Japan: Tokyo Fusion

Hotels: In Tokyo, students will stay in hotels where they will sleep in shared rooms of 2-4  and have access to electricity, showers, and toilets from the future.

This program involves walking and exploring activities that require students to be physically active. Because of the size of the city, the active schedule, and the required walking to use trains, students will often walk 10,000-15,000 steps in a day.

Students will eat at a variety of locations and will enjoy both Japanese and international fare. Breakfast is the lightest meal of the day which usually includes bread, fruit, tea, and coffee. Lunch and dinner will be much more filling meals with lots of variety over the course of the program. Japanese food incorporates lots of fresh foods! Rice, noodles, meat, fish, and vegetables – it’s all delicious! Come ready to try new foods.

Dietary Requirements/Food Allergies – Vegetarians and gluten-free students are easily accommodated on this program. With advance notice, most allergies are able to be accommodated on this program. Please note all allergies and food restrictions on medical forms so our team has time to arrange different food options if necessary.

Students will be provided bottled and purified water while in Japan–as much as they can drink! Tap water is fine for drinking, showering, and brushing teeth. Please remember to bring your reusable water bottle so we can minimize our plastic usage.

In spring, Tokyo is still quite cool. High temperatures can be about 65-75F/18-24C while evening lows can be in the 50sF/10-14C. Having layers to allow us to transition from cool to warm and back again will be very useful.

In Tokyo, the summer season is hot.  Temperatures average from 85-95F/29-35C during the day, with only a little cooling at night. It is also humid during the day which can make the heat feel stronger. It can rain 8-15 days each month, but umbrellas are easily obtained on a rainy day.

All our accommodations and most stores are equipped with air-conditioning to give us a place to rest and recover after the hot days. We’ve planned activities to try to avoid strenuous activity during the hottest parts of the day. However, be prepared to be hot at times, but we’ll help you cool off with a cool drink whenever you need it.

Flights: Rustic Pathways offers escorted group flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (HND). The advertised dates for this program include travel time from the USA.

Visa: There are no visa requirements in Japan for students traveling on United States passports. Students traveling with Rustic Pathways on passports not issued by the United States are responsible for determining their own visa requirements. Please check with the appropriate consulate or embassy.

Internal Travel: We will travel around Tokyo by subway, train, and private bus.

Students will have frequent access to wifi on the program, but we want everyone to come to Japan excited to disconnect and fully immerse themselves in this incredible experience. Reception for international plans is strong due to good cell phone coverage, but you do not need to purchase one for this trip. Parents will have access to our 24/7 emergency number and will also receive updates from our staff throughout the program.

Personal gifts, internet, phone calls, and snacks are not included. All other costs (accommodation, meals, in-country transportation, and activities) are included in the program price.

We recommend $150 per week to cover souvenirs and incidentals. We highly encourage students to change money to local currency prior to their departure date. Any money that needs to be changed back is best done in the airport on the return home.

Shopping: Students love to shop in Tokyo! We get it – there is some really amazing stuff here that is fun to bring back home. We plan a few opportunities where students will have the chance to break up into pairs or small groups and go shopping. We encourage parents to talk with their students about an appropriate budget and a packing plan to bring home all their souvenirs and gifts.

Students should pack enough for the duration of the program as laundry is not guaranteed while in Japan. Laundry can be arranged for ’emergency’ situations.

Our Travel Protection Plan helps protect our participants, their belongings, and their travel investment in those unforeseen circumstances that may arise during travel. Learn more about the plan offered through our partner.