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June 15, 2001 |
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Kansai Airport is a new facility and ultra-modern in design. This is a view of the central lobby, just above the area where international arrivals first enter the airport after clearing customs.
It's always fun trying to figure out when flights will be arriving. Can you read the Japanese kanji?
Here's a look at the group from Columbus, Indiana and their "sensei," Tracy Lykins, as they pause for a moment in the airport before boarding a bus bound for Kyoto. |
Second Tour Group Arrives in Kyoto The second of three New Perspectives: Japan (NP:J) 2001 groups touched down at Kansai International Airport today, Friday, June 15th.With the arrival of this group of 108 students and teachers, two groups will be overlapping. While the first tour group continues its visits with host families and schools, the second tour group will begin its study tour with a weekend in Kyoto. All told, there are presently 183 NP:J participants in Japanóour largest level of participation in NP:J's historyóand we still have over 120 NP:J students and teachers yet to arrive with our third 2001 tour group in July! Three buses were waiting for the arrival of the newest wave of NP:J participants at Kansai International Airport. It's the rainy season in Japan, so it had been raining off and on for most of the day. Thankfully, the rain is keeping the temperature cooler than it might otherwise have been. Our Hawaiian participants had the shortest distance to travel, and our Baltimore bunch probably had the longest trip. Everyone will likely be adjusting to a case of jet lag for the next day or so, but everyone seemed to be "genki" (in good spirits, upbeat) about finally getting to their destinationóJapan! The study tour group, listed alphabetically by state, includes: King Kekaulike High School, Hawaii Staff from The Laurasian Institution and from Nippon Express greeted the students and teachers as they arrived. Each of the three buses left for Kyoto at intervals of approximately thirty minutes. During the trip through the city of Osaka and then on in to Kyoto, at least two students went through a complete roll of film taking shots of the budding rice paddies, mountainous countryside and urban centers. Our "home away from home" in Kyoto is the Rihga Royal Hotel. Everyone was checked into their rooms by approximately 6:00 p.m. The hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Kyoto's transportation center. The main train and bus stations are less then ten minutes awayóa short and simple walk. During check in, meal tickets for dinner were distributed. Several restaurants are located in the hotel and students opted for teppanyaki, typical western fare, other traditional Japanese fare, oróin the revolving restaurant on the hotel's top flooróFrench cuisine! One especially energetic group of students and their teachers made their first foray to Kyoto"eki" (the train station) and picked up their tickets for a trip on Saturday to Himeji Castle. Following a brief orientation meeting in the evening with the teachers, most participants were eager to retire for the night and get some much deserved rest. Tomorrow, bright and early, everyone will wake up and start getting to know Kyoto! So, everyone made it to Japan, safe and sound. We hope you enjoyed reading about the passage of their first day in Japan. Over the course of the June 14-28 tour, we will be posting three additional articles, with photos. Oyasuminasai! (Good night!) |
