Domestic Travel in Japan: University Schedules Part 2

I said I was going to give it a rest - but I was too curious not to check out Yahoo Travel, Orbitz, ANA and UAL sites.
By putzing aroun, it will really be just wasting time until we know your exact date and the parameters - such as when are you expected to be in Matsuyama, where will you be met exactly, when (date/time) you can you actually depart the US and from where, and whether you will be planning to go home for Xmas/NewYears or will stay until the next big break.

Academic Calendars and Holidays

Typically most Japanese universities do not have classes in March and most (except perhaps only medical school) do not have anyclasses for most of January and February either. My classes for next semester are from Sept 11 - Dec 18. Often I don't arrive back in Japan until the day or two before classes begin and I typically head off for Hawaii on Dec 19/20/21.

Ticket prices start skyrocketing just around these dates (preXmas rush) and then quickly increase until and through NewYears. The New Year's holidays are officially Dec 31-Jan 1,2, and 3 but often companies (and certainly schools) are closed or employees are given longer holidays since many people travel during this time -- especially to return to their native hometowns to visit family (and friends). New Years is a special time in Japan and one that you should NOT miss, but after over 25 years, the experience is not quite the same as it once was. Moreover, since our children (and my wife's sisters' children are grown now, we don't find it as cozy and inviting to all crowd into a small house to eat homemade sweets and tiny ceremonial cups of rice wine.
In fact, these New Year's holidays unofficially continuedto as late as January 9 (the 8th is another National Holiday (Coming-Of-Age-Day) no school that day). It seems that getting - what's called an 'open jaw' --arrive Tokyo (NRT) and depart Osaka (Kansai Intl Airport (KIX) tends to be more expensive than asimple round-trip to NRT, KIX or NGO (Nagoya) might be your best fare --- because the trade-off will be the savings in time and domestic transport cost may make it worth it.

I found the sample tickets below on United.com but there are somewhat cheaper variations on different airlines (or combinations of airlines) on Orbitz. That is one of Orbitz specialities that no other online travels ervice has - -offering multiple carrier fares. American Airlines had the cheapest tickets for open jaw (just over $900), but if you really want to earn mileage on Star Alliance (and it can really be worth it since the transpacific flights will add up miles pretty quickly), then stick with a Star Alliance carrier (or combination).

For example, there was a choice for a Singapore Airlines flight from LAX to NRT Aug25, returning in Dec from KIX to LAX on Dec 20 at about $1344. If you try to add in the domestic flights booked online, the price zooms up. For example -- booking directly with ANA the price for such an itinerary soars to $1800 - $3000. To get to both Tokyo and depart from KIX cheaply, youcan buy online the international portion online at Orbitz or United (or Yahoo or Expedia) and then pay for the trains about $240 (one way) from Tokyo to Matsuyama -- provided I am going to be there to help you do that.
If you're on your own, then you'd probably be better off to make all intl/domestic connections safe, secure, and easy for you to manage. Japan is NOT like Europe (Czech) where there are people who will easily assist you when you speak to them on the street; while there are some Special Service desks / Tourist bureaus where people speak English, these are few and far between and tend to have strict hours (10am-5pm) - not very helpful when your flight arrives at the airport 60km away.

Extra Duties for foreign teacheres at Japanese Universities: Entrance Exams

So I suggest these options but you need to decide IFand WHEN you are stopping in Tokyo or not. If not on the way, then you might do so when going back. I have not yet made my December plans -- partly because I on FIVE English entrance exams committees (something that I suspect you might be asked to help out at EMU too.) 'Help out' means correcting/edit somebody else's testof English so that it has no proofreading, grammatical/syntax errors but also equally important -so that there are no ambiguous questions with multiple answers, or no correct answers.

The October-January season is the busiest time towork on entrance exams (creating / editing (bycommittee), proofing and then the actual exams are admininstered mainly Jan/Feb/March. It is unimaginable to us educated in North America, but students can take a major university entrance examin early or mid March and STILL be accepted forentrance to that school on April 1st - less than a month later. Unreal! The competition BETWEEN colleges to get students is as cut-throat and high-energy as the competition among the students themselves just to pass these exams. So many univ/colleges have two or even three rounds of their own specific locally produced exams to try to scrap together enough eligilbe students to offer them a 'place'. It is really -- really an antiquated system and I cannot begin to tell you how it affects the entire educational process right down to how parents treat their new born infants -much less its (mostly deleterious) affects on secondary and primary education.

OFF topic.... [ Don't mind my ranting. I'm justprocrastinating... I have too many things to do andjust don't want to do them - my body clock tells me it is mid-summer -- time to play and think abouttravelling, seeing Japan, etc, -- not for work.]

Back on the topic of getting travel arranged for Japan...

United had these fares listed below:
Again, I had no idea exactly what dates to choose so I arbitrarily choose Aug 25 - Dec 20 with the presumptions that:
a) you would stop by Tokyo and visit us for a few days in late Aug and
b) you'd be going back home (I don't knowif LAX or SFO or wherever you'll actually be leaving from) in December.

Obviously, if you get a direct roundtrip LAX-NRT or SFO-KIX flight, the fare will be much cheaper, but you'll have to do without seeing Tokyo or make your own way back here-- paying domestic costs (train or air fares) between Tokyo (and KIX) and Matsuyama at another time.

Consider Other Places to Visit (upon arrival or later on)


If you have time, the ferry from Hiroshima to Matsuyama is pretty cheap (takes 3 hours) but doing it alone your first time in Japan may be a big challenge.

Taking the train from Okayama direct to Matsuyama is a less traumatic undertaking by far. Okayama has a wonderful traditional restored town near by called Kurashiki, which is worth a visit.
Kobe just south ofOsaka/Kyoto has Himeji Castle -- one of the mostoutstanding castle in Japan and a UN World Heritagesite, but Matsuyama has its own castle too.

Hiroshima's Peace Memorial that I mentioned earlier is a sobering experience but the city itself is interesting and quite different from Tokyo (it still uses streetcars - whereas Tokyo's have all but disappeared, for example.

Near Hiroshima is Miyajima - an island withone of the most famous Shinto shrines in Japan,reported by many Japanese to be one of the mostbeautiful building/locations in the country.

All great and sites you should see but you can't do everything in a few days.. if you do come to Tokyo, plan to stay 2-3 days so we can see the city and we'll have time to go to Nikko - it gets my vote as the most outstanding cultural and nature sightseeing location in the country. It's a three hour train ride or two hours by car - I highly recommend it. So even if I am not in Tokyo when you visit it, you should-- by all means -- take a day (or overnight) tour to Nikko - it is outstanding in all seasons - though it is most well-known for its autumn foilage - it is equally beautiful in all seasons. Cross-country skiiing in winter; hiking by cool mountain streams in summer, full of new grasses and wildflowers in spring.

On the other hand, Mt. Fuji is just NOT worth the trip.. it's beauty is most easily viewed and at its most inspiring (if you ask me) from a distance. The summer is just not the best time to see Mt Fuji either - although the summer is the ONLY time you can actually climb it. I have only climbed up partly up -- about about 1 km from the starting point -and have no intention of every going all the way up -it is mainly just a symbolic gesture to climb it since it is more like hiking than mountain climbing. What'smore, there is more danger in getting hit by a falling Japanese tourist (and subsequently killed with insurance bureaucracy and medical bills) than any other natural danger on Mt. Fuji. I am notjust joking about this point.

Back to fares..By the way, most universities have classes to approximately Dec 20 (some earlier -- some later),then there is about 2 weeks off for New Year's -- Christmas is NOT an official holiday at all in Japan, but it happens to be the Monday (?) after most schools have started winter break. Actually Dec 23 is a national holiday since it is the current emperor'sbirthday.

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SAMPLE OPEN JAW fares
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United.com Quoted fare (NRT - in, KIX - out) Aug 25- Dec 20

$1148.11 USD per person

Leg Flight info Date Depart Arrive Stops
1 United Airlines 979 Aug 25 9:59 am SFO 11:28 am LAX Non-stop
United Airlines 899 Aug 25 12:33 pm LAX 3:55 pm (Nextday) NRT Non-stop
2 United Airlines 886 Dec 20 4:55 pm KIX 9:20 am SFO Non-stop

$1266.11 USD per person

Leg Flight info Date Depart Arrive Stops
1 United Airlines 9689(Operated by All Nippon Airways) Aug 25 12:00pm SFO 3:00 pm (Next day) NRT Non-stop
2 United Airlines 886 Dec 20 4:55 pm KIX 9:20 am SFO Non-stop =====================================

Hey, darn it, I have done it again --- rambled on and on page after page. After all my travel advice via e-mail, you won't have much left to learn on your own [grin]... so I'd best shut up now and hope to hear from you soon.