • Sumo Wrestler training session rooms with private bath/shower • Kyoto Tea Ceremony • Shinkansen Bullet Train (ordinary class) • Fushimi Inari Shrine • All ground transportation by air-conditioned motor coach, • Kinkakuji – Golden Pavilion as per itinerary • Nijo Castle • Arrival and departure airport transfers included with • Tenryuji Zen Temple & Todaiji Temple purchased AESU group airfare • Daibutsu- Great Buddha statue • Nara Deer Park Meals • Osaka Castle • 14 meals: 8 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 specialty dinners • Umeda Sky Building • Cup Noodle Museum Activities & Admissions Optional Excursions • Welcome orientation in Tokyo (not included in land package price): • Tokyo city tour with local historian • Sensoji Buddhist Temple • Samurai Kenbu Lesson • Tsukiji Outer Fish Market • Kurama Hike & Hot Springs outdoor baths • Shinto Meiji Shrine • Digital Art Museum • Hakone Open-Air Museum 3 ESSENTIAL JAPAN ITINERARY A B O U T T H E T R I P : Discover this timeless country, where ancient traditions seamlessly fuse with contemporary lifestyles and the landscapes transition from mystical temples and shrines to ultramodern architecture in the blink of an eye. Explore the imperial city of Tokyo and admire the ancient marvels of Kyoto, dive into the colorful pop culture and visit the famous Dotonbori district of Osaka. Ride the Shinkansen bullet train, lose yourself at the Digital Art Museum, take part in a fun Food Experience tour, see Mt. Fuji, watch sumo wrestlers and enjoy a traditional tea ceremony. This journey is packed with discoveries of a lifetime in the “Land of the Rising Sun.” DAY 1 - TRAVEL TO JAPAN Our adventure begins with an overnight flight to Tokyo, the futuristic, neon-lit capital of Japan and the world’s largest metropolis. Meals: In-flight DAY 2 - TOKYO: LAND TOUR START DATE After arrival, transfer to your hotel. Originally a small fishing village named Edo, Tokyo became a prominent political center in 1603 and is now Japan’s top destination for contemporary art, stunning architecture, pop culture and non- stop entertainment. Take time to explore or just relax and unwind before our welcome orientation followed by a Japanese-style dinner at a local restaurant. Meals: In-flight, Dinner DAY 3 - TOKYO Explore this vibrant city like a local with our expert guide. See the Imperial Palace and visit Asakusa, the city’s original Geisha district to see the oldest Buddhist temple, Sensoji, famous for the massive red lantern hanging at the entrance gate. Enjoy the colorful Tsukiji Outer Fish Market brimming with fresh fish and produce and explore the old Edo Akihabara district with time for lunch on your own amidst the labyrinth-style market aisles and food stalls. In a lush forest outside of Tokyo, we’ll visit the Shinto Meiji Shrine, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Return to the city to check out the renowned Harajuku shopping street and visit the Digital Art Museum, a popular, immersive experience with futuristic, borderless digital art installations that make for great photo ops. Tonight, discover the one-of-a-kind charms of Tokyo’s liveliest neighborhood, the fashion and food hub of Shinjuku. Our fun Food Tour will allow us to take a deep dive into culinary traditions and taste varieties of delectable cuisine while taking in the frenetic atmosphere of other- worldly robot bars and shows or popular karaoke clubs. Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 4 ESSENTIAL JAPAN ITINERARY DAY 4 - TOKYO - HAKONE - MOUNT FUJI AREA Today we journey to the lakeside resort of Hakone, famed for its healing hot springs. In the shadow of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mt. Fuji, this scenic village is built along the shorelines of Lake Ashi. We’ll stop at the Owakudani crater that was created over 3,000 years ago when Mt. Hakone erupted. Enjoy a thrilling cable car ride for a breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji and then cruise the tranquil waters of Lake Ashi, formed in the caldera and surrounded by lush mountains. After lunch in Hakone, we visit the open-air museum with collections of art by Picasso, Henry Moore, Taro Okamoto, Yasuo Mizui, and many others, featuring over a thousand sculptures and works of art. Return to Tokyo for an evening at leisure and a seemingly endless array of diversions to choose from. Meals: Breakfast DAY 5 - TOKYO Experience a centuries-old Japanese sport up close and personal by visiting a sumo stable and watching the morning training session, known as asageiko. Get a glimpse into how wrestlers build their extreme strength and agility and how their personal interactions reflect the strict system of the hierarchy so central to the fascinating world of sumo. You’re in for a treat for lunch today as we learn how to make sushi at our fun hands-on cooking class. Roll your way into making some traditional dishes, and of course, you’ll get to taste your handiwork along with other specialties at the end of the class. This evening is free for more exploration and finding your own hidden gem to dine on what you crave most, whether its yakitori, ramen, sushi, sukiyaki or other incredible edibles. Don’t forget to sample local beers, sake and matcha. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch DAY 6 - TOKYO - BULLET TRAIN - KYOTO This morning we board the legendary Shinkansen bullet train. Passing rural villages and small tea plantations, on a clear day you get another glimpse of snow-capped Mt. Fuji. Enjoy a bento box lunch while whizzing along at speeds up to 199 miles per hour. Lush vegetation and mountains rise on the horizon as we approach ancient Kyoto in just 2.5 hours. Kyoto is where the tea ceremony was born and remains its spiritual heart. What better place to participate in an authentic tea ceremony. Our charming hosts give us an insightful introduction to the highly ritualized and precise etiquette of this age-old practice. Afterward, visit Fushimi Inari Shrine, the most revered shrine of Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Wind through the wooded mountain forest paths and stroll under thousands of orange-vermilion torii gates that mark the entrance to the sacred inner shrine. Check in to our hotel for a relaxing free evening. Try out a popular noodle bar or consider seeing a show at the Minamiza Kabuki Theater. The Gion is Kyoto’s entertainment area and the most famous geisha district. In the more modern areas the bars and restaurants come alive at dusk, and in the preserved, picturesque streets the 5 ESSENTIAL JAPAN ITINERARY lanterns are lit on the teahouses and maiko, apprentice geisha, can be seen hurrying to their appointments. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch DAY 7 - KYOTO Kyoto served as Japan’s capital and the emperor’s residence from 794 until 1868 and escaped destruction during World War II. Countless temples, shrines and other priceless historic structures survive in the city today. On our walking tour today, our local expert shows us the Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), a graceful Zen temple overlooking a tranquil pond. The top two floors are in the Bukke style used by the samurai and are completely covered in gold leaf. Visit the majestic Nijo Castle, former residence of the shogun and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Period. After visiting the impressive Zen Tenryuji Temple and gardens, we’ll have free time for lunch in the bustling Arashiyama district offering a myriad of small, cozy restaurants and shops for browsing. Free time may find you walking or biking the paths through Arashiyama’s famous bamboo groves or relaxing on a Hozu River boat ride.