Geography Japan School Trip – 14 Days

General Information of Japan School Trip

Duration: 14 days
Start/ End: Tokyo – Kyoto
Tour Route: Tokyo – Kesennuma – Fukushima – Hakone – Hiroshima – Kyoto
Tour Type: Explore and Experience
Tour Categories: Japan School Tours
Tour Customizable: Possible (inform us in advance)
Guides: Local Guide (dedicated tour guides)
Transportation: Private first-class air-conditioned vehicles
Accommodation: Listed below or equivalent.

Brief Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Japan
Day 2: Kesennuma’s History
Day 3: Volunteer Day
Day 4: Swordfish & Sushi
Day 5: Fukushima
Day 6: Culture in Tokyo
Day 7: School Visit
Day 8: Hakone
Day 9: Island Day
Day 10: Hiroshima’s Past
Day 11: Shrines & Temples
Day 12: Mischievous Monkeys
Day 13: Golden Pavilion
Day 14: Departure

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Japan (D)

Teachers and students will step off the plane to Japan and meet your guide at the airport before transferring into the city. After your trip briefing (check-in and unwrap package), take in the cityscape as you witness the incredible view from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.

When the evening approaches, we will have a warm welcome dinner at the hotel then hop on the batting cages to experience baseball, which is one of the most popular sports in Japan.

Day 2: Kesennuma’s History (B, L, D)

In the morning, have breakfast, then we jump on a bullet train to Kesennuma. Once you’ve got there in the afternoon, take a tour of the town that was badly hit by the 2011 tsunami. Visit the Rias Ark Museum and get to know about how the town rebounded. Then, stop by an aquaculture farm, which has developed sustainable methods to farm oysters and scallops. Go out on boats to harvest the catch from the offshore beds, then assist with processing the catch.
Lunch and dinner will be prepared.

Day 3: Volunteer Day (B, L, D)

This morning, enjoy breakfast. We head for Koyo High School, which was formerly an industrial high school located near the seafront. Learn about the robust emergency planning that saved students after the tsunami.

Lunchtime is at a local restaurant. Later we visit Seiryoin, a Soto Buddhist Temple has a history of 460 years, which was used as an evacuation site during the disaster. Some volunteer works are available for students such as setting up for the musical events which are regularly held here or cleaning the temple or basic maintenance.

At the end of the day, head back to the hotel and enjoy dinner.

Day 4: Swordfish & Sushi (B, L, D)

For today’s itinerary, we will listen up as you embark on a guided tour of Kesennuma Port. Observe the auction and tuck into a breakfast of sashimi, whilst learning more about efforts to make the town’s fishing industry more sustainable and attempts to use tourism to stimulate the local economy.
In the afternoon, we soak up the Oikawa Denim Factory to see how swordfish are used in the production of denim.
When it gets dark, we enjoy a sushi-making class led by a master sushi chef, and then eat your culinary masterpiece for dinner. Hear how the restaurant was rebuilt after the disaster from the chef and owner as you eat.

Day 5: Fukushima (B, L, D)

Your breakfast will be served at the hotel. Teachers and students will hop on the train to Odaka Station. Then we continue touring the area of the Fukushima Daichi Power Plant, which suffered a devastating nuclear meltdown as a result of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The tour is arranged by the prefectural government, and we will only visit areas that pose no risk of radiation exposure. Learn about the accident, evacuation, response and subsequent rebuild.
Before the sunset, tourists will be transferred to Tokyo.

Lunch and dinner will be prepared.

Day 6: Culture in Tokyo (B, L, D)

To start our day, get up early and have breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, we admire the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa and explore the district’s charming streets.

After that, have a taste of local cuisine at a restaurant. Later in the noon, we marvel at the contrast between tradition and modernity in the Harajuku area. Next, we take a stroll through the forest until we reach the Meiji Shrine, then take your time to explore the Harajuku shopping district. This is home to maids, punks, goths, and fashionistas – anything of Harajuku.

In the later afternoon, we return to the hotel and have dinner at the hotel. At night activities, we will go for a walk in the streets near there and watch the city light up at night, you can head to the Shibuya Crossing. Do you know it’s the busiest intersection in the world? Come here and discover!

Day 7: School Visit (B, L, D)

After breakfast, we will travel to a local school, take the opportunity to make lifelong friends with students here. Typically, in our tour to the school, students will join various lessons and play sports or participate in team-based activities.

Lunchtime at a local restaurant. Later, we soak up the Tokyo National Museum to stand in awe of one of the world’s largest collections of Asia’s artworks and archaeological objects.

Then come back to the hotel and enjoy dinner at the hotel.

Day 8: Hakone (B, L, D)

For early morning risers, we get up and take a walk to see the daily life of local people in the evening. Then we embark on Hakone, one of Japan’s best-known and most-loved onsen (hot spring) resort destinations. Take the ropeway to pass Owakudani. If the weather and the skies are clear, you could even watch the magnificent Mount Fuji.

Lunch will be served for you, enjoy blue skies and pristine waters when you stay on a luxury pirate ship and delight the stunning views across Lake Ashi. Today, you can also sample black eggs – a local delicacy colored by the sulphuric spring waters they’re cooked in!

Come back to the hotel and have dinner.

Day 9: Island Day (B, L, D)

In the early morning, wake up and pack up then catch a bullet train and race across the country to your next destination, Hiroshima.

When you reach the destination in the afternoon, we have lunch at a local restaurant. Later, teachers and students will explore Miyajima, which is an island where you as you explore stunning shrines, beaches, and waterfalls. Onshore the tour takes you to discover an enormous torii gate standing in the sea, one of the most incredible sights in Japan.
When the sun begins to set, return to the hotel and have dinner.

Day 10: Hiroshima’s Past (B, L, D)

Breakfast will be set up for you. The theme of Hiroshima’s Past for today will delight you. In the beginning, students learn about the tragedy of the atomic bomb and the city’s subsequent recovery and pacifist mission at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park & Museum. Listen to a peace talk by an A-bomb legacy successor – they’ll present the A-bomb survivors’ experiences, the reality of atomic bombing and the desire for peace. Savor local cuisine at a local restaurant. Later in the afternoon, get on board a bullet train to Kyoto. After that, we will have dinner on the train.

Day 11: Shrines & Temples (B, L, D)

After breakfast servings, teachers and students we will take a walk through quaint side streets to the Kiyomizu Dera Temple. This temple has a 1,200-year history. Coming here, you can enjoy a postcard about some worthy views over Kyoto. Strolling around Higashiyama District, followed by calligraphy lesson. Students have chances to experience interesting traditional Japanese culture led by a Japanese (master of calligraphy).

Have an enjoyable lunch. In the afternoon, we visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine, a major Shinto shrine complex in wooded hills. Continue the tour by passing through corridors with thousands of bright red gates. This way, we keep on the beautiful walking trails toward the back of the complex.

Dinner will be prepared.

Day 12: Mischievous Monkeys (B, L, D)

In the morning, you eat at the hotel, we transfer to the International Manga Museum, which is home to over 300,000 publications. Observe one of the manga artists’ stations, and take a deep look as they create their art.

Visit the Arashiyama District, on the Western outskirts of Kyoto. Navigate through lush bamboo forests before beginning the 30-minute climb up to Arashiyama Monkey Park. Then, move on to the Tenryu-Ji Temple. Dare to look into the temple’s Dharma Hall to see the dragon’s eyes on the mural – they’ll follow you like the Mona Lisa as you walk past!

Lunch and dinner will be prepared.

Day 13: Golden Pavilion (B, L, D)

Get up then have your breakfast at the hotel. Today, we take part in a meditation class at the Daisen-In Temple, Zen Buddhist monk will guide you on how to tap into your inner peace. Take a rest and dip into the fresh air, we also explore the temple, enjoy an informal tea ceremony with volunteers for the temple.

Taste local food for lunch. Later is the time for Kyoto’s most iconic site: the Golden Pavilion. Strolling around the lake and let yourselves be mesmerized in the shimmering golden reflection of the pavilion on the water. After that, take a walk crossing the grounds of the imperial palace, explore Gion District to learn more about geishas or admire a traditional Japanese performance.

Dinner is a farewell party at the hotel.

Day 14: Departure (B)

Today is home time. Have breakfast at the hotel and prepared well and wait for being picked up. We set off for homecoming flight. Wish you to have a safe and enjoyable upcoming trip!