In April 2014, Asian Studies Program Director Constantine Vaporis was selected as a Smithsonian expert for tours of Japan. Vaporis is leaving next week to deliver five formal lectures and will also be providing the informal educational component for the tour, Eternal Japan: From Tokyo to Kyoto. The formal lectures are as follows: From Edo to Tokyo The Countryside and Agriculture in Japan: Past and Present Sake: From Rice to Ritual Samurai and the Castle Towns of Tokugawa Japan Buddhism & Japan’s Ancient Capitals To read a profile of Vaporis on the Smithsonian Journeys website, click here.