Social events
A broad program of social activities aimed at providing participants and
those accompanying them with opportunities to meet both informally
and formally, and also to experience Japanese culture. We hope you
will be able to join us and enjoy all the events.


Welcome Reception

Sunday, May 23, 2004, 18:00 - 20:00.
Welcome reception will be held after the opening session in the lounge
of Shonan Village Center. The fee is included in the registration fee.


Excursion to the Historical City of Kamakura

Tuesday, May 25, 2004, 9:00 - 13:00
We will visit a beautiful Buddhist temple and a famous giant
Buddh in the historical city of Kamakura. The bus will leave at
9:00 from Shonan Village Center. After about 40 min drive, we will
reach the Temple of Hase (Hase Dera), where you can admire the
beautiful buildings, garden and many kinds of interesting objects,
such as, assemblage of small statues of Jizo Bosatsu (Mizuko Jizo)
dedicated to the temple tin memory of aborted fetuses, a cave,
a statue of the idol of the temple, Kannon Bosatsu, etc. Next, we will
visit another temple closed by where the great statue of Buddha
(Daibutsu of Kamakura), a symbolic monument of the city sits in the
open air.

<http://www.city.kamakura.kanagawa.jp/english/index.htm>


Concert of Traditional Japanese Music

Wednesday, May 26, 2004, 17:00 - 18:00.
In the lecture hall of Shonan Village Center. You will be fascinated
by the performance of pieces of traditional Japanese music played
by skillful artists playing typical Japanese musical instruments such
as Koto (Japanese harp), Shakuhachi (Japanese flute) and Shamisen
(Japanese lute).

<http://jtrad.columbia.jp/eng/index.html>


Farewell Party

Thursday, May 27, 2004,. 19:00 - 21:00. At Hotel Okuyumoto in Hakone.
It will be an excellent opportunity for you to experience Japanese
way of life on the occasion of the farewell party. We will leave
Shonan Village Center by bus at 16:00 and drive to Hakone spa.
A Japanese-style farewell party will be held in one of the hotels
in Hakone, where you can also enjoy the experience of bathing
in a wide open-air bath filled with water from a hot spring. After
the party, you will have another experience of staying in a
Japanese-style room with "tatami" and sleeping on a Japanese-style
mattress "futon". The fee for transportation and party are included
in the registration fee. Since the registration fee does not cover
the room charge for Thursday evening, please complete the
corresponding box in the form for accommodation and add the charge
for lodging when you make payment. Since you will find it difficult to
travel from Hakone to any other city after the party, it is strongly
recommended to make a reservation.

<http://www.kankou.hakone.kanagawa.jp/index.e.html>