Introduction to Tsubaki 2010 - Part 1

Greetings,

Welcome to the first entry in our (Nancy and I) blog for our March 2010 trip to Japan. This trip came about through an unusual confluence of circumstances starting with the fact that the 2010 International Camellia Society (tsubaki is camellia in Japanese by the way) conference is being held in Japan. Add to this an unusually large income tax return from 2009 (which will pay for most of the trip) and the fact that Nancy's sister had reason to join us and the wheels were in motion.

The trip includes a pre-conference tour. Here is the itinerary for that:

Itinerary for the Pre-Congress Tour of Kurume Congress in 2010

No.	Date	Time	Schedule	Hotel
01	３／１４ （Sun）	pm 18:00	Getting together in a hotel in Hakata, Fukuoka Inaugural meeting of the pre-Congress tour, dinner party	Hakata Miyako Hotel
02	３／１５ （Mon）	09:00 09:30 12:30 14:50 16:15 16:30 17:00 18:30	Leaving hotel for Nagasaki by bus Visiting Dazaifu-Temmangu Shrine Lunch in Nagasaki City Leaving Nagasaki Port by jetfoil for Fukue Port, Goto Arriving at Fukue Port Checking in the Hotel Mini-symposium ① Opening speech by Mayor of Goto City ②Welcoming songs sung by children’s chorus ③Lecture on history & present situation of ‘Tama-no-ura’ ④Lecture on genetic investigations of ‘Tama-no-ura’ Welcome party	Campana Hotel, Goto Bus-terminal Hotel
03	３／１６ (Tue)	09:00 09:30 10:30 11:00 09:15 09:50 10:40 11:00 11:30 13:00 16:30	Leaving Hotel Option A (visiting the original site of ‘Tama-no-ura’) Arriving at the mountain foot Arriving at the original site of ‘Tama-no-ura’ Starting to descend the mountain Option B (visiting Catholic Churches and windbreaks) Visiting Mizu-no-ura Catholic Church Visiting camellia windbreaks Visiting a camellia oil producing factory Visiting Gaku Catholic Church Two groups joining to have lunch at ‘Memorial House of Japanese envoy to Tang Dynasty’ Visiting a wild japonica forest at Cape Osezaki Returning to the Hotel	Campana Hotel, Goto Bus-terminal Hotel
04	３／１７ （Wed）	09:00 am 12:00 ｐｍ 16:30 18:２0 19:00	Leaving Hotel Visiting Goto City Camellia Garden Lunch Abunze Visitors’ Center　 Leaving Fukue Port by jetfoil Arriving at Nagasaki Port Checking in Hotel in Nagasaki City	Nagasaki, ANA Hotel
05	３／１８ （Thu）	09:00 am 13:00 pm 15:00 18:00	Leaving Hotel Visiting Glover’s Residence, Ôura Catholic Church Lunch Shopping, (option: visiting Siebold Museum) Visiting Dejima, 26 Martyrs’ Monument Moving to ‘Huis Ten Bosch’ in Sasebo City Checking in a hotel in Huis Ten Bosch	Hotel in Huis Ten Bosch, ‘Amsterdam’
06	３／１９ （Fri）	08:00 09:00 11:00 12:00 13:30 15:30 18:00	Leaving Hotel Visiting Gen-emon Pottery in Arita Visiting ‘Arita Porcelain Wholesale Market’ Lunch at Arita Porcelain Park Kyushu Ceramic Museum Visiting a natural camellia forest in Fukushima Checking in a hotel in Karatsu	Karatsu Royal Hotel
07	３／２０ （Sat）	08:00 10:00 15:00 16:30 18:00	Leaving Hotel for Genkai via ‘Niji-no-matubara’, a pine forest Visiting Genkai Nuclear Power Station (Participants are divided into 4 groups to see a greenhouse, a camellia garden, a tea house and power station grounds, taking lunch halfway) 　 (see Table 1) Leaving Genkai Nuclear Power Station for Kurume Arriving at the Hotel, checking in & registering the Congress Kurume Congress opens, joining welcome party More to follow.	Hotel in Kurume