THINGS TO DO - MCCS Iwakuni

Finding yourself
bored & restless?
GET OUT!
Here are 101 activities to get
your mind, body and soul
rejuvenated and charged! Check
off each activity as you eat, travel
and play your way around Japan.
101
 Head to Hiroshima to view the Genbaku Dome
W H IL E S TATIO N E D at M C AS IW A KUN I
 Explore an actual Japanese submarine at the
PERSPECTIVE
 #1 Reason: Have a positive attitude. There are
many advantages of being stationed overseas.
It is up to you to make the most of it. Let MCCS
help you make Iwakuni feel like home. Whether
your interests are in learning and understanding the local culture, food and entertainment,
advancing your education or fitness and health—
Marine Corps Community Services is here for you.
THINGS TO DO
FOOD
 Live dangerously and try fugu (blowfish) sushi
at the Shimonoseki market.
ENTERTAINMENT
 Grill your meat to perfection at a yakiniku
yaki. Which style is better?
 Enjoy fresh sushi at a sushi-go-round or try
Iwakuni-style sushi.
 Grab lunch at a convenience store. The options
will amaze you!
 Sample oysters, a local specialty, at one of the
many oyster festivals held each winter. There
are numerous ways to enjoy them from fried to
grilled. Miyajima’s oyster festival is one of the
largest.
 Sample tasty pastries at one of the local
bakeries.
 Slurp a big bowl of noodles!
 Taste fresh mikan (mandarin oranges) from
Oshima Island.
 Eat Kobe beef in Kobe.
 Try all things Lotus (root)! Iwakuni lotus root is
unique and can be found in a variety of dishes
from curry, chips, tempura, ice cream and more.
Better yet, learn to cook it yourself at a cooking
class offered by Cultural Adaptation.
 Enjoy ice cream on a hot summer day by the
Kintai Bridge.
 Japan has more than 80 different types of Kit
Kats! Sample as many as you can find. (Tip:
some flavors may be regional or seasonal.)
 Have a momiji manju (Maple leaf cake) on
Miyajima.
 Experience “America’s favorite pastime” while
in Japan at a Hiroshima Carp baseball game. Be
sure to stick around until the 7th inning for the
traditional balloon release!
 Hit the epic slopes of Japan! There are several
local ski resorts as well as the world renowned
resorts of Nagano and Hokkaido.
 Surf at Hamada Beach. Save yourself the drive
during their tournament season.
 Go whitewater rafting down the Yoshino River.
 Get fit while in Iwakuni by taking advantage of
the excellent IronWorks Gym facilities.
 Take sailing lessons and get certified on sailing
- offered by Outdoor Recreation.
 Enjoy stunning views of the Seto Inland Sea
by biking the Shimanami Kaido. This 70km
bike route links the main island of Honshu to
Shikoku via six islands and bridges.
 Sharpen your Japanese by attending Cultural
Adaptation’s free Survival Japanese 4-Day Class.
 Experience old world Japan in the city of Kyoto.
Shrines, temples, traditional cuisine, Golden
Pavilion, Gion District and more!
JMSDF Museum in Kure.
church and koi swimming along the street
canals of Tsuwano.
NATURE
 Stay at New Sanno hotel in Tokyo and experience American comfort in Japan’s largest city!
 Karaoke with friends!
 Hand feed a koi (carp) fish at Asa Zoo.
 Have your picture taken at a mini photo booth.
 Visit the Yamaguchi Flea Market and see what
treasures you can find!
 Hold a rhinoceros beetle at the Insectarium in
Hiroshima.
 Have your picture taken with Kitty-Chan (Hello
Kitty) at Harmony Land.
 Ride a roller coaster at Space World.
 Get in the holiday spirit at the Bihoku Christmas
Illumination.
 Go to an auto race. (JGTC, rally, drift, etc.)
 Travel to another country in Asia. The options
are endless, let IACE Travel help you out.
 Head to Osaka for the weekend. Don’t miss the
Osaka Aquarium and Universal Studios!
 Take an ITT tour or drive yourself to Akiyoshido
Cave and Safari Land.
 Visit one of many aquariums within this area.
There’s the Shimonoseki Aquarium, AQUAS, and
the Miyajima Aquarium.
 See several hundred thousand people on MCAS
 Explore the coastal town of Hagi. Enjoy fresh
seafood and purchase some of their famous
Hagi-yaki pottery.
 Catch a Space-A flight to Okinawa and experience another Japanese island.
 Visit one of many Japanese fireworks festivals.
 Attend the Sapporo City Jazz Festival in July August, the largest jazz festival in Japan.
 Visit the Fukuoka Canal City.
 Conquer Japan’s highest peak, Mt. Fuji.
 Stroll among the beautifully colored autumn
leaves on the Sandankyo hike.
 Beat the heat with a day at Yuu Beach.
 Throw a hanami (cherry blossom viewing) party
with your friends in the spring.
 Conquer the Three Peaks hike!
 Beat the heat by hiking Seven Falls and cooling
off in the water!
 Check out the quaint Yanai Flower Park.
 Bike through the tulip fields at Huis Ten Bosch
in Kyushu during their annual Tulip Festival.
 Take photos of the lotus flowers when they’re in
full bloom. (Tip: morning time is best)
 Explore another island of Japan. There are the
larger islands of Shikoku, Kyushu, and Hokkaido,
or head to the one of the several small unique
islands scattered through the Seto Inland Sea.
 Go dolphin watching in Kyushu.
 Float down the Nishiki River.
 Drive to Oshima Island. Enjoy the hidden
beaches, great camping, museum, fresh mikan
(mandarin oranges) and more!
 Japan has great outdoor opportunities! Go on
your own or sign up for an Outdoor Recreation
trip.
 Hike Miyajima’s Mt. Misen each season. Autumn
is especially beautiful with the changing leaves,
but winter and spring offer great views over the
Seto Inland Sea.
 Go snorkeling near Susa on a camping weekend
getaway.
 Go camping with friends at Yasaka Dam.
 Experience large snow sculptures at Sapporo
Snow Festival. ITT has a yearly trip.
 Soak away your tension at an onsen (Japanese
and let Outdoor Recreation take you!
 Experience Japan’s National Sport of Sumo
in Tokyo. Or you can enjoy the palace gardens
for free!
 See an impressive Inari shrine, a Catholic
 Climb the Tokyo Tower.
 Visit the Tokyo Sky Tree.
Iwakuni for the annual Friendship Day event.
SPORTS
 Schedule a tour of the Emperor’s Palace while
to a summer festival.
Shack.
 Try both Hiroshima and Osaka-style okonomi-
(A-Bomb Building) and tour its Peace Memorial
Museum and Park.
 Purchase a traditional yukata/jimbei and wear it
 Enjoy an unforgettable meal at the Chicken
restaurant.
HISTORICAL &
CULTURAL
¥
hot spring bath).
SHOPPING
 Enjoy dining and shopping options at Hondori
Street in Hiroshima.
 Rub the incense smoke over you at the Asakusa
Shrine in Tokyo and then shop in the numerous
stalls lining the streets to the shrine.
 Explore the vast assortment of items at a ¥100
store.
 Get a “Doctor Fish” pedicure and let tiny fish
nibble away your rough edges!
 Visit Tottori City for the sand dunes, the largest
in Japan, camel rides and sand surfing.
 Feed rabbits on Bunny Island, Okunoshima.
 Experience the grand sight of Wisteria Tunnel
in spring.
 Take the 99 Island cruise tour in Sasebo.
 Visit Himeji Castle, which survives in its original
form.
 Achieve enlightenment by fitting through a hole
in the pillar at the Daibutsu-den, or Big Buddha,
in Nara.
 Enjoy the Kintai bridge and park during one of
its festivals. Some of the annual events are
lantern festival and fireworks festival.
 Ride the trains every chance you get! Japan has
a very efficient train system. Nervous about the
ride? Learn the ropes with IRR’s Venture Out
tours.
 Watch a taiko drum performance.
 Head to the Iwakuni Castle on January 1st and
take part in the Japanese tradition of watching
the sunrise from a mountain on the first day of
the new year.
 Participate in a traditional tea ceremony.
 Watch a traditional Kabuki performance at the
Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima.
 Take a boat ride and learn about the ancient art
of cormorant fishing at the Kintai Bridge area.
 Experience a Japanese fertility festival. Bonus
points if you don’t giggle!
 Learn to use chopsticks.
 Make an origami crane and give it to a Japanese
friend.
 Get your hands dirty (not really) with the
Japanese flower art of ikebana.
 Purchase a shuin book and collect unique hand
drawn calligraphy and stamps from various
temples and shrines.
 Stay at a traditional Japanese inn called ryokan.
Some famous ones are in Miyajima, Kyoto or
Hakone Lake region.
 Enjoy the festivities of Yanai’s Goldfish Lantern
Festival on August 13. You can even purchase a
goldfish lantern as a souvenir!
 Spend a day exploring Miyajima Island with
its famous floating torii, shrine, roaming deer,
momiji manju cakes and much more!
 Plant rice in the spring and harvest it in the fall.
(Tip: Cultural Adaptation/Youth Cultural Adaptation programs offer this trip each year.)
 Take a picture in front of Godzilla attacking
Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. (It’s a statue!)
 Learn basic Japanese through Cultural Adaptation and strike up a conversation with a local.
 Feel the samurai spirit at Tsuwano’s Yabusame
horseback archery festival held annually on the
second Sunday of April.
 Travel somewhere--anywhere!-- on the bullet
train. Zipping around the countryside on the
“shinkansen” is an experience unto itself!
WHICH
Are You?
Get out and have fun
LOCAL FLAVOR
MCCS HAS A MYRIAD OF DEPARTMENTS
TO HELP YOU ASSIMILATE TO JAPANESE
CULTURE. TRANSITION COMFORTABLY
WITH THESE FAMILIAR ACTIVITIES.
ER
NTUR
E
V
D
A
CRAVING SOMETHING
DIFFERENT?
AMERICAN
COMFORT
S
BLOWFISH
MIYAJIMA
MOMIJI
OUS
NERV
?
IE
FOOD
SHIMONOSEKI
HIROSHIMA
CULTURAL
NATURE
SHOPPING
FITNESS & SPORTS
OKONOMIYAKI
HIKING
7/ELEVEN
ON A BUDGET? THE POPULAR
¥100 STORE IS GREAT FOR
PURCHASING JAPANESE
TCHOTCHKES FOR YOUR FAMILY
AND FRIENDS BACK HOME.
WEEKEND TRIP
IWAKUNI
IWAKUNI
ZUSHI
YES
KINTAI
ICE CREAM
IWAKUNI-ZUSHI: INSTEAD OF HAND-MOLDING THE SUSHI,THE
CHEF PLACES THE LAYERED INGREDIENTS INTO A LARGE WOODEN
MOLD AND STEPS ON THE MOLD’S LID TO FORM THE SHAPE WITH
THEIR OWN BODY WEIGHT. THE SUSHI IS TRADITIONALLY TOPPED
WITH PICKLED JAPANESE MACKEREL, SHIITAKE MUSHROOM,
THINLY SLICED EGG AND IWAKUNI’S FAMOUS LOTUS ROOT.
KOBE
OSAKA
BEEF
AQUARIUM
DAISO
NO
GET FIT
IRONWORKS GYM
BASEBALL
SKIING &
SNOWBOARDING
ENJOY AMERICA’S PASTIME IN THE
LAND OF THE RISING SUN. BE SURE TO
STICK AROUND TILL THE 7TH INNING
FOR A FUN SPECTATOR TRADITION.
7 FALLS &
3 PEAKS
CYCLING
DO YOU ENJOY PHOTOGRAPHY?
OVERNIGHTER
LOCAL
NAGANO
MEGAHIRA & GEIHOKU
Share your pictures from your
Japanese adventures and have
them published in an upcoming
Preview Magazine!
Contact [email protected]
Information, Tours & Travel
Crossroads Mall, Bldg. 410 |
253-4377
Explore Japan with one of ITT’s
many weekly trips led by a
friendly and proficient tour guide.
Additional services include booking
accommodations, luggage delivery,
camping & restaurant reservations
just to name a few.
Information, Referral &
Relocation Services
Bldg. 411, Rm. 101 | 253-6161
IR&R maintains a database
of local information including
sightseeing directions, travel
maps, regional travel brochures,
restaurants, shopping guides, and
cultural events.
NO
ONSEN
ONSEN LITERALLY MEANS HOT-SPRING, AND COMES IN MANY TYPES AND SHAPES. TRADITIONALLY,
ONSENS WERE LOCATED OUTDOORS, ALTHOUGH A LARGE NUMBER OF INNS HAVE NOW BUILT
INDOOR BATHING FACILITIES. ONSEN WATER IS BELIEVED TO HAVE HEALING POWERS DERIVED
FROM ITS MINERAL CONTENT. A PARTICULAR ONSEN MAY FEATURE SEVERAL BATHING AREAS, EACH
WITH WATER THAT HAS A DIFFERENT MINERAL COMPOSITION.
Cultural Adaptation
IACE Travel
Outdoor Recreation
Bldg. 411, Library | 253-6165
This program assists with the
transition into Japan by offering
Survival Japanese, Japanese
Culture and Cooking classes and
trips. Youth Cultural Program
provides cultural activities for
both American and Japanese
children and their families in the
local community.
Crossroads Mall, Bldg. 410 |
050-5806-7460
IACE Travel is here for all of
your worldwide travel needs.
The staff will help you with
arranging travel and booking
tickets.
IronWorks Gym | 253-3822
Sign up for fun and affordable
trips with Outdoor Rec. Don’t
have the supplies for an
outdoor adventure? Check
them out for FREE at Gear
Issue.
MCCSIWAKUNI.COM