Information regarding the 2011 American Kyudo Seminar can be located at: http://www.mnkyudo.org
On their website, the MNKR suggests the following in regard to shipping of equipment for the seminar:
It is strongly recommended that you ship your equipment ahead of time rather than trying to get it on the plane with you. Airlines typically charge very high fees for carrying yumi, and some forbid them entirely. We have arranged for the college to accept shipments of equipment. They will store the boxes received in a secure storage room until participants arrive. The shipping address will be included with registration information.
I am going to go a step further in passing along the knowledge I have in regard to shipping. It has been my experience when shipping to and from Symanski Sensei that he always uses FedEx Express (air shipments… not FedEx Ground!).
I advise you to think about how long your bow will be in transit any time you ship your bow. The freight that is delivered on Monday actually arrives at the local station on Saturday and sits in the “cans” the entire weekend… not the most ideal conditions for your bow. Worst case scenario, a person might ship second business day on Friday and the package would be in the can for five days, being delivered on Tuesday afternoon. (If you choose that option, you are in trouble anyway, because the seminar started Monday or Tuesday, depending on rank.) Whereas, if you ship second day on a Wednesday, it arrives on Friday and was only in transit for the two days. There are a lot of options, so give it some thought and see what works best for you, your bow and your budget.
Keep in mind also, that FedEx gives “the Purple Promise” to see that your package arrives in good condition and in a timely manner, as promised, but there is always that rare chance of weather delay, mechanical problems or human error, so ship early. For international shipments, there is also a risk of delays in customs, so keep this in mind as well. A little pre-planning in this regard will ensure that your equipment arrives in good condition and is ready and waiting for you before the seminar begins.
Happy Shooting… see you in Minnesota!
Kyudo ...the road less traveled 