November 11 - 21, 2008
3,650 per person
(based on double occupancy)

Tour Includes:
• Tour Escort from Hawaii
• Hotel Accommodations as indicated
• Airfare from Honolulu to Japan roundtrip
• Ground Transportation as needed
• Daily Breakfast and dinner
• Admission to all sights, attractions, and tours as indicated by itinerary

November 11 (Tues) Honolulu/Osaka A late morning flight will take us from Honolulu to Osaka. November 12 (Wed Osaka/Naruto Onsen Upon arrival in Osaka, we will pass through customs before catching a bus to Naruto.  It will take us three hours to drive there.  Shikoku is separate from Honshu by the Inland Sea and we must therefore cross the Akashi Kaikyo bridge, the world’s longest suspension bridge at 3,911 meters or just over 2.4 miles in length.  It is also the tallest and most expensive suspension built to date.  Construction began in 1988 and took 10 years and over $4 billion to complete.  The bridge was designed to replace ferries that braved the Akashi Strait, which can have quite turbulent waters.  Its design allows it to withstand winds up to 180 miles per hour and an earthquake up to 8.5 on the Richter Scale.     When we arrive at Naruto, we will head to our hotel for the next two nights. November 13 (Thurs) Naruto Onsen Our tour begins with a visit to one of the most amazing natural wonders of Shikoku, Naruto Channel, where we will stop to see the famous Naruto whirlpools that form twice a day.  The Naruto Channel is only 1,300 meters (m) wide and  the intense tide flowing inside can exceed 15 to 20 kilometers per hour creating whirlpools up to 20 m. in diameter lasting as long as 50 seconds.  This current is the fastest in Japan and the third fastest in the world.  Whirlpools are generated, washed away, and then  generated again obeying the whims of the tide.  We stop at Naruto Park for a break before walking Uzu no Michi, a walkway under the Naruto bridge to get a close look at nature in action.    In the evening we will get to watch awa-odori.  This dance is a popular attraction for the area and a common saying is “The dancing fool and the watching fool are both fools, so why not dance!”  The women’s dances are graceful, while the men’s dances are aggressive and lively. November 14 (Fri) Naruto/Kotohira We leave Naruto for the city of Kotohira, where we will take an udon-making class.      After the class we will head to Kotohira-gu Shrine, also known as Kompira-san.  It is a major shrine and one of the most popular in this country for hundreds of years.  This shrine is the head shrine for the Kotohira and Kompira shrines.  For those adventuresome enough the climb to the top of the shrine is a quick 785 steps or 1368 steps to the inner shrine. November 15 (Sat) Kotohira/Kochi We leave Kotohira for Kochi today and our first stop will be Oboke, a place in the mountains where we will cross the Kazura Bridge.  This bridge will give a picturesque view of the area and its most unique feature is that it is made out of vines and rope.  The view is said to be comparable only to two other places in Japan, both on Kyushu.     From there we will head to Nishijima Engei Danchi, a nursery specializing in tropical fruits and flowers. We will have the chance to sample its delicious watermelon and melons. November 16 (Sun) Kochi We begin our day with a trip to the early morning market.  Before we enter the market we will visit Kochi Castle, where the market starts.  This castle was originally constructed between 1601 – 1611.  It was last rebuilt in 1748 and was the seat of power for the Yamanouchi clan, who ruled the Tosa domain from the castle’s construction to the Meiji era.  While most of the castle has been rebuilt, there is one structure that survives from the initial construction.  The castle is also noted for the amount of greenery that can be found on the castle grounds due to the warm climate and the fact that the castle was never under siege in its four hundred year history.     The Sunday Street Market, one of the largest street markets in Japan with 650 vendors and nearly 50,000 customers weekly.  The street market moves every day.  The Sunday morning market has been at the same location since 1948.  The market specializes in fresh vegetables, herbs, plants, dried food, and more.       Kochi city the birthplace of Sakamoto Ryoma.  This local hero helped lay the groundwork for the Meiji Restoration of 1868.  He challenged the rigid class structure of the Shogunate government by starting a trading company in Nagasaki.  His efforts and leadership of pro-imperial groups forced Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu to return power to the emperor.  After the market we will go to Katsurahama Beach, where a statue now commemorates Sakamoto’s achievements.  November 17 (Mon) Kochi/Seira Onsen Today we head to the countryside of Shikoku.  You will be able to enjoy the natural beauty of the prefecture.  Our stop for the day is the Shimanto River for a ride on the longest river in Shikoku and the cleanest river in all of Japan.  We will take a boat tour of the river where we can see firsthand the natural beauty of the river.  Our boatman rows the yakatabune, a boat with a roof, up the river, which is also home to “Ayu”, a kind of river trout. November 18 (Tues) Seira Onsen/Dogo Onsen We leave the serenity of the countryside and go to the city of Matsuyama the capital of Ehime prefecture.  Before we reach there we will visit the rustic town of Uchiko.  There we will see many traditional handcrafts from toys to candles.  Next we head to Tobe Zoo, built in 1988, is one of Western Japan’s largest zoo’s with over 180 species and 1700 animals.  Its most popular attraction is Peace, the polar bear.  Peace was born at the zoo and was raised by hand by one of its zoo keepers.     When we do arrive in Matsuyama, we will visit  Ishiteji, the 51st of the 88 temples of Shikoku.  The journey of the 88 temples is a tribute to Kobo Daishi (774-835), who founded the Shingon sect of Buddhism and built those temples in the 8th century.  Before the modern age, it took two months to walk the path.  Today, it takes two weeks by bus, although there are still those who walk the path in its entirety.  It is believed that if you complete the journey you will attain enlightenment and need not be reincarnated into the next life.  Approximately 100,000 pilgrims complete the journey annually.  Ishiteji is second only to Zentsuji in popularity.  It is noted for its fine architecture from the Kamakura Era (1185-1333) and is named for the a Matsuyama lord who was born with a stone in his hand.     Our hotel for our stay here is Dogo Onsen, the oldest onsen in Japan.  Shotoku Taishi, a sixth-century prince, is the first human known to have definitely dipped at Dogo, making it one of the most frequented springs in the country.  A “must see” is the Dogo Onsen Honkan, a traditional wooden building that dates from 1894 and houses a number of baths.  The adjacent Yushiden, built in 1988 as a bath reserved for the imperial family, offers tours as well. November 19 (Wed) Dogo Onsen/Takamatsu Our first stop is Matsuyama Castle which was built by Yoshiaki Kato, a samurai who was awarded for his service to Ieyasu Tokugawa with a 200,000 koku parcel.  The castle took 25 years to complete from 1602 – 1627 and is one of three multi-wing castles in Japan.  In its nearly four hundred year history it has been rebuilt just three times, the last being completed at 1854.  In the latter half of the twentieth century, the castle was fully restored thus making it one of Japan’s finest original castles.  It was around this castle that the city of Matsuyama grew.     From there we head to the Iyo Kasuri Kaikan, a museum dedicated to the kasuri developed in this area in the 19th century by Kana Kagiya.  Iyo is the pre-Meiji name of Ehime prefecture.  Kasuri is a type of fabric created from threads dyed in certain colors and then woven into geometric patterns on looms.  The entire process is all done by hand and therefore very labor intensive.      From Matsuyama we drive to Marugame to take part in a fan-making class.  The city is noted for making ninety percent of the Uchiwa or rounded fans in Japan.  November 20 (Thurs) Shodo Island Excursion Today we hop on a ferry and go to Shodo Island.  This small island is remarkable in the number of products that it is able to export.  It ws the first place in Japan where olives were grown commercially at the beginning of the twentieth century.  So we will visit on of the many factories that produce olive products.  Before its olive fame, Shodo Island was noted for its sea salt which was turned into shoyu.  We will visit Yamasa Shoyu to experience the process of making shoyu.  About the same time that shoyu was started on Shodo Island, Tenobu Somen got its start as well.  Both products are well known for their high quality and flavor.  The last place we will visit is Kankakei Gorge, which is one of Japan’s top three gorges. November 21 (Fri) Takamatsu/Osaka/Hawaii On our last day in Shikoku we will visit Ritsurin Park, which lies at the foot of Mount Shuin.  This 185 acre park is the largest and most beautiful garden in Japan founded in the 17th century.  From there we begin the drive back to Osaka to catch our flight.  Since it departs in the evening for Honolulu, we will arrive in the morning of the same day as we left due to the International Dateline.

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