5th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival in Okinawa. October 10-20, 2011

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1 5th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival in Okinawa October 10-20, 2011 Tour Price: Land Package - $ per person (based on double occupancy) Airfare Estimate - $ per person price based on 82 yen per dollar price and itinerary subject to change without notice Tour price includes: Airfare from Honolulu to Okinawa Roundtrip Ground transportation as indicated by itinerary Admission as indicated by itinerary Nine Breakfasts, Three Lunches, and Nine Dinners Hotel Accommodations Tour Escort Version 1

2 October 10, 2011 Day One Monday Hawaii to Okinawa A special charter flight takes us directly to Okinawa. October 11, 2011 Day Two Tuesday Naha, Okinawa/Okinawa City We arrive in Naha, Okinawa's capital, in the afternoon and must first pass through immigration. From there we collect our luggage and clear customs. We then head to a local shopping center to stretch our legs before checking into our hotel in Okinawa City, about forty five minutes from Naha. This will be our home for our entire stay. Meals: Dinner October 12, 2011 Day Three Wednesday Free Day After a long day in the air, our first morning in Okinawa will be spent relaxing. We will take you to nearby wholesalers who specialize in Okinawan products such as konbu (seaweed), awamori (liquor), chinsuko (cookies), kokuto (brown sugar), and more. These stores are close to the hotel and we will be able to return later in the week at our leisure. This is also a chance to meet with family in Okinawa. In the afternoon, we will head down to Naha to participate in the Festival parade. This parade features festival attendees from around the world and celebrates the Okinawan culture. Everyone is invited to join in, but for those who do not wish to, you are welcome to enjoy from the sidelines. Since the parade will take place along Kokusai Dori, we will spend time in the area taking in Heiwa Dori, a local shopping arcade where you can purchase Okinawan souvenirs. October 13, 2011 Day Four Thursday Opening Ceremonies Today is the first day of the Fifth World Uchinanchu Festival. Every five years, Okinawans from around the globe are called home to reconnect with their home land. Special symposia, presentations and performances are held over a four day period. We will head down to Naha for the Opening Ceremonies and following that we will spend time at the festival site looking at various exhibits. The opening ceremonies feature speeches from various dignitaries as well as special musical performances. We will also visit the Okinawan Prefectural Museum. In 2007, the museum moved to its current home in a structure built in the style of an Okinawan castle or gusuku. It houses exhibits on many facets of Okinawan life from its indigenous flora and fauna to a variety of exhibits on Okinawan culture from the Ryukyu Kingdom era to today.

3 Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner October 14, 2011 Day Five Friday Shuri On convention days, we will spend half of our day attending various convention exhibits, demonstrations, and performances. Activities for the convention will be announced upon arrival in Okinawa. In previous festivals, they have put on special Okinawan dance performances or musical presentations based on Okinawan events. The rest of the day we will visit Shuri Castle and Ryusen. Shuri Castle was the capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1492 until It was destroyed during World War II and after serving as the campus for the University of the Ryukyu's, in the 1980's the university moved and reconstruction of the castle began. The castle opened to the public in 1992 and every year more structures are rebuilt and new exhibits are put on display. Ryusen is a Bingata factory. Bingata is a type of cloth with elaborate hand painted designs. October 15, 2011 Day Six Saturday Gyokusendo On convention days, we will spend half of our day attending various convention exhibits, demonstrations, and performances. The rest of the day we will visit the Gyokusendo Kingdom Village. This attraction is built over Japan s largest subterranean cave network. Above the cave are various craftsmen at work making, bingata, an Okinawan cloth, sanshin, the Okinawan shamisen, and glass making. The glass made here is distinctive for its unique cracking. There is also an alcohol bottling display that is noted for its habu or snake sake. If you wish, a white boa is available for those who wish to have their picture taken with it. There will also be a brief Eisa dance performance. Our last stop will be Higa Shuzo, an awamori brewery. Here we will see a video on the process to make awamori as well as sample some of their goods for those over 21. October 16, 2011 Day Seven Sunday Closing Ceremonies This is the last day of the festival and we will be going to the Closing Ceremonies. We will visit the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Museum and Heiwa no Ishiji. These two sites are adjacent to each other. Heiwa no Ishiji is a memorial to all who died during the Battle of Okinawa from all sides of the battle, Okinawan, Japanese, and American. The layout of the memorial is based on the rising sun on the day the battle began. The museum presents artifacts from the Battle of Okinawa through the American occupation to Reversion in 1972.

4 We will also go to Himeyuri no to and the Himeyuri Peace Museum. During the Battle of Okinawa high school students pressed into service as nurses. Himeyuri no to is a memorial that marks the last hiding place of one of the students units. Over two hundred students were part of this particular unit and less than a dozen survived. The museum tells the story of their experience through artifacts, survivor accounts, hospital cave recreations, and more. October 17, 2011 Day Eight Monday Motobu With the festival over we head north for the peninsula of Motobu. Our day will be spent at Ocean Expo Memorial Park. Built for the 1975 World Expo, today it is home to three attractions. The most famous is Churaumi, Asia s largest aquarium. Opened in 2002, its large tank holds three whale sharks. In addition it has exhibits on turtles, dolphins, manatees, manta rays, and sharks. The second attraction, Okinawa Kyodo Mura, is a collection of Okinawan homes depicting different social classes existing prior to the 20th Century and various structures common in Okinawan villages. The final attraction is the Tropical Dream Center, where we can see a spectacular display of floral beauty. The center is said to have over 80,000 varieties of orchids. From there we will visit Goya Park. Goya or bittermelon is a vegetable popular for its health benefits. This facility is a Goya processing plant with a hydroponics showcase that features not only Okinawan goya, but other bittermelon varieties from around Asia as well as other plants like tomatoes, lettuce, and even papaya. Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner October 18, 2011 Day Nine Tuesday Yanbaru Our day will be spent exploring the northern part of Okinawa or Yanbaru. Most Okinawans live in the southern part of the island because the northern part is quite mountainous. It will be a chance to enjoy some of the natural beauty of the island. We will visit Kouri-jima, a small island that is now connected to the main island by bridge. This gives us an opportunity to see Okinawa s famous crystal clear waters and get a glimpse of country life. We will also stop at Kijoka, the only place where you can purchase authentic bashofu in Okinawa. Bashofu is unique type of cloth made from the fibers of the banana tree, which are then woven in a kasuri pattern.

5 We will also spend time in Nago to visit the Orion Beer Factory and the Nago City Museum. Orion beer is Okinawa s native beer. We will tour their facility and sample some of their products. The museum focuses on the daily life of common Okinawans in pre-modern times. Here they have exhibits on Nago's fishing industry and exhibits on common, every day household wares and farming tools. Our last stop will be to Kin Village to visit the statue of Toyama Kyuzo, the leader of the Okinawan immigration to Hawaii. Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner October 19, 2011 Day Ten Wednesday Culture Day/Free Day Today we will learn how to make an authentic Okinawan meal and decorate a shisa. The Shisa are synonymous with Okinawa and they are guardians of Okinawa. We will also enjoy a short trip to Miyagi Island to visit Nuchimasu Salt Factory. They are in the Guiness Book of World Records for producing salt with the most minerals using their unique salt manufacturing methods. To get there we will cross Kaichudoro, a road that is so close to the ocean that it feels like you are gliding along the water. Tonight there will be a farewell banquet dinner. October 20, 2011 Day Eleven Thursday Okinawa to Hawaii An evening flight takes us back home to Hawaii. We will arrive in the morning back home. Meals: Breakfast Tour Notes: Visiting Family - you are free to visit with family at any time. We will not be able to give credit for any tours, activities, or meals that you will miss in that event. If you are looking for family, the festival has in the past had genealogy assistance. Or if you have some information, we can try to assist you with contacting them before the festival. We suggest contacting family prior to arrival in Okinawa, so they can make appropriate plans. Village Welcome Home Parties - In past Uchinanchu festivals the various villages held welcome home parties in the evening. At this time we believe they will do so again. However confirmation and schedules will not be available until shortly before departure.

6 Shopping - Although not listed in the itinerary, we will provide opportunities to go to local shopping centers, supermarkets, home improvement stores like Home Depot, 100 yen stores, and food wholesalers. We will be schedule them as time permits during the tour. If you are looking for particular items, please notify us so that we can point them out as they appear. This is especially true if you are looking for Okinawan musical instruments and dance implements. Optional Tours - We will be offering a two day outer-island tour to Ishigaki, Taketomi, and Iriomote Islands. And a five day Kyoto/Tokyo pre-tour extension. Please contact us for more information. This itinerary will change based on the convention schedule of events and charter flight schedule. For those planning on deviating from the tour, either going earlier or staying longer, you must use the regularly scheduled flights.