In October 2006 Stephanie will lead a small group to the holy mountain of Koyasan, reached by train from Osaka and regarded by many Japanese as "a sacred place unparalleled in the world".

The Itinerary in PDF form is available here Japan Itinerary  

Koyasan is the centre for the Shingon sect of Buddhism which has a particular emphasis on harmony between people and nature. There are more than one hundred temples in the immediate area of this small, exquisite town, and the group will be staying in monasteries, visiting ancient sites, walking in the forests, soaking in hot springs, participating in gentle workshops and practising Haiku, calligraphy and daily meditation. The tour is organised by the University of Sydney’s Centre for Continuing Education and will be led by a Japanese-speaking tour manager as well as Stephanie. It costs $3850 (land only, with group air fares available from Australia) and runs from 13-23 October.

Numbers are strictly limited.

For a detailed itinerary and to book, visit: www.cce.usyd.edu.au

or telephone 02 9036 4765.

It is possible to depart from cities other than Sydney and to extend your Japan travel independently.