Article Four Japan Travel - Rotary Group Study Exchange Goes to Japan

The international organization known as Rotary promotes yearly travel that all people between the ages of 26 and 40, male and female, and of all backgrounds - should know about - because it is a Rotary-funded six week study aboard and anyone can apply to be a part of this significant life experience. If you are this age group - you could enjoy the kind of experience that is described in my notes in this article. To find out more about the program go to Rotary.org and search for GSE - Group Study Exchange - and contact your local Rotary Club for more information.

Our adventures continued:

April 17th - Sunday:

My GSE team is doing very well in Japan - they are generous and appreciative. I talk to them about "making it up as we go along (same guideline in my Rotary Club) - and just being gracious with all that they do. The hospitality of our hosts has been so enormous that when there is a glitch I invite them to go on to the next thing. There is good spirit in the team - and Get This: They are blown away by this experience from Rotary.

The Rotary District convention opened today with a big assembly in the convention hall. It started with a blessing by three monks, and many spoke in Japanese, including the Governor. When the RI Representative spoke, Mika translated for me. I liked that he said that we are all in Rotary school (for 12 years) - and that the most important thing was a connection of hearts - that this would do more than anything to solve the world's problems. He said that membership in Rotary has declined by 15% in Japan, is up 30% in Korea - and that more Rotary is needed in Russia and China. The audience was 95% men - so of course I'm thinking that a few women in Rotary here could help their membership - since I've only met two Rotarian women so far. But then again, we could invite more Japanese in our District to increase membership.

This time we wear our "happi kimonos" and are seated near the stage - with the outbound Japanese team in front of us. We were invited to the big stage - my team on the right of me and the team leader and Japanese team on the left. Izumi introduced us briefly - and then I spoke - saying that we were bringing greetings from our Rotary District Governor, thanking all and giving the example that I am a past president of my Club. We all took hands - Japanese and American teams, and bowed for the audience. It was touching - and I did OK speaking my limited Japanese in public.

We had lunch with the Japanese team - and time to meet them individually. They are four men and one woman as follows: Kenji Ogawa (Rotary team leader and specialist in wine), Akihiro Kuroki (one of the top three wine stewards in Japan!), Tamaki Oi (works for an environmental company, also a student of wine), Toshihiro Terada (systems engineer), Masayoshi Nagamatsu (civil engineer) and Nobuyuki Tanaka (staff writer, city news section). I think that we should call the return team the Group Study Wine Exchange - because their prime interest of study in America is wine - and they would like to see Ridge, Bonnie Dune, Silver Mountain and more. I asked them each what they wanted to see and do in America - and it was all about wine.

Our team headed back to the big house where I am staying - and thank you Antonio! - for getting the info out on our website about our trip - I can just see Roy smiling back home.

5PM rolled around and we gathered in the Hotel Ohana lobby for the evening festivities. After a short cab ride, we were at the dock on the Canal - with beautiful Venice-type boats and men with long sticks to maneuver them - it was so picturesque in the sparkling sunshine. We were about to board - but first they loaded dinner, and much to drink - I'm beginning to like this champagne! The boats were one against another, and perhaps 20 - and there were other locations where people where boarding. We took off our shoes, and both the American and Japanese GSE teams sat Japanese style in the boat - with Izumi, Mika and Hiroshi joining us. "Chi" - a toast of champagne - the excitement of others settling into their boats - flowers along the canal - a beautiful arched bridge - bento boxes opening - Rotary spirit - Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana and the other Governors settling in - the light changing - it doesn't get more beautiful. Monica was so swept away by it all that she was close to tears - and said that it was the best time that she knew. The boats started to be steered away, one after another, with the men and the big sticks. It was fun to see the smiles go by - as a parade was formed down the canal. The Japanese do things in such a lovely manner - instead of taking a direct shot in the American way. The boats eased through the waters, past generously flowering trees and the banks - Japanese flower gardens - and pulled up so that each boat was previewed. Lots of faces were becoming familiar now. We glided under small and tight bridges - around the bends - and then past a myriad of musical venues. On the canal were Tyco drummers, a women's choir, kids with string instruments, a group with the traditional Japanese long flat guitar-like instruments, and many more - making beautiful sounds on the canal. We went under a big sign for Rotary's 100 years - and a tent of paper dolls that others had made asking for good weather for the conference - and their wish was granted. The boats circled around the last musical venue, a big stage on the canal, with a full band. We were all surprised in our boat because we glided through the line of boats and were headed toward the stage. Like playful kids, we scurried out of the boat (all of us) - and were escorted to the stage - to dance and wave to the many boats in the canal. We've been honored as the GSE team, mentioned often, and enjoyed by the Japanese Rotarians. It was beautiful to see all the lanterns on the boats in the dark and feel the fun. Back in our boat, we were at the front of the line (well taken care of as usual) - and a magnificent display of fireworks was set off in front of us. The Japanese fireworks were lower to the ground on structures that they had built. Mr. Tachibana, the RI Representative and I stood in the middle of the bridge, with others, and waved to each boat as it went through with "konnichiwa" and "arigato".

You might think that the evening was over - but oh, no. The team (now a bit high with the drink and play) - walked down the canal and a Japanese theater was set on the side with the mimes and Japanese masks. The boats continued to cruz by to their finish. I stood at the hotel entrance to see that my team was all off to their respective host families - and turned to go when Chizuka invited me for more drinks - more?. She lead me down the opposite hall of the hotel (one was American style) - and the other where we were going was Japanese style. As we entered the Japanese style room with twelve or so tables full of people, and more food, I was seated next to the Buddhist Monk, Kyoin Fujikawa - also a past Governor and RI Training Leader. This was clearly the after-party celebration and just as festive. Looking around the room there was an altar wall, and many many balls that hung in rows from the ceiling (lots of red and gold color). Mr. Tachibana got up to speak, as did others, and I was asked to speak also. Kyoin, the monk, was the only one who spoke English and translated for me -and although I did not get an answer to my question, I was dying to know how one went from being a Buddhist Monk to being as important as he seemed to be in Rotary. As I spoke, I picked up on the Governor's theme that we need to connect world-wide with our hearts - and when you don't speak the language you are much more aware of that. We communicate with our hearts, our expression and our laughter. All good.

This article is a series -- so read on -- and many days follow in our splendid adventure!

Joan Perry

President/CEO of Take Charge Financial! - Joan's Blog and [http://www.takechargefinancial.com]

Joan Perry has developed her expertise over twenty-five years, beginning as an Investment Banker working on Wall Street and continuing as a Money Manager and Owner of a Securities Brokerage Firm. As President of Take Charge Financial!™, Joan initially founded one of the first female-owned Municipal Investment Banking firms in the United States known as Perry Investments Inc. in 1985, which then began retail and brokerage services to individuals in the mid-90s. She has in-depth trading and market experience from managing institutional and retail investment dollars in the securities markets, and throughout her career has managed billions of dollars in the bond, stock and options markets. Joan combined her personal and professional background in her book A GIRL NEEDS CASH© published by Random House in 2000 - a story of money in women's lives and the transition to taking charge of it. She received her MBA from Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management and undergraduate degree from Denison University. She was the founding President of the Los Gatos Morning Rotary Club and currently the Co-Chair of the Los Gatos, CA 'Jazz on the Plazz' Summer Concert Series.

Gadgets and Apps - Welcome to the Future of Travel

Travel's facelift for the 21st century has been radical and far-reaching. Skype and wifi have replaced the ritual of calling home by feeding endless foreign coins into a phone box, updating your Facebook status is the new postcard, and travellers are increasingly likely to use 'augmented reality' rather than have a guidebook tucked under their arm.

If anything, the pace of change continues to quicken - exciting, sometimes mind-boggling innovations are appearing all the time, meaning how we interact with places and people keeps on evolving. Below are some of our favourite gizmos and gadgets.

iLingual

A phrasebook like no other - download the iLingual app, take a photo of your mouth, the app then has over 400 phrases your mouth can 'say'. Cue the odd sight of travellers holding their iphones in front of their actual mouths as the screen 'talks'. Watch a video for this app - a demo is better than any written explanation. Only a few languages on offer at the moment, but it can't be long until iPhone-bearded travellers are pow-wowing in Swahili on the Serengeti savannah.

Word Lens

Very Star Trek this one, another app for those struggling with mastering a foreign language. Word Lens only currently translates English-Spanish, but it's a neat idea and could be genuinely useful. All you need to do is aim your iPhone camera at some printed text and Word Lens translates it in realtime. You need never struggle over a foreign language newspaper again (or at least not a Spanish language one).

Google goggles

Google goggles may just be the biggest game-changer of all. It's still in its infancy, but the image recognition software is looking a pretty awesome and versatile travel tool. Here's how it works: you're strolling around a city, or a museum or gallery, you take a snap of something you want to know more about it, if Google recognises the subject of the image it will bring up search results. Cue instant expertise and a handy tool for appearing knowledgeable about, well, everything - from sourcing well-reviewed restaurants to enabling you to wax expertly on, say, pre-Incan Peruvian art. In other words, this may be the ultimate dating tool.

World Customs

We always give people who travel with us with plenty of tips and guidance about local cultures and etiquette in foreign countries, so this app is right up our street. Pick your country and then you'll be presented with a load of helpful info on the destination - from law & order to religious etiquette to taboos. Great for sorting out your do's from your don'ts.

And a couple of lower-tech gadgets we like...

Solar-powered LED light and water bottle cap

This one looks genuinely good doesn't it? Mixing water and electricity perhaps isn't intuitively clever, but the sealing means you've got nothing to worry about, and the light is supposed to be decent enough for a tent lantern. The idea of a solar-powered torch may lead cynics to snipe about artificial light being a little redundant if the sun is beating down, but ignore them - this has a good charge, is cheap, light and saves space, and is environmentally intelligent.

The daddy of all Swiss Army Knives

A supercharged multi-tool that looks like it's on steroids. 87 tools on offer, including - at last! - a golf shoe spike wrench. All that's missing is a flux capacitor. This one kilo treat fits snugly into your pocket, providing your pocket is 30cm long. A snip at nearly $1000AUD, plus postage, which presumably bumps the final price tag up a bit, not least because the instruction manual must run to a couple hundred pages.

Hawaiian Submarine Tours Are An Adventure Worth Taking

Do you love sub tours, like to take challenges and experience the thrills while facing them? If you are an adventure lover and are searching for an exotic yet thrilling holiday destination, Hawaii would be a perfect place for you. You can enjoy its exotic beaches and thrilling submarine tours and end up having one of the best holidays ever.

Hawaii is full of natural richness and diversities. You will find jungles, sand beaches, blue waters and a rich diversity of marine and animal life. A Hawaii sub tour would be a perfect way of experiencing the rich marine flora and fauna of this place. The tour also provides a unique chance of experiencing the underwater wonders for those who hate or fear scuba diving and snorkeling. The tour also proves to be a unique learning experience for kids who are fascinated by biology and marine life. It would be such an unforgettable experience that not many would forget it ever, if any.

While enjoying Hawaii, safety is always first priority among tour guides, as a result all submarines are tested against rigorous standards that are regulated by government organizations. These tours are extremely pleasurable as they provides the necessities for a relaxed and comfortable accommodation.

An ideal day in Hawaii would be spent doing the beach explorations in the afternoon and then getting on board a submarine and taking an underwater sub tour and exploring the marine life, ancient ruins, ocean formation built by volcanic activities. If your lucky, you may get a chance to see a couple of shipwrecks.

A sub tour will take you to depths of about 100 feet and have a look at the ocean floor. These tours generally last for 90 minutes with 45 minutes spent underwater watching the rich marine life of Hawaii dominated by corals, fishes and turtles. Sometimes, the submarine tour arrangers themselves arrange for artificial reefs, sunken shipwrecks and airplanes.

These artificial reefs, many of which are built by the Japanese, are now a place to live for a number of marine species. While on submarine tour Hawaii, one of the most interesting places to visit will be the Waikiki beach. If you take an underwater submarine tour at this place, you will get to have a look at the Hawaii University's pyramids which have been built under a project concerned with constructing artificial reefs so that the tropical fishes will get a safe ground for breeding.

Great Sightseeing and Adventure Tours in Alaska

One of the goals on my "bucket list" is to visit all 50 states at some point. I've covered a bunch of them already, and have been eyeing the Last Frontier for my next journey. I've heard about a lot about all the different sightseeing tours in Alaska that are available to travelers, so right now I'm trying to sift through some information to decide which package would be best for me.

Part of my problem is I'm not really sure what I want to do yet. Our 49th state just has so many amazing activities to offer visitors that it's hard to narrow down the choices and settle on a few fun things that would fit into my itinerary. I'll probably only go for a week at the most, so I definitely have to limit my outings. Many tours in Alaska require more than a week because they have to cover such vast distances, but I won't have that much time at my disposal.

I know that whale watching tours in Alaska are very popular, and this is something that's a must for my trip. I've never seen any whales except for one or two in captivity at places like Sea World and city aquariums. Seeing these majestic creatures in the wild, where they have the freedom to swim, romp, and roam wherever they want, would be simply awesome! I certainly don't want to miss out on something like this.

Glacier cruises go hand-in-hand with whale watching tours in Alaska. No one can go that close to Prince William Sound without venturing out on the water for a closer view of the massive glaciers in the area. I've heard of the breathtaking beauty of these glaciers and have seen pictures on the Internet, but I'm sure nothing can compare to seeing the structures in person.

There are tours in Alaska that involve more active pursuits than simply taking in some beautiful sights. For example, I can go hiking in world-famous Denali National Park, where I can push myself to the brink physically and perhaps meet some wildlife along the way. I've heard this kind of adventure can be a somewhat dangerous proposition, however, so I'll have to make sure I'm properly geared up before even attempting such a thing.

Besides Denali, I might also want to check out the Kenai Fjords for more waterfalls, glaciers, and stunning vistas, or go fishing or kayaking somewhere inland. Really, there seems to be no shortage of things to do on the trip.

After reading through some info about tours in Alaska, I'm not any closer to making a final decision. There are so many wonderful possibilities that it would be a shame to leave out any adventures. Maybe the only answer is to try to wrangle another week off from work so I can fit everything in!

An Ideal Travel Destination Guide is the Need of the Hour

The travel industry is growing big and the number of visitors per year are also increasing, this is mainly happening because of bigger exposure to this industry. There are millions of travelers each year that exchange the places, cultures, traditions, foods and being the part of some festivals. There are numerous resources online that offer great information about different traveling places in the form of Travel destination guide, they are easily available online and absolutely free of cost. There are sites that give you detailed explanation of the places you are planning to visit. The highly valued Travel destination guide are written by professionals and the professional travel writers whose sole aim is to provide you with the updates of the countries they might have recently visited.

The vast expanse has led to many a business opportunities for the people who are interested in travel industry. Some highly named Travel destination guide websites provide you such detailed info and services that they can do all the legal formalities and preparations for you to visit that place, that includes the visas, hotel bookings, free stay, info on food, weather forecasts and lots of other such things. The travel guides are useful for the people especially for those who are traveling to such places for the very first time. The most important destinations that are widely visited by people across the globe are Australia, Europe, Africa, Central Asia, Indian subcontinent, Far East Asia, Central America, Caribbean and south pacific places.

Some Travel destination guide provides you with excellent set of information relating to the arts and culture of the place, outdoor adventures, cruise, theme parks, beach and water sports, road trips, winter sports and many other information. There is hardly any place on the earth that is not visited by visitors across the globe, even if there are less amount of visitors, the place does has its importance. Some of the places are best described that falls in categories like places for disabled, senior citizens, student, women, honeymoon, family, gay and lesbians, women, student, etc. According to varied, Travel destination guide the best places visited across the globe are Jamaica, Maui, Las Vegas, Amsterdam, Bahamas, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal, New Orleans, New York City, San Diego, Virgin Islands, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, Paris, Oahu, Rome and many other places of historic importance.

Top 5 Things to Consider When Traveling to Antarctica

The truly adventurous head for Antarctica at least once in their life-time and a trip to the bottom of the earth is an event to cherish all life. Nature presents its full splendor in a quite different form in the White Continent. Breathtaking, will be too short a word to describe the scenery of the ice waterways, glaciers, towering icebergs, and shiny mountains. Add to these the marching penguins, the bellowing seals, and countless types of sea birds - the entire thing seems like a dream. When you are there you have entered in to one of those perfect picture cards. To enjoy the trip in a hassle free manner and make it really memorable there are certain things that travelers should consider.

Safety First

Every step that you take and every move that you make in Antarctica must confirm to the safety guidelines. Danger is not exactly lurking at every corner, but you must watch your step. For example, getting too close to the seals and penguins or straying away from your group could be dangerous. Every cruise ship has one or more guides that will explain about the safety issues. Reading good books on safety issues as well as connecting with people that have knowledge about the subject before traveling to Antarctica are good ideas. You must follow their instructions to be home safely.

Very Less Paperwork

Antarctica doesn't have a government and will not require any visa to be produced for visiting the region. So the paperwork is minimal and travelers need to carry only a few documents. However, travelers should not forget to carry along their passports as their cruise ship may require docking at different ports if the routes are inoperable. The ports may belong to different countries and the passports will be essential when travelers are there. Also, travelers may need to produce their passports in case they decide to disembark at a port and return by a airplane, or discontinue their return voyage to visit other countries, or fall sick and need to be air lifted to the nearest country. Having your travel insurance papers ready is also a minimum requirement that every traveler should consider before boarding the cruise ship.

What Clothes to Pack

Now the exciting part - detailed attention need to be paid to clothing as you will be traveling to one of the coolest regions in the world. Since this is an expedition voyage there is no need to carry formal attire, unless the cruise ship you are traveling in has formal occasions with a dress code. On board of the ship the temperature will be warm and cozy. Outside, while traveling to shore on the Zodiacs and while walking on the icy surface of the Antarctica you will need warm clothes and rubber boots. Consider dressing up in three layers of clothes. The base layer should be non-absorbent, and the middle layer should be of polyester, woolen, or fleece clothing. The top layer usually consists of water proof jacket and pants. Most cruise ships rent water boots and jackets. You will be better off carrying your own stuff. Caps that cover the head and the ears help protect you from the chilly wind in Antarctica. Gloves and wind cheaters should also form a part of your baggage.

Stuffs for Adventure

With so much of breathtaking scenes in the surroundings even a hermit cannot resist the temptation of clicking away pictures. To not deny yourself the non-stop pleasure of taking photographs take two cameras, both digital if possible. Carry extra batteries for the camera and the flash as well as enough memory cards. You should also carry along zoom lenses to take pictures of animals from a distance respecting their territorial rights. A binocular is a must in an expedition to the Antarctica. A good Iridium phone with GPS feature can be interesting and helpful on a trip to the Antarctica. Keep some cash with you, because you never know when it will be needed.

For Protection

In addition to appropriate clothing and shoes, sun glasses giving protection from ultra violet rays are a must have thing for the expedition. The sun shines for nearly 20 hours during the touring season in the Antarctica. Sun rays that get reflected from the surface of glaciers and ice bergs can be very strong on the eyes. Your camera will also benefit from a polarizing filter in keeping out the glare in the photos.

The Drake's Passage is tough to negotiate and may present additional difficulty while sailing through it. Voyagers should consult a general physician and carry medicines that would minimize the effect of pitching and rolling in the rough seas.

Do your bit and gather as much as info possible before your voyage commences. And the natural beauty of the continent will make it a trip of a lifetime.