NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI, Japan — To encourage Americans to get out and see Japan, the Fleet and Family Support Center here created an award program for travel and experience in the country.

The Advanced Intercultural Relations Passport, an extension of the ICR program newcomers attend when they arrive, pushes people to explore Japan despite language difficulties and the convenience of being on base, said its coordinators, Yuji Ogura and Naoko Koyama, ICR coordinators and training technicians at the FFSC.

The program aims “to encourage people to get out and enjoy Japanese culture,” Ogura said.

After taking a trip or a class pertaining to Japan and its culture, Americans can submit proof and earn points in their “passports.” Those who earn 100 points receive a special certificate decreeing them advanced ICR specialists.

Points are earned based on the distance from home. Head farther away and you earn more points, Ogura said.

On Friday, base residents Bob and Ann Green became the second couple to achieve the level since the program began about five years ago, Ogura said.

They’ve been working toward it for about a year and a half.

The Greens visited places across the country and have an impressive record in their passports to prove it.

There are no financial incentives to the program, Koyama said, but “what we say is they [earn] good memories.”

For more information about the program, contact the FFSC at DSN 264-3628 or 264-4171.