National Feb. 04, 2010 - 10:01AM JST ( 2 )

YOKOHAMA —

The Semester at Sea Spring 2010 Voyage will arrive in Yokohama on Feb 9 for a two-day visit as part of its 110-day, around-the-world voyage.

More than 600 students and life-long learners will sail into Yokohama on the MV Explorer, a modern passenger ship which serves as the program’s floating university. While in Japan, students will participate in field programs designed to enhance their understanding of this unique environment. 

Coming from 46 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Washington, DC and eight foreign countries, including Japan, they represent 239 institutions of learning. 

Semester at Sea students will have opportunities to participate in more than 20 field programs offered during the two-day stay in the Yokohama-Tokyo area. Several programs are being presented by Yokohama City University students and include campus visits, sports activities, city orientation, karaoke, and home stays with YCU student families. These programs are designed to foster friendship among college students with different cultural backgrounds.

Separate field programs include orientations to the cities of Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura, and Hakone, and Mt Fuji and the exploration of historical and cultural features of each area. 

Established in 1963, Semester at Sea is defined by its long-term commitment to global education. The program uses a ship as its academic campus, fully circumnavigating the globe each fall and spring semester, and exploring a particular region each summer. Participants take a full load of classes aboard ship, interspersing classroom learning with hands-on exchange, fieldwork, and service learning in 8-12 international ports each voyage. The University of Virginia serves as academic sponsor, appointing the majority of faculty, overseeing curricula, and providing transferable credit to participants.

The MV Explorer, one of the world’s safest and fastest passenger ships, will leave Yokohama on Feb 10 and arrive in Kobe on the following day. This 101st Semester at Sea voyage will visit 13 ports in nine foreign countries before concluding in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.