Japan & Korea: Tokyo and Seoul

Arrive at Los Angeles (LAX) and meet your group for your flight to Tokyo. Your flight chaperone will help you get through customs and immigration and join your for your flight across the Pacific.

We touch down in Japan in the afternoon. Your program leaders will meet you at the airport and then we’ll board an express train into the city. Enjoy the views out the windows as we cross through the countryside before arriving in the city.
We’ll drop off our bags at our accommodations and then have a celebratory dinner for our first taste of Japan’s amazing food!

We spend the next 6 nights in a comfortable hotel accommodation. 2-4 students share rooms with private bathrooms and air conditioning.

Start the morning with a visit to the classroom of a Japanese calligraphy master. Learn about Japanese writing and shodo. You’ll wield the brush and turn characters into artwork with the help of your sensei.
In the afternoon, explore an oasis in the city when we navigate through the towering trees to vsis Meiji Jingu, a famous Shinto Shrine in the heart of Shinjuku.

This morning we meet with a local environmental group and pitch in on a project to keep Tokyo’s famous Arakawa River clean. Learn firsthand how Tokyo’s reputation for cleanliness comes to be as you appreciate the importance of caring for our place. After lunch, we take up wooden practice swords for a hands-on introduction to kendo. The sport of kendo has its roots in the samurai of yesterday. This experience will make you sweat and also give you insight to the way of the samurai that is so relevant to Japan today.

We explore the famous neighborhood of Harajuku, home to the cutting edge of fashion and style. From Takeshita-dori to Cat Street, there are eye-catching shops, food, and fashion everywhere. After lunch, we get the chance to join an English conversation club for elementary school-aged children. Play games, introduce your home, and learn about they see the world.

Mt. Fuji is iconic – and today, weather permitting, you’ll get to see how impressively this peak stretches to the heavens. Kick back and enjoy a relaxing bus ride to the Kawaguchi-ko area for a refreshing mountain experience. You’ll visit temples, lakes, fun shopping districts, and historic villages that feel like you’ve stepped back in time. It’s a long day, but the pictures and memories are worth it!

Find a moment of zen with a guided meditation in a centuries-old temple hidden in the forested hills around Kamakura. Just a short train ride from Tokyo, this peaceful coastal town offers us sea air, cool beach town vibes, and a chance to visit the Great Bronze Buddha statue. This is the perfect way to finish our visit to Japan. We return to Tokyo in the evening to get in a final chance to shop for souvenirs, presents, and keepsakes of this journey.

We’ll spend the morning enjoying the company of our new friends and then exploring the Odaiba area of Tokyo. We’ll check out a giant Gundam, a replica of the Statue of Liberty, and enjoy a waterfront view back towards Tokyo’s crowded skyline. You’ll say goodbye to your new friends from this group as they head to the airport for the end of their program. Enjoy one last delicious Japanese dinner before heading to Seoul tomorrow.

Sleep in a a bit this morning. Your journey is only half over, so some extra rest is well-deserved and will set us for lots of fun in Seoul. You’ll arrive in Seoul at about the same time as the chaperoned group flight from Los Angeles and will get straight into meeting your new group of friends for the week.

There’s more to Korea than barbeque, BTS, and Blackpink. This journey packs a lifetime of modern Korean living into just over a week. We launch the adventure in bustling Seoul where you’ll explore vibrant historical districts, visit the primo Korean palace, and mix modern living with traditional Korean culture. We’ll hike the peaks that nestle the capital city before celebrating with tea before the world’s oldest Confucian shrine. We’ll learn to cook traditional cuisine and enjoy a bicycling adventure before sitting down to learn some basic Korean language skills.