Consider chaperoning a small school trip, and go for FREE!
Do your students love all tings Japan?
I actually lived in Osaka Japan for a year an exchange student for my junior year of college at Kansai Gaidai University. This summer I had a chance to return and share an adventure with my spouse. My students overheard me and asked why I had not organized a school trip to Japan?
I assumed it would be too expensive, and when I looked at the pre-packaged tours, I was not thrilled with the stereotypical options. I lived there, and knew there was a richer experience to be had. I contacted E.F. Tours, who have been in the school tour business for over 50 years and asked if a custom tour could be arranged. Lucy Baldiga of EF Tours got back to me and we worked out a special tour that cobbled some of their best options with some I knew about that they had never heard of, like an Authentic Spy (Ninja) Meeting House.
We created a tour that would tap into all the best of Japan, from the shrines, castles, and gardens, to the Disaster Prevention Park where students can experience an earthquake simulation, and then visit the Miraikan Science Museum to see advanced robotics and STEAM Technology. There would be immersive art experiences at teamLab Planets Tokyo, and animation experiences in Harajuku and Shibuya, as well as an opportunity to collect the newest Manga, origami books, or resources about Japan in English at Kenokunia bookstore, Japan’s largest! We will have a cooking lesson, and learn to play Taiko drums. They will learn about the horrors of Hiroshima, and lay a wreath of 1000 cranes at the foot of the children’s memorial. THIS was the kind of tour I could get behind and am excited to do in 2026! I have made sure to coordinate our trip for the week of July 17 so we can witness the Gion Festival; Japan’s Largest and oldest festival with dozens of wooden floats, many 10 stories tall!
By planning 2 years in advance, students can save up over time with smaller monthly payments, and because EF Tours is private, well regarded in schools, parents and family can join in, making chaperoning the trip less stressful. For every 6 students that sign up, a teacher can come for free. We have, so far, 18 students and family members signed up, so our librarian, another teacher, and myself go for free. EF Tours also gives each student a fundraising page, so family members and friends can make donations for their trip in lieu of birthday or holiday gifts. For many, this will be a graduation gift for themselves. I have also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for my students to help alleviate some of the cost.
In preparation, I will be hosing a once-a-week Japanese language and culture club for all students, but will focus it on the students who have signed up to go. We will fold origami cranes for our donation, and make hand-made books to collect free Landmark Stamps sound at major destinations and many train stations all over Japan. I will also show them how to hand-sew some traditional sketchbooks too, this way we will all have treasures to take home, even if we spend no money on “stuff.”
I am retiring shortly after this trip, so it has additional meaning for myself. But if this sounds like something you’d like to explore, contact Lucy Baldiga, mention my name, and ask her for the same custom itinerary. It is NOT ANYWHERE on their website. Her email is [email protected] . If you would like to explore the possibility of leading an art education tour to any country, let them know I sent you with this LINK. eftours.com/invite/5pB8Eza
Below are my photos from my recent trip and a video I made about Nijo Jinya (The Spy House in Kyoto).
- Video Games
- Manga & Anime
- Martial Arts
- Robots & More?
I actually lived in Osaka Japan for a year an exchange student for my junior year of college at Kansai Gaidai University. This summer I had a chance to return and share an adventure with my spouse. My students overheard me and asked why I had not organized a school trip to Japan?
I assumed it would be too expensive, and when I looked at the pre-packaged tours, I was not thrilled with the stereotypical options. I lived there, and knew there was a richer experience to be had. I contacted E.F. Tours, who have been in the school tour business for over 50 years and asked if a custom tour could be arranged. Lucy Baldiga of EF Tours got back to me and we worked out a special tour that cobbled some of their best options with some I knew about that they had never heard of, like an Authentic Spy (Ninja) Meeting House.
We created a tour that would tap into all the best of Japan, from the shrines, castles, and gardens, to the Disaster Prevention Park where students can experience an earthquake simulation, and then visit the Miraikan Science Museum to see advanced robotics and STEAM Technology. There would be immersive art experiences at teamLab Planets Tokyo, and animation experiences in Harajuku and Shibuya, as well as an opportunity to collect the newest Manga, origami books, or resources about Japan in English at Kenokunia bookstore, Japan’s largest! We will have a cooking lesson, and learn to play Taiko drums. They will learn about the horrors of Hiroshima, and lay a wreath of 1000 cranes at the foot of the children’s memorial. THIS was the kind of tour I could get behind and am excited to do in 2026! I have made sure to coordinate our trip for the week of July 17 so we can witness the Gion Festival; Japan’s Largest and oldest festival with dozens of wooden floats, many 10 stories tall!
By planning 2 years in advance, students can save up over time with smaller monthly payments, and because EF Tours is private, well regarded in schools, parents and family can join in, making chaperoning the trip less stressful. For every 6 students that sign up, a teacher can come for free. We have, so far, 18 students and family members signed up, so our librarian, another teacher, and myself go for free. EF Tours also gives each student a fundraising page, so family members and friends can make donations for their trip in lieu of birthday or holiday gifts. For many, this will be a graduation gift for themselves. I have also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for my students to help alleviate some of the cost.
In preparation, I will be hosing a once-a-week Japanese language and culture club for all students, but will focus it on the students who have signed up to go. We will fold origami cranes for our donation, and make hand-made books to collect free Landmark Stamps sound at major destinations and many train stations all over Japan. I will also show them how to hand-sew some traditional sketchbooks too, this way we will all have treasures to take home, even if we spend no money on “stuff.”
I am retiring shortly after this trip, so it has additional meaning for myself. But if this sounds like something you’d like to explore, contact Lucy Baldiga, mention my name, and ask her for the same custom itinerary. It is NOT ANYWHERE on their website. Her email is [email protected] . If you would like to explore the possibility of leading an art education tour to any country, let them know I sent you with this LINK. eftours.com/invite/5pB8Eza
Below are my photos from my recent trip and a video I made about Nijo Jinya (The Spy House in Kyoto).
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