Joseph Needham travelled with Dorothy Needham and Lu Gwei-Djen. He was invited by the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science to take up the post of Visiting Professor at the University of Kyoto for Jul. and Aug. 1971.
His aim was to meet Japanese sinologists and other scholars, to give lectures and participate in conferences, to arrange for collaborative help with projected chapters of Science and Civilisation in China (especially on textile technology and non-ferrous metallurgy), to discuss the translation of Science and Civilisation and other books into Japanese, to collect books relating to the history of science in China and related subjects, and to visit historical sites connected with traditional Japanese technology, science and religion.

Itinerary:
3 Jul. to Japan
5 Sep. to Hong Kong
18 Sep. to Singapore
20 Sep. to Kuala Lumpur
24 Sep. to Sri Lanka
29 Sep. to London via Zurich