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July 18, 2003

Marina High School visited Himeji Castle on Thursday, July 16th. The view in this photo is of the five-story keep. Visitors to the castle can go all the way up to the fifth-floor of this keep, and you can sometimes see people taking photographs out of the top windows. In this photo of Himeji Castle, you can see the main keep, but also one of the smaller keeps on the castle grounds. The winding paths that lead up to the castle are built with uneven steps and other defensive devices to make invasion difficult. Students from Marina High School line up to purchase ice cream from this Seventeen Ice vending machine. This was only the first of three stops for ice cream on Thursday... And here they are with their ice cream. Students admire the Koi in the outer moat of Himeji Castle. Marina students rest on the fifth floor of the main keep. From here, they can see a great panaromic of the Himeji area. In the background, you can see a small Shinto shrine with offerings of apples, daikon (white radish), and other foods and drinks. The shrine was re- located from the top of the top of the hill the castle stands on. Marina students climb up one of the several steep staircases within the main keep of the castle. The Marina group takes in one of the many spectacular views of the castle.

We'll Be Back, Japan! On Friday, July 18th, the fourth and final NP:J Study Tour of 2003 ends. It's been an exciting summer for both the TLI staff and the many students and teachers who have been able to visit Japan this summer, many for the first time. After two full days in Tokyo and an 8-day homestay never-to-be-forgotten, everyone has spent three days exploring Kyoto and the greater Kansai region. Participants have visited a variety of contemporary and historical sites, including a "monkey park," and of course the many famous Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines Kyoto. The group from Marina High School visited Himeji Castle on Wednesday. The site of Himeji Castle has been a defensive fortification since the early 14th century, but the current castle was completed in 1618 and has been standing since. As a defensive castle, the walls are riddled with traingular, circular, and square slots from which to fire rifles and arrows and throw spears. There are also numerous places from which boiling oil can be poured. Although well fortified, the castle has never had to be defended. On Thursday, the Marina group will be visiting Nijo Castle, a castle in the heart of Kyoto. It will be an interesting comparison study for the students, since Nijo castle was not designed to withstand an invasion like Himeji castle. Another popular destination this time around was Nara -- Japan's capital from 710 to 785. Nara is the home of eight Unesco World Heritage sites -- three of which are often visisted by NP:J participants: Todaiji, Kofukuji, and Kasuga Taisha. However, many students are more excited about the deer that can be found everywhere throughout Nara Park. These deer, once thought to be the sacred messengers of the gods, are now Japanese National Treasures and roam freely throughout the park and many of the historical sites. Visitors to the park can buy "shika-senbei," or deer biscuits, to feed the deer. Some of the deer even have enough manners to bow in thanks! Others would gladly eat your t-shirt if you let them... As mentioned in the previous newsletter, tour four participants are lucky to be in Kyoto during the biggest festival of the year: the Gion Matsuri. On Thursday morning, most groups went downtown to watch the large wooden floats paraded through town. Each float is pulled by teams of men, while men in yukata (summer kimono) and boys in traditional costume ride on top of the floats. The morning parade begins at 9 a.m. and lasts at least three hours. Kyoto residents and visitors line the sides of the streets to watch the parade go by. Most participants returned to Kyoto carrying more luggage than they originally brought to Japan, so Thursday night and Friday morning were spent trying to stuff the acquried gifts and souvenirs into their limited space. A few students may have purchased sturdy cardboard boxes or additional bags to help carry everything. As usual, some of the more popular souvenirs seem to be Katana (ceremonial swords), practice swords, and Kendo sticks; Yukata (summer kimono), fans, and traditional sandals; anime paraphernalia and who knows what else! You'll have to wait until you see them at the airport to find out if they remembered to think of you in their purchasing frenzy... While many are tired and happy to be returning home to their friends and family, it is also clear that the study tour has been a worthwhile and meaningful experience. In closing, the staff of The Laurasian Institution wants to convey a warm and hearty "Thank You!" to the families and friends of our students and to the teacher/chaperones who gave so much of themselves; and---last but not least---to our NP:J students. Watching you experience Japan (most of you for the first time) helps us rediscover this beautiful culture anew with each tour. We hope all of our NP:J students continue to show an interest in Japan and in becoming more internationally aware. We wish you the best of luck with your future! That's it for the final Study Tour of 2003. Thanks for dropping in and catching our newsletters. Sayonara! Two Marina students rested on the train ride from Kyoto to Himeji. It was a ninety-minute trip and students were lucky to get seats for the whole ride. Gochisoosama deshita! That was delicious. After arriving in Himeji, Marina students stopped for lunch at a nice restaurant before heading on to the castle. This student has just finished a meal of noodles and curry. A Marina student examines his souvenir stamp. Rubber stamps are provided at most tourist sites so that visitors can stamp a travel journal. A few Marina students look out the windows of the castle. Everyone had to take off their shoes before entering the castle and put them in white plastic bags to carry with them. Some students chose to wear the indoor slippers provided, but others did without. Coming or going? You can see a nice view of the stone wall that protects the base of the castle. The wall was designed carefully to prevent invaders from scaling it.