Japan Study Tour

Other Resources

Tour Itinerary (pdf)
World Cultural Heritage and Famous Sites

May 26 – June 6, 2005
Title of Course: HI 439 Topics in Non-Western History
Exploring World Cultural Heritage Sites: Study Tour to Japan
3 History credits - undergraduate, graduate or audit

Travel Package Cost $3428.*
Plus tuition/fees for those seeking college credit:
$656.25 undergraduate
$752.25 graduate

Please contact the instructor (wto@bridgew.edu) for more details.

Japan Study Tour Japan is well-known for both its deep-seated traditions and dynamic modern cities. Between the old images of samurai, geisha, and cherry blossoms on the one hand and the new world of anime, technology, and metropolis on the other, there is much to see in Japan about its landscape beauty, artistic and religious heritage, and postmodern culture.

Kyoto, the ancient capital, alone boasts about 1,600 temples and 400 shrines, and Tokyo is the most exciting place to visit in modern Japan. Close to three dozen ancient shrines, temples, castles, and gardens in Nara, Kyoto, Himeji, and Miyajima, as well as the atomic bomb dome in Hiroshima are designated as World Cultural Heritage sites by the United Nations in the last two decades. In this tour students will be able to explore many of the above sites in less than two weeks and experience Japanese culture and lifestyle in both traditional and modern settings. Japan

We will fly to Kyoto from Boston and stay there for most of the tour, while exploring neighboring regions and conducting day trips in western Honshu. Kyoto and Boston have a sister-city relationship and there are many Japanese foreign students studying at Bridgewater State College. This study tour has thus much symbolic significance in our education and understanding of world cultures. We will visit major Shinto, Buddhist, and feudal/samurai cultural treasures, as well as visit many famous museums, parks, towns, and cities that highlight the memory and legacy of cultural heritage in modern Japan.

At the end of the tour we will take the bullet train to explore Tokyo for two days before returning to the U.S. We will study how the Japanese people commemorate their history and culture and how their tradition is being re-invented in recent decades.

The study tour will be a summer session I course. In addition to several orientation classes in April and May, students are Japan expected to complete a paper after returning from the tour. The tour will be accompanied by a Japanese speaking guide. Japanese language or prior coursework on Japan are not required.

Dr. Wing-kai To is an Associate Professor of History at Bridgewater State College. He is the coordinator of the Asian Studies Program on campus. He is a specialist in Chinese and Japanese history, with a strong interest in the history of temples, museums, and cultural treasures in East Asia.

Dr. Wing-kai To
Department of History
(508)531-2401
wto@bridgew.edu

Highlights:

Travel to a dozen UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites in Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Himeji, and Miyajima.
See Japan’s largest Buddha statue and the world’s oldest wooden temples in Nara from the 8th century.
Meditate in the world’s most famous rock garden in the Ryoanji Zen temple in Kyoto
Visit world renowned history, art, and ethnology museums in Kyoto and Osaka
Stroll along the traditional Gion district in Kyoto where streets are lined by beautiful old buildings, teahouses, theaters, and sometimes Geisha apprentices dressed in Kimono.
Explore samurai culture in Japan’s most beautiful, surviving feudal Hemiji Castle, described as a white heron spreading its wings.
Tour the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the Japanese emperor’s residence until 1868
Visit the Peace Memorial Park and the exhibits in the Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima, commemorating the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945
Stand in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome, the city’s only remaining bombed building and a UNESCO world heritage site
Ride the Shinkansen, the world’s famous bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo
Take a ferry to stay overnight in Miyajima (shrine island) to see the Itsukushima Shrine and its large wooden torri (gate), considered one of the three most scenic views in Japan
Wear Japanese night clothes and being served a complete Japanese dinner in a traditional Japanese inn
Tour Tokyo’s largest and most famous shopping, dining and entertainment districts in Ginza and Shinjuku, featuring many department stores, restaurants, night clubs and cafes.