Why Japan Is the Perfect Destination for Educational Trips and Service Learning

May 18

Discover Japan’s unforgettable educational travel and service learning opportunities — from cultural immersion to community impact projects.

Why should you consider Japan as a destination for educational trips?

Japan has never been this hot as a travel destination.

In 2024 alone, a record-breaking number of over 36 million travelers visited Japan. But it’s not just manga fans, Japow-chasing skiers, and avid shoppers who are crazy about visiting Japan. The country is also an increasingly popular destination for educational tours and service learning programs.

For instance, the IB (International Baccalaureate) program emphasizes travel as a way to learn. Students must undertake a CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) project as part of the IB DP core curriculum. Students must also learn two languages. What better way to complete these requirements than through an extended stay in Japan?

When it comes to the education of young minds, as a teacher, advisor, supervisor, or coordinator, you understand the importance of destination in shaping learning outcomes. A trip abroad for a young person is one of the most memorable parts of growing up. It is an opportunity for a young student to be immersed in a different culture and develop empathy. It is an opportunity to challenge them to think creatively, critically, and even engage in service learning.

Japan is a great destination for educational trips as it is the perfect blend of nature, sports, history, and modern culture. The infrastructure is dependable. The train transportation network is well-developed. The water and food quality are high, and even eggs are routinely eaten raw. The country is also well known for being a safe country; elementary school children go to school on their own.

For students who are studying Japanese as a foreign language, there is nothing better than immersion in Japan to build applied, real-world Japanese language skills. While translation apps and AI will do away with linguistic barriers, there is no replacement for connecting with people in their native language directly without the need for apps or interpreters.

Japan provides the ultimate combination of cultural immersion and cross-cultural learning, innovation, safety, and infrastructure for life-changing experiences.

Inspiring young minds through Japan’s rich cultural heritage

Japanese culture is rich in tradition, having developed over centuries. Experience the traditional arts like tea ceremony, calligraphy, ikebana, incense, ceramics – arts that have been passed down generations as you learn about the history and lore behind them. Practice the language with locals and experience the side of Japan that few people get to see.

In Japan, ancient temples, manicured stone gardens, and old wooden shophouses are not just pretty photos sitting in a fancy museum. These are living architectural artifacts that can still be experienced not only in world-renowned cities like Kyoto and Nara, but in lesser-known locations like Kanazawa or Kamakura.

Stepping into a temple or meditating at a Zen garden not only help to develop global awareness and a sense of cultural relativism essential to living in the 21st century, it also helps young minds develop critical skills such as empathy, patience, emotional control, and appreciation for imperfection – an aesthic referred to in Japanese as “wabi-sabi,” or finding beauty in imperfection.

It’s not just sightseeing; it’s cultural immersion. Help your students gain a deeper level of understanding by going deeper with local guides and curators who can help interpret cultural artifacts, places, and practices.

Something for everyone: from sports, to arts, culture, STEM, nature, and more

College and university students will encounter real-world experiences relevant to their studies that will immerse them in cultural experiences and enrich their understanding of the world. A short study abroad trip is the perfect way to spend a spring, summer, or winter break, immersed in professional education.

Visits to top universities such as Tokyo University, Osaka University, and Keio University can create opportunities for students to meet their counterparts and learn from each other. In particular, Japanese universities are strong in STEM (sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics), and a strong culture of collaboration and exchange between academia and industry flourishes here. Particularly strong fields include: materials engineering, chemical science, agriculture, robotics, and, in recent years, AI.

Japan is also a great destination for students studying other fields, such as the arts, hospitality and tourism, fashion design, and architecture. Japan’s rich cultural heritage is well known for signature art forms such as calligraphy, ukiyo-e, and some of the oldest pottery practices. This richness makes the country home to over 604 art museums. Students can observe firsthand the culture of omotenashi in hotels, ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), and even retail stores. Or take in the gamut of architectural styles from wooden machiya houses of Kyoto to the modernist architecture of Tokyo. There’s something for every student, no matter what field they’re studying.

Japan is also a mecca for outdoor exploration, from snow sports to sea sports and adventure treks. In addition, sports like baseball are quite popular, as are unique sports like the tradition of Sumo wrestling, martial arts in the dojo, equestrian, and archery.

Develop leadership skills and empathy through meaningful service learning opportunities

Service learning helps experience life like a local, through supporting local communities. Students also learn new concepts as they engage in hands-on, authentic experiences with locals. For example, a part of the IB CAS program focuses on experiences where students must perform service learning because it teaches that learning is a lifelong pursuit.

Here are some examples of service learning programs in Japan that we can help arrange:

Charity Rice Planting Project. Every year, 5kg of rice from each participant, per session, is donated to non-Japanese residents, currently living in Japan, who are in difficult situations via official charitable organizations. We meet up four times a year: spring, summer, autumn, and winter, each season with a different activity.

Winter: Learn how to make local rice-based delicacies like mochi and onigiri.
Spring: Learn how to prepare the field for sowing and learn how to sow seeds, wait for the rice seedlings to grow, and transplant them into the rice field.
Mid-Summer: Learn how to maintain the organic rice field. Main tasks involve removing weeds, since no herbicides or pesticides are used in the organic rice planting process.
Late summer/early autumn: Harvest time!

Tea picking. The ancient art of tea farming is at risk as tea farmers grow older; the average age of the tea farmer in Japan is said to be close to 70. Every form of help that tea farmers get is valuable. Plus, students get direct exposure to tea growing and tea culture. This helps them understand the life of a tea farmer, have a taste of rural life in Japan, and experience work surrounded by greenery and fresh air far away from cities.

Activities include: Harvesting, weeding, packaging, tea preparation, cleaning, and others.

Volunteering in disaster-struck regions. Japan is a land of disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons. Disaster-struck regions need volunteers. Activities can be as simple as helping to pack and distribute necessities, or teaching English and other foreign languages to children in these regions. learn about a global disaster, its impact, aftermath, and be part of the regrowth story. It’s also a chance to see with their own eyes the destruction wrought by the tsunami that struck Fukushima, rather than rely solely on media accounts.

Japan: Safe, efficient, and group-friendly travel

Japan is a very traveler-friendly country. The transportation network and infrastructure are well developed, and many diverse destinations and activities are within several hours of driving. Budgets can also be easily accommodated with a variety of hotels and activities.

Students can stay at a hostel, a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), or a western-style hotel. Meals for large groups can be arranged so that special dietary considerations, such as allergies, can be accommodated.

One of the top priorities for educators when organizing student educational trips is student safety. You can be assured of choosing Japan, because from a safety standpoint, Japan is internationally recognized as a top destination for kids and families by Unicef. The incidence of traffic accidents is low, and it has one of the lowest rates of violent crime.

If you engage Tokudaw Inc. to plan your student’s educational trip to Japan, we take safety one step further. Our fleet of vehicles is regularly inspected to ensure they conform to safety protocols. Further, our vehicles are vacuumed daily with Dyson technology to remove dust and allergens. High-touch surfaces—like seatbelts, armrests, and door handles—are sanitized using SWIFF. This scientifically developed, plant-based formula neutralizes bacteria, allergens, and viruses without harsh chemicals to create a worry-free environment. Advanced air filters trap airborne irritants like pollen and bacteria, while humidifiers are added in colder months to keep the air fresh and comfortable during long rides.

Japan should be at the top of your list when planning educational trips for students

Ignite the spirit of discovery and education with our thoughtfully crafted trips to Japan. With safety as our utmost priority, we ensure that our customized itineraries will help students broaden their global perspective and develop as well-rounded, empathetic individuals.

If you’re a teacher, student advisor, CAS leader, or CAS coordinator and would like to plan an educational trip for your students to Japan, reach out to us. Tokudaw can help you organize and plan your students’ next educational trip or service learning journey to Japan! We help organize the plan for a stress-free trip. Leave the itinerary planning and logistics to us.

Most importantly, we help tailor the trip so your group experiences the “real” Japan, not just the touristy. The result is achieving the educational outcomes and learning objectives that you want your students to experience. Reach out to us at Tokudaw to curate your educational tour to Japan!