Exchange Director: Les Eckstat, FF Denver / Email: [email protected] / Phone: 1-720-550-7233 Experience the history, culture, and scenery of Central Japan when you join Friendship Force Denver for a three-week exchange including two homestays and a private guided tour designed exclusively for FFD. Week 1: 7-night home stay with FF Shizuoka – Home of Mt. Fuji, about 110 miles south of Tokyo

Week 2: 7-night guided tour of Central Japan including Kyoto, Kanazawa, Takayama, and Tokyo

Week 3: 7-night home stay with FF Miyagi (Sendai), about 225 miles north of Tokyo

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SHIZUOKA - CAPITAL CITY OF SHIZUOKA PREFECTURE – HOME OF MT. FUJI FAST FACTS (from Wikipedia)

 Shizuoka is the 5th largest city in Japan in terms of geographic area with 545 square miles. It has an estimated population of 715,752. It is centrally located in Shizuoka Prefecture, about halfway between Tokyo and Nagoya, sandwiched between Suruga Bay to the south and the Minami Alps in the north.  Shizuoka has a humid subtropical climate. It is wet even by Japanese standards, but it is paradoxically the sunniest of Japan's major cities. Average rainfall in October is 6.8 inches with an average of 17 rainy days.  Average high and low temperatures in October are 73 and 58 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively.  The area that is now the city of Shizuoka has been inhabited since prehistoric times.  Shizuoka has a history of craft industries dating back over 400 years. Its model toy industry dates to the late 1920s, and the town is now internationally notable for its plastic scale model kits.  45% of all the green tea consumed in Japan is grown in Shizuoka.  Shizuoka has more than 100 items and products that are rated as number one in Japan, including strawberries, wasabi, mandarin oranges, peaches and roses.  Historic sites include Shinto shrines, Sunpu Castle, archaeological sites, and part of the old Tōkaidō road.

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SENDAI “THE CITY OF TREES” – CAPITAL CITY OF MIYAGI PREFECTURE FAST FACTS (from Wikipedia)

 Sendai is the second largest city north of Tokyo, with a population of over one million people.  Sendai stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Ōu Mountains  The Sendai area was inhabited 20,000 years ago, but the city began in 1600 with the construction of Sendai Castle by the famous general and feudal lord Date Masamune.  Sendai has a moderate, humid subtropical, climate. Average rainfall in October is 3.9 inches.  Average high and low temperatures in October are 66 and 51 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively.  Tohoku Imperial University, founded in 1907, was the first Japanese university to admit female students.  Sendai originated several foods, including gyūtan (beef tongue, usually grilled), hiyashi chūka (cold Chinese noodles), and robatayaki (Japanese-style barbecue).  Crafts from Sendai include Sendai Hira, a hand woven silk fabric, Tsutsumiyaki pottery, Yanagiu Washi paper, and Kokeshi dolls.  Western Sendai sites include the Akiu Great Falls and the Rairai Gorge, known for its autumn colors.  The Sakunami area is known for its beautiful colors in the autumn and the Hōmei Shijuhachi Taki Falls.  Matsushima, near Sendai, is one of Japan's three most celebrated scenic sights and includes Tatsunokuchi Gorge with petrified wood, Nishi and Tsutsujigaoka Parks, the Hirose River, and the Gamo tideland

Naruko Gorge in north-western Miyagi Prefecture Gyūtan (grilled beef tongue), the specialty of Sendai

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THE 7-NIGHT TOUR OF CENTRAL JAPAN Enjoy a 2-day tour to some of Kyoto's most famous sites:  The Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji Temple), designated as a National Special Historic Site and National Special Landscape, with 2 floors covered entirely in thin layers of pure gold. The detailed architecture incorporates the three distinct styles of Shinden, Samurai, and Zen.  Historic Nijo Castle, completed in 1626 to provide lodging for Tokugawa Shogun  The International Manga Museum showcasing the unique Japanese style of comics and cartooning  The Nishi-Honganji Temple, built in 1591, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site  Kiyomizu-dera Temple, perhaps the most popular of the temples in Kyoto. The temple's veranda juts out of the side of a mountain supported by 42-foot-high wooden columns. The main hall with its distinctive hip-shaped roof of cypress bark rests to the rear of the veranda and houses within it a priceless statue of Kannon Bodhisattva, the goddess of mercy.  The Heian Shrine, where its vermilion pillars, green roof, inner gardens and ponds reflect the graceful elegance of life in the ancient Japanese court. As the capital and the seat of the Imperial Court for over 1000 years, Kyoto has set the quality standard for Japanese arts and crafts. The city remains the most important center of traditional Japanese crafts today.  The Kyoto Handicraft Center, where artisans create various crafts, and quality handicrafts are for sale. Take a private coach tour of Kanazawa on Japan’s West Coast to see:  Kenrokuen Garden, one of the “Three Great Gardens” of Japan  The Kutaniyaki Pottery Kiln, which produces traditional porcelain  A restored Old Samurai Residence that displays the lifestyle and artifacts of the era when samurai were prosperous

See the sites on a private coach tour through the mountains from Kanazawa to Takayama:  Shirakawago Village, a World Heritage Site, famous for traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses with their steep thatched roofs, made without nails and resembling hands in prayer  Wada House, the former home to one of the wealthiest families and village leaders of Ogimachi and the largest gassho-zukuri farmhouse in town  Lake Miboro

Take a walking tour of Takayama:  Miyagawa, the morning fruit and vegetable market for local produce, goods, and souvenirs  Yatai Kaikan Hall, which houses some of the Takayama Festival's famous towering floats  Kusakabe Folk-craft Museum  The old town called the Kamisannomachi

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Spend 3 nights in Tokyo:

Tokyo | Photo Credit: Japan National Tourism Organization  Day 1 - Full day tour of Tokyo:

Imperial Palace Double Bridge Tsukiji Hongan-ji Temple Asakusa

 Day 2 – Free day (relax, join an optional tour, or explore Tokyo on your own)

 Day 3 - Half-day tour of Tokyo before taking the bullet train to Sendai:

Meiji shrine Harajuku Street

Shibuya Street

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TOTAL EXCHANGE FEE (Tour and 2 Homestays): US $3,600.00 Exchange Fee Includes: 1st night hotel stay near Narita Airport (double occupancy) Private Coach from Narita View Airport Hotel to Shizuoka 7-night homestay with FF Shizuoka including all FFI and host fees 7-night Private Tour of Central Japan including: Hotels (double occupancy) with breakfast included Transportation during the tour (trains and private coaches)

Admissions to all of the tour itinerary sites

English speaking guides (tips for drivers and guides) Transportation from Tokyo to Sendai, Miyagi Does NOT Include: Transportation to Narita Airport Transportation from Sendai Single Supplement (US$390, if applicable) Lunches nor Dinners during the Tour

The full exchange officially begins at the Narita View Airport Hotel on Tuesday, October 4, 2016, and ends after the Friendship Force Miyagi homestay on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. SINGLE HOMESTAY OPTIONS: OPTION 1: Due to differences in homestay availability between FF Shizuoka and FF Miyagi, there will be a limited number of opportunities for ambassadors to join the exchange in Kyoto for the tour and FF Miyagi homestay.

OPTION 1 EXCHANGE FEE (Tour and Miyagi Homestay): US $3,200.00 Exchange Fee Includes: Train from Kansai International Airport to Kyoto Pre-tour 1-night hotel stay in Kyoto (double occupancy) - breakfast included 7-night homestay with FF Miyagi including all FFI and host fees 7-night Private Tour of Central Japan (see details above) Transportation from Tokyo to Sendai, Miyagi Does NOT Include:

Transportation to Kansai Airport

Transportation from Sendai

Single Supplement (US$390, if applicable)

Lunches nor Dinners during the Tour

OPTION 2: There may be opportunities for exchange sharing in which 2 ambassadors join the tour portion of the exchange, but only 1 of those ambassadors participates in the first homestay and the other ambassador only participates in the second homestay.

OPTION 2 EXCHANGE FEE (Tour and Shizuoka Homestay): US $3,200.00 Exchange Fee Includes:

1st night hotel stay near Narita Airport (double occupancy) Private Coach from Narita View Airport Hotel to Shizuoka 7-night homestay with FF Shizuoka including all FFI and host fees

7-night Private Tour of Central Japan (see details above) Transportation from Tokyo to Narita Airport Does NOT Include:

Initial transportation to Narita Airport Final transportation from Narita Airport Single Supplement (US$390, if applicable)

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HOW TO APPLY TO BE AN AMBASSADOR ON THIS EXCHANGE

Ambassadors for the 2016 FF Denver Exchange and Tour to Japan will be selected based on the following: 1. The Friendship Force International Ambassador Application – follow this link to complete the form: http://www3.thefriendshipforce.org/downloads/AMBASSADOR%20APPLICATION%20AND%20AGREEM ENT2.16.pdf 2. A FF Denver Japan Exchange Ambassador Questionnaire (including a preference question about the homestay options) – follow this link to complete the questionnaire: http://goo.gl/forms/9uYiKbPCEG 3. An in-person or telephone interview Please send a completed and signed FFI Ambassador Application for each individual applicant with a check for the exchange deposit made out to Friendship Force Denver in the amount of US$250 per applicant to: Les Eckstat 6424 Silver Mesa Dr. Unit A Highlands Ranch, CO 80130 Applicants who are not selected as ambassadors will receive a full refund of their US$250 exchange deposit. Once notified of your acceptance as an ambassador, an additional deposit of US$750 will be due in 10 days. Final payment of the Exchange Fee balance must be received by August 1, 2016.

Exchange Calendar Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 25 26 27 28 29 30 01 OCTOBER, 2016 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 Exchange Begins Coach to Shizuoka Shizuoka Shizuoka Shizuoka Narita View Hotel FF Home Stay FF Home Stay FF Home Stay FF Home Stay Narita Airport 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 Train to Kyoto Shizuoka Group Tour Group Tour Group Tour Shizuoka Shizuoka Group Tour FF Home Stay New Hankyu Hotel Hotel My Stays Washington Hotel FF Home Stay FF Home Stay (Option 1 Exchange Begins New Hankyu Hotel Kyoto Kanazawa Takayama New Hankyu Hotel Kyoto) Kyoto 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Group Tour Group Tour Group Tour Train to Sendai Sendai, Miyagi Sendai, Miyagi Sendai, Miyagi B Ikebukuro Hotel B Ikebukuro Hotel B Ikebukuro Hotel FF Home Stay FF Home Stay FF Home Stay FF Home Stay Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo (Option 2 Exchange Ends) 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Sendai, Miyagi Sendai, Miyagi Sendai, Miyagi Exchange Ends FF Home Stay FF Home Stay FF Home Stay 30 31 01 02 03 04 05

Holidays and Observances: 10: Sports Day / 体育の日

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