Finding yourself bored & restless? Here are 101 activities to get your mind, body and soul rejuvenated and charged! Check off each activity as you eat, travel GET OUT! and play your way around Japan. HISTORICAL & CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE Head to Hiroshima to view the Genbaku Dome (A-Bomb Building) and tour its Peace Memorial #1 Reason: Have a positive attitude. There are Museum and Park. many advantages of being stationed overseas. It is up to you to make the most of it. Let MCCS Schedule a tour of the Emperor’s Palace while help you make Iwakuni feel like home. Whether in Tokyo. Or you can enjoy the palace gardens your interests are in learning and understand- for free! ing the local culture, food and entertainment, advancing your education or fitness and health— Sharpen your Japanese by attending Cultural Marine Corps Community Services is here for you. Adaptation’s free Survival Japanese 4-Day Class. 101 Experience old world Japan in the city of Kyoto. Shrines, temples, traditional cuisine, Golden FOOD THINGS TO DO Pavilion, Gion District and more! Live dangerously and try fugu (blowfish) sushi WHILE STATIONED at MCAS IWAKUNI Explore an actual Japanese submarine at the at the Shimonoseki market. JMSDF Museum in Kure.
Enjoy an unforgettable meal at the Chicken Purchase a traditional yukata/jimbei and wear it Shack. to a summer festival. See an impressive Inari shrine, a Catholic Grill your meat to perfection at a yakiniku ENTERTAINMENT restaurant. church and koi swimming along the street Climb the Tokyo Tower. canals of Tsuwano. Try both Hiroshima and Osaka-style okonomi- Visit the Tokyo Sky Tree. yaki. Which style is better? Achieve enlightenment by fitting through a hole Stay at New Sanno hotel in Tokyo and experi- NATURE in the pillar at the Daibutsu-den, or Big Buddha, Enjoy fresh sushi at a sushi-go-round or try ence American comfort in Japan’s largest city! in Nara. Iwakuni-style sushi. Conquer Japan’s highest peak, Mt. Fuji. Karaoke with friends! Stroll among the beautifully colored autumn Enjoy the Kintai bridge and park during one of Grab lunch at a convenience store. The options leaves on the Sandankyo hike. its festivals. Some of the annual events are will amaze you! Hand feed a koi (carp) fish at Asa Zoo. lantern festival and fireworks festival. Beat the heat with a day at Yuu Beach. Sample oysters, a local specialty, at one of the Have your picture taken at a mini photo booth. Ride the trains every chance you get! Japan has many oyster festivals held each winter. There Throw a hanami (cherry blossom viewing) party a very efficient train system. Nervous about the are numerous ways to enjoy them from fried to Visit the Yamaguchi Flea Market and see what with your friends in the spring. ride? Learn the ropes with IRR’s Venture Out grilled. Miyajima’s oyster festival is one of the treasures you can find! tours. largest. Conquer the Three Peaks hike! Hold a rhinoceros beetle at the Insectarium in Watch a taiko drum performance. Sample tasty pastries at one of the local Hiroshima. Beat the heat by hiking Seven Falls and cooling bakeries. off in the water! Head to the Iwakuni Castle on January 1st and Have your picture taken with Kitty-Chan (Hello take part in the Japanese tradition of watching Slurp a big bowl of noodles! Kitty) at Harmony Land. Check out the quaint Yanai Flower Park. the sunrise from a mountain on the first day of the new year. Taste fresh mikan (mandarin oranges) from Ride a roller coaster at Space World. Bike through the tulip fields at Huis Ten Bosch Oshima Island. in Kyushu during their annual Tulip Festival. Participate in a traditional tea ceremony. Get in the holiday spirit at the Bihoku Christmas Eat Kobe beef in Kobe. Illumination. Take photos of the lotus flowers when they’re in Watch a traditional Kabuki performance at the full bloom. (Tip: morning time is best) Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima. Try all things Lotus (root)! Iwakuni lotus root is Go to an auto race. (JGTC, rally, drift, etc.) unique and can be found in a variety of dishes Explore another island of Japan. There are the Take a boat ride and learn about the ancient art from curry, chips, tempura, ice cream and more. Travel to another country in Asia. The options larger islands of Shikoku, Kyushu, and Hokkaido, of cormorant fishing at the Kintai Bridge area. Better yet, learn to cook it yourself at a cooking are endless, let IACE Travel help you out. or head to the one of the several small unique class offered by Cultural Adaptation. islands scattered through the Seto Inland Sea. Experience a Japanese fertility festival. Bonus Head to Osaka for the weekend. Don’t miss the points if you don’t giggle! Enjoy ice cream on a hot summer day by the Osaka Aquarium and Universal Studios! Go dolphin watching in Kyushu. Kintai Bridge. Learn to use chopsticks. Take an ITT tour or drive yourself to Akiyoshido Float down the Nishiki River. Japan has more than 80 different types of Kit Cave and Safari Land. Make an origami crane and give it to a Japanese Drive to Oshima Island. Enjoy the hidden friend. Kats! Sample as many as you can find. (Tip: Visit one of many aquariums within this area. some flavors may be regional or seasonal.) beaches, great camping, museum, fresh mikan There’s the Shimonoseki Aquarium, AQUAS, and (mandarin oranges) and more! Get your hands dirty (not really) with the Have a momiji manju (Maple leaf cake) on the Miyajima Aquarium. Japanese flower art of ikebana. Miyajima. Japan has great outdoor opportunities! Go on See several hundred thousand people on MCAS your own or sign up for an Outdoor Recreation Purchase a shuin book and collect unique hand Iwakuni for the annual Friendship Day event. trip. drawn calligraphy and stamps from various temples and shrines. Explore the coastal town of Hagi. Enjoy fresh Hike Miyajima’s Mt. Misen each season. Autumn seafood and purchase some of their famous is especially beautiful with the changing leaves, Stay at a traditional Japanese inn called ryokan. SPORTS Hagi-yaki pottery. but winter and spring offer great views over the Some famous ones are in Miyajima, Kyoto or Experience “America’s favorite pastime” while Seto Inland Sea. Hakone Lake region. in Japan at a Hiroshima Carp baseball game. Be Catch a Space-A flight to Okinawa and experi- sure to stick around until the 7th inning for the ence another Japanese island. Go snorkeling near Susa on a camping weekend Enjoy the festivities of Yanai’s Goldfish Lantern traditional balloon release! getaway. Festival on August 13. You can even purchase a Visit one of many Japanese fireworks festivals. goldfish lantern as a souvenir! Hit the epic slopes of Japan! There are several Go camping with friends at Yasaka Dam. local ski resorts as well as the world renowned Attend the Sapporo City Jazz Festival in July - Spend a day exploring Miyajima Island with resorts of Nagano and Hokkaido. August, the largest jazz festival in Japan. Experience large snow sculptures at Sapporo its famous floating torii, shrine, roaming deer, Snow Festival. ITT has a yearly trip. momiji manju cakes and much more! Surf at Hamada Beach. Save yourself the drive Visit the Fukuoka Canal City. and let Outdoor Recreation take you! Soak away your tension at an onsen (Japanese Plant rice in the spring and harvest it in the fall. hot spring bath). (Tip: Cultural Adaptation/Youth Cultural Adapta- Experience Japan’s National Sport of Sumo tion programs offer this trip each year.) during their tournament season. ¥ Visit Tottori City for the sand dunes, the largest SHOPPING in Japan, camel rides and sand surfing. Take a picture in front of Godzilla attacking Go whitewater rafting down the Yoshino River. Enjoy dining and shopping options at Hondori Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. (It’s a statue!) Street in Hiroshima. Feed rabbits on Bunny Island, Okunoshima. Get fit while in Iwakuni by taking advantage of Learn basic Japanese through Cultural Adapta- the excellent IronWorks Gym facilities. Rub the incense smoke over you at the Asakusa Experience the grand sight of Wisteria Tunnel tion and strike up a conversation with a local. Shrine in Tokyo and then shop in the numerous in spring. Take sailing lessons and get certified on sailing stalls lining the streets to the shrine. Feel the samurai spirit at Tsuwano’s Yabusame - offered by Outdoor Recreation. Take the 99 Island cruise tour in Sasebo. horseback archery festival held annually on the Explore the vast assortment of items at a ¥100 second Sunday of April. Enjoy stunning views of the Seto Inland Sea store. Visit Himeji Castle, which survives in its original by biking the Shimanami Kaido. This 70km form. Travel somewhere--anywhere!-- on the bullet bike route links the main island of Honshu to Get a “Doctor Fish” pedicure and let tiny fish train. Zipping around the countryside on the Shikoku via six islands and bridges. nibble away your rough edges! “shinkansen” is an experience unto itself! WHICH Are You? Get out and have fun
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MCCS HAS A MYRIAD OF DEPARTMENTS TO HELP YOU ASSIMILATE TO JAPANESE CULTURE. TRANSITION COMFORTABLY LOCAL FLAVOR WITH THESE FAMILIAR ACTIVITIES. CRAVING SOMETHING DIFFERENT? ADVENTURER AMERICAN COMFORTS BLOWFISH MIYAJIMA SHIMONOSEKI
MOMIJI HIROSHIMA CULTURAL NATURE SHOPPING FITNESS & SPORTS
OKONOMIYAKI HIKING 7/ELEVEN DAISO ON A BUDGET? THE POPULAR ¥100 STORE IS GREAT FOR WEEKEND TRIP PURCHASING JAPANESE GET FIT IWAKUNI YES NO TCHOTCHKES FOR YOUR FAMILY IRONWORKS GYM AND FRIENDS BACK HOME.
IWAKUNI KINTAI BASEBALL ZUSHI ICE CREAM KOBE OSAKA SKIING & 7 FALLS & ENJOY AMERICA’S PASTIME IN THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN. BE SURE TO IWAKUNI-ZUSHI: INSTEAD OF HAND-MOLDING THE SUSHI,THE SNOWBOARDING 3 PEAKS STICK AROUND TILL THE 7TH INNING CHEF PLACES THE LAYERED INGREDIENTS INTO A LARGE WOODEN FOR A FUN SPECTATOR TRADITION. MOLD AND STEPS ON THE MOLD’S LID TO FORM THE SHAPE WITH BEEF AQUARIUM THEIR OWN BODY WEIGHT. THE SUSHI IS TRADITIONALLY TOPPED WITH PICKLED JAPANESE MACKEREL, SHIITAKE MUSHROOM, THINLY SLICED EGG AND IWAKUNI’S FAMOUS LOTUS ROOT. CYCLING NO ONSEN DO YOU ENJOY PHOTOGRAPHY? OVERNIGHTER LOCAL ONSEN LITERALLY MEANS HOT-SPRING, AND COMES IN MANY TYPES AND SHAPES. TRADITIONALLY, Share your pictures from your Japanese adventures and have ONSENS WERE LOCATED OUTDOORS, ALTHOUGH A LARGE NUMBER OF INNS HAVE NOW BUILT them published in an upcoming INDOOR BATHING FACILITIES. ONSEN WATER IS BELIEVED TO HAVE HEALING POWERS DERIVED Preview Magazine! NAGANO MEGAHIRA & GEIHOKU FROM ITS MINERAL CONTENT. A PARTICULAR ONSEN MAY FEATURE SEVERAL BATHING AREAS, EACH Contact [email protected] WITH WATER THAT HAS A DIFFERENT MINERAL COMPOSITION.
Information, Tours & Travel Information, Referral & Cultural Adaptation IACE Travel Outdoor Recreation Crossroads Mall, Bldg. 410 | Relocation Services Bldg. 411, Library | 253-6165 Crossroads Mall, Bldg. 410 | IronWorks Gym | 253-3822 253-4377 Bldg. 411, Rm. 101 | 253-6161 This program assists with the 050-5806-7460 Sign up for fun and affordable MCCSIWAKUNI.COM Explore Japan with one of ITT’s IR&R maintains a database transition into Japan by offering IACE Travel is here for all of trips with Outdoor Rec. Don’t many weekly trips led by a of local information including Survival Japanese, Japanese your worldwide travel needs. have the supplies for an friendly and proficient tour guide. sightseeing directions, travel Culture and Cooking classes and The staff will help you with outdoor adventure? Check Additional services include booking maps, regional travel brochures, trips. Youth Cultural Program arranging travel and booking them out for FREE at Gear accommodations, luggage delivery, restaurants, shopping guides, and provides cultural activities for tickets. Issue. camping & restaurant reservations cultural events. both American and Japanese just to name a few. children and their families in the local community.