As a result of participating in this Discovery Week course students will:

• Gain knowledge of the culture of Feudal Japan.
• Explore and engage in traditional Japanese art forms (printmaking, folk singing, etc).
• Increase fitness and enjoy satisfaction from personal achievements.

Course Description/Itinerary:

• Day 1: (Nagoya ~ Ena) Arrive Centrair (Nagoya) Airport. Transfer by train to Ena for our first night in an inn. Full briefing with your tour leader on the days ahead.
• Day 2: (Ena ~ Nakatsugawa ~ Yamaguchi): After breakfast in our accommodation, we visit the nearby and excellent Hiroshige Print Museum in Ena. Here we learn about the printmaking process, make our own prints and see originals on display. We then set out on the Nakasendo Way for today’s walk across rolling countryside to Nakatsugawa, an old post town and now a pleasant regional town. Time here for lunch before we continue our walk in hilly countryside to Shinchaya, our inn for the night. Located in a delightful rural setting, the inn serves as a lovely environment for our experience of the tea ceremony in the company of a tea master.
• Day 3: (Yamaguchi ~ Magome ~ O-Tsumago): Walk to Magome post-town, the home of Japan’s first modern novelist, Shimazaki Toson and author of Before the Dawn. Time here to freely explore this pleasant old town and purchase lunch. Then, onwards along the old highway via quiet roads and forest paths to Otsumago, a small cluster of inns. Stay in an old, traditional inn. Visit the original, high-class inn, now museum, in Tsumago. Enjoy an evening bath at a mountain top hot spring before dinner and then folk singing with a local expert.
• Day 4: (O-Tsumago ~ Tsumago ~ Nagiso ~ Kiso-Fukushima): Continue walking the Nakasendo to Nagiso. At Nagiso visit the Momosuke Bridge. Learn about how Momosuke developed hydro-electric power in the Kiso Valley. Also learn about Sadayakko, the most famous geisha of her age who led a colourful life.
• Day 5: (Akane Onsen→ Futago-ji→Bungo-Takada): After breakfast we explore the reconstructed barrier station, a check-point astride the Nakasendo Way. Allowed through the barrier we walk on following the old highway through the narrowing Kiso valley and pass the halfway point between Kyoto and Tokyo. A short transfer by local train before continuing our walk over the snowy Torii Pass, the 3rd highest on the Nakasendo Way. Narai, another picturesque post-town, is on the far side of the pass and its shops, restaurants and cafes provide a warm welcome. Our inn is in the centre
• Day 6: (Narai ~ Nagoya): An early transfer to Nagoya by train; Transfer with your Walk Japan program leader to Centrair Airport for our flight back home.

Requirements/Considerations:

• Be ready to walk! We will cover a fair amount of ground each day, so a positive attitude and a a good pair of shoes are needed!
• Sunday to Friday

Approximate Cost: $2,000 - $2,500

Sponsors: Mr. Mees and Ms. Guderyon

Course Location: Japan (the Nakasendo Way)

Course Category: Culture and Education

Student Leaders: Yes. Contact Mr. Mees by May 1st.