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Dear Friends,
Welcome and thank you for your interest in the 2013 Silk Study Tour!
We are already accepting deposits to confirm your reservation in the 2013 Silk Study Tour. If you are receiving this and are already signed on please read through again as we have added dates and a detailed and updated itinerary. We expect this Silk Study tour to fill quickly and we already have the tour 1/3 filled. Dates for this tour have been set and are May 13-May 24 (the US contingent will depart from LAX on Monday May 13, and arrives in Narita, Japan on the afternoon of Tuesday May 14).
Enrollment is limited to 18 and we will keep a short wait-list when it fills. (From experience, we know that life sometimes throws us a curve and cancellations do happen.)
We returned from our scouting and planning trip last month full of excitement about the new friends we made and the new locations and adventures we have added to the 2013 tour. Get ready!
 | | Yamazaki sensei will give us a natural dye workshop |
As you know, last year I had the pleasure of coordinating this 10 day tour and again am looking forward to doing the same for the upcoming Silk Study Tour for 2013. As a member of the Silk Experience teaching group, dyer of silk and shibori enthusiast, the trip expanded my knowledge of this most fascinating fiber. It also provided me with a wellspring of new ideas and inspirations, which continue to provoke my work and further my desire to learn more about Japan and its arts and crafts. (link also included here in the sidebar)
Our Japan-side coordinator for the Silk Study Tour is Hirata-san. Hirata-san makes this trip a special treat as he shares his own family history and connection to Japan's silk trade. His great grandfather owned and ran their own filature mill in the mid to late 1800's and his grandfather was sent to New York at the turn of the century to be educated and from there, serve the family's thriving silk export business. Hirata-san is an invaluable coordinator and his extra attention to detail makes this trip extremely pleasurable.
It was with great delight that I accepted Maggie Backman's request to lead last years tour and provide this experience to a new group of silk aficionados. Maggie is still an acting advisor for the tour and will be along on the tour as well. In this third biennial excursion of the Silk Study Tour, our desire remains to foster a continuous thread of communication and education with Japanese silk masters, educators, and artisans that will lead each of us into a new fiber future. In this way, we continue to offer future exchanges of silk information and provide teaching and marketing opportunities on both sides.
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Silk Study Tour Cost -cash/check discount tour price $5600.00 USD
-credit/debit tour price $5825.00 USD
Increasing global fuel costs for airfares as well as a rise in hotel costs in Japan are reflected in the above price increase over last year. Still, we believe that this tour reflects a very good value as we strive to create the ultimate "Silk Experience"!
 | | view from our chartered coach |
**NOTE** as this cost is being projected out over a year in advance, and is based on a Yen to Dollar exchange that falls in a range of �80-�85 per $1.
Thirty days before departure we will assess the exchange rates and notify you of any surcharge or refunds that may be due.
This Silk Study Tour is limited to 18 participants. The variable cost reflected above allows you to choose your most convenient form of payment. MC, VISA, and AMEX are accepted. We prefer personal or cashiers checks so as to avoid any extra charges.
What the tour price includes: - Roundtrip flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo Narita (NRT) airiports.9 nights at hotels (double occupancy) with breakfasts included.
- Museum fees, any class fees and supplies.
- Private chartered bus transportation for the majority of the tour and ground transportation costs for the group to specified group trips while in Tokyo.
- Return trip to Tokyo Narita Airport from Ginza district via hotel shuttle.
- Full course Japanese traditional dinner one night while at the tradition Japanese spa resort hotel (ryokan).
- Some supplemental fees.
What the tour price does not include: - Flight costs to and from Los Angeles, possible hotel charge in
Los Angeles (night before departure or after return). - Meals other than those specified above.
- Insurances, passport charges, and public transportation (outside the tour- i.e. optional choice trip to Kamakura) are not included.
Other: Please be aware that for all tour participants from North America, this tour departs from and returns to Los Angeles, CA. Participants from other parts of the globe will meet with us at Tokyo Narita Airport. IACE (below) will be our coordinating travel agent for the tour and can see that you are booked on flights that will assure a smooth meet up with the group upon your arrival in Tokyo. Land only for participants outside the US is $4600 USD (CC $4830 USD). Travel and medical insurance, which is most necessary for the well being of the tour as a whole, will be required for all participants of this tour.
For the benefit of the tour as a whole, we reserve the right to accept or reject any person as a tour participant, and or remove from the tour any participant whose conduct is deemed incompatible with the interests of the other participants and completion of a safe and successful tour. While we do have a chartered bus whisking us to our various locations, there is considerable walking to be done (Japan is very much a walking country). You will be responsible for handling your own luggage as well so please be aware of the physical aspects of this tour and your ability to participate accordingly. Tour Extension:
If desired, you can make arrangements to extend your trip beyond our Silk Study Tour. Our expert tour agent specializes in travel to Japan and will be happy to work with you to facilitate your plans. They will also be happy to quote you prices for any travel and medical insurance.
IACE (International Association for Cultural Exchange) Travel
18531 South Western Avenue
Gardena, CA 90248-3830
http://www.iace-usa.com/us/index.php |
Silk Study Tour Itinerary Schedule- May 2013  | | traditional Japanese dinner at the ryokan |
This Silk Study Tour 2013 includes:
- a visit to a contemporary silk garment manufacturer in Kiryu City
- a stop at a kimono museum and a visit with an obi weaver
- visit to view the working Usui silk filature mill as well as the historic Tomioka Silk Mill
- a day long workshop at the studio of a natural dye master
- several nights at Isobe Gardens ryokan (inn) with traditional Japanese baths and a lovely traditional Japanese dinner
- a visit to a couple of vintage and antique kimono shops
- one night stay at Hotel Kukuna in the FIve Lakes region with views of Mt Fuji
- entrance into the beautiful museum of Ichiku Kubota
- a visit with an indigo dyer
- a visit to the Tokyo Silk Science Research Center
- several nights in the Tokyo Ginza area with free time to visit museums,shop and an optional day side trip to Kamakura Daibutsu or the Yokohama Silk Center
Please note- exact itinerary is subject to change. We remain flexible enough to allow for things beyond our control but trust that any changes made are in the best interests of the tour as a whole. Each Silk Study tour is different-there is always something new to learn and we never know what adventure awaits around the next turn! We are open to adventure and trust in the journey. The 2013 tour itinerary is now set and can be viewed at the link below. Silk Study Tour 2013 Itinerary |
Early registration and payment schedule:
A $500 tour deposit is required to secure your reservation on this tour. You will be contacted upon receipt of your deposit to confirm your reservation. Up to 5 wait-listed reservations will be accepted. You will be advised immediately if you are wait-listed.
Registration form PDF
Payment in full must be submitted by Feb. 10, 2013 and partial payments may be made up to this date. For reservations made after this date, full payment is due at time of booking.
If the remaining balance is not made by the required date, we reserve the right to cancel your reservation.
Cancellations up to December 1, 2012 will receive a $200 deposit refund (forfeit $300-no exception).
Cancellation and any changes due to natural disaster, weather, war, civil unrest,and order of government and immigration regulations applies regular rules below. In such an unlikely occurrence we will do everything possible to minimize the penalties stated below. In the case of voluntary cancellation for any reason the following rules apply:
After Feb. 15, 2013 the following cancellation fees will apply:
-30% of the tour price 31 to 59 days before departure*.
-50% of the tour price 12 to 30 days before departure*. *cancellation must be received in writing.
-No refunds 11 days or less before departure.
If unexpected personal situations occur during the trip,any extra cost for additional arrangements will be the individual tour participant's responsibility. Please be sure your travel insurance covers your individual needs.
12 participants are needed to guarantee the tour. In the event the tour does not receive the required number of participants by January 10,2013 all monies will be refunded.
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We hope you will join us in Japan next year! I know this is a lot of information to take in all at once, but please read through thoroughly and don't hesitate to contact me should you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Glennis Dolce
562-201-0622
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Contacts-
| Glennis Dolce
-tour coordinator USA
562-201-0622
[email protected]
Takuo Hirata
-tour manager and advisor -Japan
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Learning Japanese
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a great site for not only learning Kanji but Eve Kushner tells stories about all the Kanji and their history that makes learning easy and fun.
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Good Reads
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Blogs and other various sites:
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