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Japan

Become immersed in Japanese history and culture and learn how this island nation's conservation and renewable design helps support a philosophy of synergy.

From Tokyo to Osaka, Japan’s hidden attractions and sacred sites connect natural abundance to human culture. Students will visit some of the most famous places in Japan to see how people have adapted nature for a sustainable way of living while immersing themselves in tradition and history dating back to prehistoric times.

Japan
Intro
Program Highlights
Sample Itineraries
Learning Objectives
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Program Highlights
- Explore Tokyo, Kamakura, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka
- Breathtaking shrines, temples and museums
- Tokyo Sky Tree
- Cherry blossoms at Ueno Park
- Komachi-dori Street
- Overnight homestay with Japanese families
- Kyoto Ramen Street (Kyoto Ramen Koji)
Program Highlights
- Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion
- Zen temple of Ryōan-ji – Japan’s most famous rock garden
- Arashiyama Bamboo grove
- Nijo Castle
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
- Miyajima, a small island off the coast of Hiroshima
- Stay at a traditional Ryokan

Sample Itinerary

Experience Japan

Day 1: Depart for Tokyo

Depart on an overnight flight to Tokyo, Japan via connections. (Meal provided on flight)

Day 2: Welcome to Tokyo, Japan!

Arrive at the Tokyo airport. As a group, transfer to our hotel by rail and public transit to drop off our luggage, check in and get settled in. Head out to the Harajuku district located in Shibuya. Visit Meiji Shrine, which is the Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. Enjoy dinner as a group in Harajuku, followed by guided evening exploration. Return to the hotel and make sure that we’re well-rested for the days ahead.

Day 3: Tokyo

After having breakfast, we’ll visit the most popular destinations near Ryogoku Station. First, we will go to the Edo-Tokyo Museum and the Kokugikan Sumo Stadium. The Edo-Tokyo Museum is where you can experience the life of merchants, samurai culture, and lifestyle in the Edo period, when Tokugawa Shogunate governed Japan in between the 17th to 19th century. Visit Ueno Park. Japan’s famous cherry blossom trees are an incredibly beautiful sight that millions of people travel from all over the world to witness. Next, head to the National Museum of Western Art, located in Ueno Park as well. In the later afternoon, visit Asakusa to explore the Sensoji-Temple, one of Tokyo’s oldest, most popular, and beautiful temples. We will eat dinner as a group at a traditional restaurant in the area before heading to the highest tower in the world, Tokyo Sky Tree, to enjoy a stunning night view of Tokyo from 450 metres above. Head to the Akihabara district for a guided evening exploration tour of Tokyo’s “Electric Town”, which is well known as a high tech hub, complete with thousands of electronics shops and a thriving base for video game culture.

Day 4: Day Trip to Kamakura

Today we will take a day trip out of Tokyo to Kamakura. Begin with a visit to the Engaku-ji Temple, a Zen temple built in 1282. The entire premise around the temple is designated as a national historic site, and worth exploring. We will then visit the Kencho-ji Temple. Established in 1253, this temple was the first Zen dojo (school) in Japan. After lunch, visit the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) at the Kotokuin Temple. The Buddha statue here was made in 1252. Visit the Hase-dera Temple, a particularly popular temple to visit during the autumn leaves change season. Enjoy dinner and exploration along Komachi-dori Street.

Day 5: Transfer to Kyoto

Transfer to Kyoto by train. Enjoy lunch at Kyoto Ramen Street (Kyoto Ramen Koji), a corridor of ramen noodle shops on the 10th floor of the station building. Transfer to our new accommodation. Visit Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Visit the Zen temple of Ryōan-ji, to explore Japan’s most famous rock garden. Enjoy a group dinner. After dinner, embark on a guided evening walking tour of Kyoto. Highlights may include Gion, Japan’s largest Geisha district; Miyagawacho, an entertainment district; ancient alleyway Pontocho; and more!

Day 6: Explore Kyoto

This morning, head to one of Kyoto’s most impressive sights, the Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine. After lunch, continue on to one of the most celebrated temples of Japan, Kiyomizu-dera. It was founded in 780 on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the wooded hills just east of Kyoto, and derives its name from the fall’s pure waters. Head out to a local restaurant for dinner in Kyoto. After, enjoy an evening performance of traditional Japanese arts, including a tea ceremony, music, dance and theatre.

Day 7: Kyoto, Homestay

Start this morning early with one of the most breathtaking Kyoto experiences, wandering through the Arashiyama Bamboo grove. We’ll walk along the paths through towering bamboo stalks that seem to continue endlessly. Enjoy lunch in the Arashiyama district. Afterwards, we’ll depart back to central Kyoto to visit Nijo Castle (Nijojo), one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, and an UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the late afternoon, we will transfer to enjoy an evening of homestay in traditional Japanese homes. Spend the evening and night with a local Japanese family. Participate in meal prep, cultural activities, and exchange dialogue with a Japanese family.

Day 8: Transfer to Hiroshima, Miyajima

Gather back as a group after or homestay evening. Enjoy an early breakfast as a group before departing on a high speed bullet train to Hiroshima. Then it’s time to head out to Miyajima, a small island located just off the coast of Hiroshima, and ranked one of Japan’s three best scenic spots. Wander along the walking trails on the “Island of Gods”, see wild deer and visit the Itsukushima Shrine. After spending the afternoon here, we will return to the mainland by ferry and head back to Hiroshima. Enjoy a unique “Japanese pancake” dinner at an Okonomiyaki restaurant dinner in Hiroshima, followed by evening exploration.

Day 9: Tour Hiroshima, Transfer to Osaka

Visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and explore the surrounding Peace Memorial Park. The Peace Museum educates visitors on the events of the atomic bombing that occurred here during World War II. In the park, see the remains of a one of the only buildings that was struck by the explosion and remained upright, the former Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall now known as the A-Bomb Dome. Transfer to Osaka. On arrival, settle into our new accommodations. Here we will be staying at a Ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn that originated in the Edo period (1603–1868). Osaka is nicknamed ‘the nation’s kitchen’, so we will have chances to eat various cuisines here. Enjoy our final group dinner.

Day 10: Kyoto

Transfer to the airport by public transit. Begin our journey home after an amazing trip to Japan together.

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Learning Objectives

Integrate

Traveling with open minds, students will observe and discover nature’s living abundance and synergy amidst some of Japan’s most unique and off-the-beaten-path destinations. As a group, students will go beyond the cities and traditional sites to investigate how the internal world and the external world support one another.

Design from pattern to detail

Students will shift their perspective and “step out” to recognize the broader human and natural ecosystems in Japan and “zoom in” to understand the patterns and details that make these systems work.

Use and value renewables

Through exploration, adventure and curiosity, students will learn about the ever-evolving attention to renewable energy and conservation in Japan. They will accumulate the wisdom to recognize their own capabilities and in turn, better serve each other and the planet.

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