An excited group ready to fly. L-R: Jessica Price, Juan Herera, Matt Richard, & Kent Runnells. We departed from Memphis on Northwest Airlines.

We arrived in Tokyo's Narita Airport with no hitches.

We found this restaurant in the Shinjuku district near our hotel. From the first night we all loved the food in Japan! (Photo: JH)

Breakfast at the Lornstar Hotel in Tokyo (Shinjuku area). The rooms were small, but had western amenenities, particularly private bathrooms!

Meiji Shrine. "The bustling city gave way to a serene nature. As ... I walked through the huge torii I could feel a change take place around me." KR

Shinto sacred places, like Meiji, are typically called shrines or "jingu." This shrine was built in 1929 to honor the Emperor Meiji and his wife.

Offerings of barrels of saki from all over Japan.

"Walking into the main [shrine] ... I saw myself going back in time and was able to visualize ... the mysticism and culture I read in text books." JH

Shinto priest available to assist worshippers.

Within yards of the serene Meiji Jingu was the bustling Harajuku and Takeshita Alley, famous for teenage fashion and music shops.

Our primary means of transportation across Japan was the Shinkansen--bullet train. We typically rode the Hikari line when we travelled great distances

Students often used the time on the Shinkansen to write in their journals (or to sleep)!