Day 1 :
Embark on your Japanese Language Immersion Tour
- Departure from your airport:
Relax and enjoy your scheduled flight from North America.
Day 2 :
Arrive in Japan
- Upon arrival:
Your International Studies Abroad Program Director will meet you at the airport to escort your group to the hotel and will be available to the group throughout the program.
- Tokyo:
Just over 400 years ago, the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu moved his government to Edo, which over the next century became Japan's largest city and, subsequently, the largest city in the world. In 1868, the name changed from Edo to Tokyo, which means Eastern Capital. Home to nearly 16 million people, this wealthy and fascinating metropolis brings high-tech visions of the future side by side with glimpses of old Japan. In Tokyo, the cost of public transport is included for all group sightseeing. Escorted by your ISA Resident Director, you’ll be able to experience the city in the same manner as the locals.
- Accommodations:
Your accommodations for the next eight nights will be in Tokyo. While here, you’ll enjoy breakfast at the hotel.
- Orientation:
Participate in an orientation covering the health and safety aspects of the week ahead.
- Welcome walking tour:
This evening, your group will take a neighborhood orientation tour.
- Group dinner:
Enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.
- Daily reflection and group discussion:
"We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience." - John Dewey
Every evening of the program, we’ll set time aside to update your Reflection Journal and share thoughts and impressions that have come up during the day.
Day 3 :
Language classes and cooking class
- Program orientation:
Attend an orientation meeting for relevant information and useful tools to familiarize yourself with the host country and the program ahead.
- Language classes:
For the next five mornings, you’ll participate in Japanese language and culture classes.
- Washoku and sushi-making workshop:
For lunch, your group will enjoy a Washoku lecture and sushi-making workshop. Washoku, Japanese traditional food culture, was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. Set in a traditional Japanese (kominka) house, you’ll learn about the characteristics, culture, and nutritional value of Japanese food as well as how to make sushi and miso soup. As your group shares this meal, you’ll practice Japanese table manners and useful phrases to show appreciation for meals.
- Group dinner:
Enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.
Day 4 :
Language classes and Edo Tokyo Museum
- Language classes:
Continue your Japanese language and culture classes to enhance and practice your linguistic skills.
- Edo Tokyo Museum:
Visit the Edo Tokyo Museum, which serves as a project of the city on living in the future, and learn more about Tokyo's history and culture. The museum’s whole construction area covers about 30,000 square meters—that is 2.4 times bigger than the Tokyo Dome Stadium’s field area.
- Group dinner:
Enjoy dinner together in a local restaurant.
Day 5 :
Language classes and Akihabara
- Language classes:
Continue your Japanese language and culture classes to enhance and practice your linguistic skills.
- Akihabara:
After lunch, you’ll embark on a culture tour of Akihabara, where lovers of video games, anime, manga, and collector items go for the latest and most unique goods.
- Group dinner:
Enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.
Day 6 :
Language classes and tea garden visit
- Language classes:
Continue your Japanese language and culture classes to enhance and practice your linguistic skills.
- Hamirikyu Gardens:
Enjoy tea at the Hamirikyu Gardens. This scenic garden was once reserved for Imperial use and was only opened to the public in 1946. You’ll observe a traditional tea ceremony performance in the floating teahouse.
- Group dinner:
Have dinner together in a local restaurant.
Day 7 :
Language classes and shrine visit
- Language classes: :
Today is the final day of your Japanese language classes in Tokyo. Participate in activities and lessons to demonstrate what you’ve learned over the past week.
- Meiji Shrine:
View the Meiji Shrine, dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Emperor Meiji was the first emperor of modern Japan, born in 1852 and ascending to the throne in 1868 at the peak of the Meiji Restoration when the power was switched from the feudal Tokugawa government to the emperor.
- Shibuya and Harajuku districts:
Enjoy a walking tour from Shibuya to Harajuku, starting at the famous crossing known as the Shibuya Scramble, which is rumored to be the busiest intersection in the world. Before crossing the road, say hello to Hachiko, the dog statue, and hear about his story.
- Karaoke and dinner:
This evening, enjoy traditional Japanese karaoke by singing your favorite songs with your friends! Afterward, enjoy dinner at the venue.
Day 8 :
Day trip to Kamakura
- Kamakura:
Your group will have a private coach for your excursion today. Kamakura is a charming small city about an hour south of Tokyo that is popular with tourists due to its many historic temples. In medieval times, it was the center city of Japan. Kamakura also features a sandy beach and is known for its surfing.
- Engakuji Temple:
Visit Engakuji Temple, which is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan, ranked second among Kamakura's Five Mountains.
- Tsurugaoka Hachimangu:
Stop to appreciate Kamakura's most important shrine, the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. The shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron god of the Minamoto family and the samurai.
- Hasedera:
Hasedera is a temple of the Jodo sect, famous for its 11-headed statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The 30-foot tall gilded wooden statue is one of the largest wooden sculptures in Japan and can be viewed in the temple's main building, the Kannon-do Hall.
- Group dinner:
Enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.
Day 9 :
Excursion to Mt. Fuji
- Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre:
Spend time exploring the Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre, dedicated to the famous volcano, where you will find interactive exhibits and an observation deck.
- Chureito Pagoda:
Visit Chureito Pagoda, located on a hilltop facing Mt. Fuji in Arakurayama Sengen Park, reached via 398 steps. From the pagoda, you can see three iconic sites: Mt. Fuji, Sakura, and the Five-Story Pagoda.
- Farewell dinner:
Enjoy a special farewell dinner together in a local restaurant.
- Final reflection and discussion session:
This evening, you’ll make the final entries in your Reflection Journal and share some of the most significant observations and perspectives that have taken shape throughout your Language Immersion Trip in Japan. We’ll also discuss how these experiences may be most relevant for us all as we return home.
Day 10 :
Departure from Tokyo
- Sayonara! :
Your rewarding and enjoyable Japanese Language Immersion Tour in Tokyo comes to an end as your Resident Director accompanies your group to the airport on your final day.
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