Sept. 2 Depart from Chicago's O'Hare Field on Japan Air Lines 009 at 12:00 noon
Sept. 3 Arrive in Tokyo at 2:45 p.m.
Sept. 3-17 in TOKYO
Tokyo is the world's most populous metropolitan area and the heart of modern Japanese culture, business and government.  The city is an extraordinary mix of the latest global trends and ancient Japanese tradition, a bustling urban center whose neighborhoods retain some flavor of rural villages.  We will receive an orientation to Japanese culture from scholars at The International House of Japan, attend a performance of traditional Japanese kabuki theater, and use Tokyo's excellent subway system to explore areas such as the exquisite grounds of the Imperial Palace, the quiet of Zojoji temple, the frenetic business of the Tsukiii central fish market, and the vibrant Shinjuku area.  We will meet with Americans doing business in Japan and with Japanese government officials.  We will stay at the rebuilt National Olympic Memorial Youth Center adjacent to the Meiji Shrine.

Sept. 8 Tokyo to Akagi by charter bus
Sept. 8-10 in AKAGI  Akagi Youth Center
For three days we will travel about seventy miles north to Akagi at the base of almost 6,000 ft. Mt.Akagi. From our accommodations at the Akagi Youth Center, we will explore some villages and natural areas of rural Japan.  On our return we plan to stop at Nikko, a beautiful 200,000 acre national park surrounding the Toshogu Shrine, mausoleum of leyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the dynasty of military leaders who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1867.

Sept. 10 Akagi to Tokyo via Nikko by charter bus
Sept. 10-17  in TOKYO  Olympic Memorial Youth Center

Sept. 17  Tokyo to Osaka on Japan Air Lines 105 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
               Charter bus to Kyoto
Sept. 17- Oct. 1 in KYOTO
Spared from World War 2 bombing, Kyoto-the national capital from 794 until 1868 retains its classic beauty and its place at the heart of traditional Japanese culture.  While in Kyoto we will visit the Imperial Gardens of Katsura and Shugakuin and numerous other "living monuments" to Japan's cultural, artistic and spiritual past.  From Kyoto we will travel on the high speed shinkansen to view the Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Garden at Hiroshima.  Our accommodations at the family-run Higashiyama Youth Hostel help Augustana students feel at home in this contemplative city, and a week-end homestay with a Japanese family in the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe (Kansai) area offers students a first-hand encounter with contemporary Japanese lifestyles.