Okay! Fleshing out my trip a little more... got plane tickets booked!
I'll have just over a week before the program starts, which I'll probably spend checking out bits of Kyushu (got a friend to visit in Kagoshima), then drop in at Hiroshima and Osaka before heading up to Kanazawa. After the program I'll have a few days left in Japan which I'm planning on spending in Tokyo. Exciting!
I'm hoping to be able to make it to Amanohashidate, and definitely to Sengaku-ji.
Anywhere in Japan that's particularly nice in September/October? Nice autumn leaves?
Besides pretty scenery I'm interested in art and design, although I hear there's a decent scene in Kanazawa and I'm sure there's plenty to see in Tokyo.