A one-day excursion to Sakurai & Uda for international students took place on Sunday, June 7, to give an opportunity to students to deepen the knowledge of Japanese history and culture and to develop their good relationship with each other.
The group of 30 students first visited Miwa area of Sakura City, which is known as the birthplace of somen noodle, to experience hand-stretching process of somen at "Miwa-somen Yamamoto Menyu-kan". They enjoyed stretching noodles by using sticks skillfully under the instruction of staff.
They next went to Tanzan Shrine. After looking around the 13-story wooden pagoda and haiden (main hall), they received a lecture from the priest and learned the history of the shrine.
The last visit for this trip was Matsuyama District of Uda City, a historical town dating from the Edo Period. With a local volunteer as a guide, they toured inside "Kusuri-no-yakata", which used to be a wholesale dealer of medicines, and learned lifestyle of traditional merchant family.
The excursion ended successfully as students deepened their knowledge of Nara's history and culture through hands-on experience, and also developed good relationships with each other.