From Peace Boat

Greetings to you from all of us at Peace Boat!
Thank you very much for your interest in Peace Boat! We are striving to
continually expand Peace Boat's programs to participants from around the
world, and offer our warmest welcome onboard!

Below is the information specific to joining a Peace Boat voyage as a
paying participant, and will take you step-by-step through the
information and application process.

The procedure to join a partial segment will be the same, however, we
will ask you to be responsible for the flight arrangements and costs
to/from the port of call you will joining/leaving the ship. The cost of
onboard fee will be on a pro-rate basis.

As for deadlines; this varies depending on which capacity you would be
joining the voyage. As a volunteer staff member, the deadline is usually
around 6 months prior to departure. However, if you are interested in
joining as a paid participant, there is no set deadline - as long as
there is still room available on the ship, and there is sufficient time
to obtain all of the visas required for the voyage, usually it is fine
to apply even until quite close to the departure date.

If you are interested in applying for a volunteer language instructor or
interpreter position, please refer back to their respective information
and application pages within the “Get Involved” section of Peace Boat’s
website at: www.peaceboat.org/english/gvld/index.html We currently do
not have any other onboard volunteer or paid positions available, and do
not handle inquiries for crew positions.


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Thank you very much for your interest in joining one of our voyages and
we hope very much that you will decide to join one of our voyages.
Before we proceed further, please have a read through the below
information that is the more specific details to joining a Peace Boat
voyage as a paying participant. If you wish to proceed further after
reading this, please email us back again.

A Peace Boat voyage is a life-changing experience. We would like to
explain to you a little more about Peace Boat's unique character and
what it means to join a Peace Boat voyage. As you can also see on our
website at www.peaceboat.org/english Peace Boat is a non-profit,
non-governmental organization (NGO) working in the fields of peace,
human rights, sustainability and respect for the environment.
Through our educational peace voyages, we aim to raise awareness through
learning and sharing experiences with the peoples of the world, while at
the same time building partnerships with NGOs from all five continents
in the support of grass roots projects.

We charter a large passenger ship to carry out our voyages, but Peace
Boat does not carry "passengers." Everyone onboard is a participant in
the Peace Boat project and has the opportunity to contribute to the
programmes onboard and in port. Peace Boat is not a traditional,
commercial cruise.

Utilizing the public spaces and facilities onboard the ship, and
harnessing the talents of staff and participants alike, Peace Boat
creates a unique environment in which people can live and learn together
while undertaking socially responsible travel to some of the most
fascinating regions on earth. On average, between 700 and 900
participants of various ages and backgrounds join our voyages each time.
Most participants are from Japan, but also from many of the countries we
visit.

Onboard, with the participation of around 50 guest educators from
various countries on each voyage, Peace Boat organizes a range of
educational activities, including language classes, peace education
workshops and lectures, and cultural programmes. The themes of these
activities link Peace Boat's fields of work with contemporary issues in
the countries we visit.

At the same time, all participants are encouraged to contribute to life
onboard by sharing their skills, talents and interests through the
organization of their own events. The result is a constantly changing
daily schedule of dozens of activities including, for example, anything
from expert lectures on global issues, salsa dance classes, Arabic
conversation lessons, music festivals, documentary movie screenings to
soccer games on deck.

In port, Peace Boat organizes numerous study programmes in conjunction
with local NGOs and community groups. These programmes seek to foster
international peace and friendship at a grassroots level through people
to people exchange. There are also tourism-oriented tours in port to
enable our participants to visit local cultural and historical sites
of interest.

Who joins Peace Boat voyages?

Peace Boat is open to everyone regardless of age, gender, sexuality,
nationality, ideology or creed. There are often many young people - on
some voyages as many as 50 percent of participants are under 30 years
old. The next largest age group is retired people. The creative,
energetic and harmonious atmosphere onboard Peace Boat encourages people
to become friends with others whom they may not ordinarily have a chance
to get to know.

Since Peace Boat made its maiden voyage in 1983, the majority of
participants onboard Peace Boat has been from Japan. But after 25 years
of experience and international cooperation, we are actively encouraging
people from all over the world to take part in a Peace Boat global
voyage. Sail around the world or join part of a voyage by boarding Peace
Boat in any of the 50 different countries we visit each year.

In addition to the dozens of international guest educators,interpreters,
language teachers, scholarship students and staff, we hope to encourage
participants from every country and background to share this
eye-opening, exciting experience to learn about the world. We are keen
to do our best to ensure you have a wonderful time with Peace Boat,
and believe that there really is something for everyone onboard.

Language

Life onboard is mainly conducted in Japanese as the majority of
participants onboard are from Japan, and some aspects of life onboard,
such as food and festivities, reflect Japanese culture. There are
however, many nationalities onboard and so there is always a lively
international presence and many people communicate in English and
sometimes Spanish.

In addition to Peace Boat's full-time staff, many of who are
English-speaking, there is also a team of full-time volunteer
interpreters who assist with communication at lectures and
events. Please note that we are still building our capacity to in this
regard and so not all documents and events may be translated or
interpreted into English.

However, on all Peace Boat voyages the following will be available in
English
1. All safety-related information
2. All important announcements
3. Basic port-related information and orientations
4. Daily timetable of activities onboard
5. English-speaking crew on duty 24 hours a day
6. An English-speaking staff member will be assigned to you to help you
with all aspects of your life onboard
7. If you wish to take optional tours in port, wherever possible we will
provide interpretation into English if the
content of the tour is not in English.

Please feel free to contact us with your questions or comments at
participate@peaceboat.gr.jp or by phone at +81 (3)
3363-8047.


Important General Information

1. Voyage Fees
The cost for a three-month voyage, departing from and returning to
either Tokyo or Kobe, begins at approximately 1,480,000 Japanese Yen
(JPY), though the exact figure may differ depending on the voyage and
availability and class of cabins. This price is for a four-berth cabin,
includes all meals onboard, and increases with higher grade
accommodation.
Please note that port charges ($13 USD per port) and tips for the crew
($4 USD per day) are not included in the above price. Based on cabin and
berth availability, it may be possible to inquire about joining a
segment of the voyage. While we cannot provide a specific figure here,
cost-per-night begins at between 10,000 and 15,000 JPY for a four-berth
cabin, depending on availability, segment and particular voyage.

2. Application and Payment Process
The application process for the voyage involves sending the application
form by fax and paying a deposit of JPY 50,000, refundable until 60 days
before the day prior to the day of departure. The application form and
payment information are available upon request. The payment of deposit
should be made by bank transfer and will be charged in Japanese Yen.
You will receive notification that your reservation is secured once
payment of deposit and the application form have been received. The
balance must be paid at least one month departure.

To request an application or account transfer information, please
contact us at:
Phone: +81 (3) 3363-8047
Fax: +81 (3) 3363-7562
Email: pbglobal@peaceboat.gr.jp

3. Valid Travel Documentation
Passport
Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of the
end of the voyage. If it is not, it is your responsibility to apply for
a new passport in time for the departure of the voyage. You should
have several blank pages in your passport for visa stamps.
Visas
Each participant is responsible for both applying and holding the
requisite visas for all countries visited. Upon request, Japan Grace,
Peace Boat's registered travel agent, is able to provide information
relating to necessary travel documents according to your nationality.
Conditions differ according to itineraries, so please contact us for
specific port details.

4. Vaccinations
In order to obtain entry to some of the countries on our itinerary, you
must have a "Yellow Card" - this is the certificate to prove that you
are vaccinated against yellow fever. Conditions differ according to
itineraries, so please contact us for specific port details.

5. Insurance
We require that you obtain a comprehensive travel insurance policy
covering the time you will be onboard.

6. Optional Tour Application
In each port of call, Peace Boat organizes optional tours including
study, exchange and sightseeing programmes. The optional tour
information will be sent approximately three months prior to the start
of the voyage. Please note that optional tour programmes are not
included in the passage fare.
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If the information you are interested in is more general information
about the organisation, or anything else at all, please feel free to
contact me at any time and I will send you something more relevant to
your needs.

Many thanks again, and we hope to hear from you soon!

Best regards,

Yuko Oaku
Peace Boat

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Yuko Oaku
International Coordinator
PEACE BOAT

3-13-1-B1 Takadanobaba
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0075

+ 81-3-3363-7561 (Tel)
+ 81-3-3363-7562 (Fax)
participate@peaceboat.gr.jp
www.peaceboat.org