School trips to Japan

Need something bespoke?

Halsbury Sticker

School trips to Japan are becoming more and more popular, as the country offers so many incredible learning experiences, especially for geography, business studies and art school trips. It’s also a fantastic choice for a cultural school trip.

Japan boasts a unique and fascinating culture, beautiful colours and ancient architecture, while also being at the forefront of modern science and technology. Most of our groups choose to base themselves in Japan’s bustling capital, Tokyo, with excursions to other places of interest, including the imposing Mt. Fuji and the traditional teahouses of Kyoto.

Read more

Why visit Japan?

Explore the Pacific Ring of Fire

For geography students, Japan’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire provides thrilling opportunities to better understand the Earth’s geology.

This is a country of volcanoes and frequent earthquakes, and on your geography school trip to Japan, your students will have the opportunity to visit an earthquake simulator and find out how the Japanese prepare themselves for a large-scale earthquake to happen in an urban environment.

On your Japan school trip, you’ll also be able to visit Mount Fuji, as well as the Owakudani Valley, which is an area around the crater created by the last eruption of Mount Hakone, over 3,000 years ago. Hot springs provide an insight into the geothermal activity going on beneath the ground.

Discover the incredible artistic heritage

And if you’re looking for an art school trip that takes in a diverse range of styles, you’d be hard-pressed to beat a trip to Japan. Here you can explore more traditional art forms such as ukiyo-e, as well as more modern ones, like manga and anime.

A visit to the Amuse Museum in Tokyo is a must for any art school trip to Japan. Here you’ll learn more about Japanese textile culture and the traditional woodblock painting known as ukiyo-e.

And you can explore Japanese sculpture at the Hakone Open-Air Museum, where your students will get to see works by artists including Yasuo Mizui and Taro Okamoto.

Experience an ancient culture

A school trip to Japan will offer your students the opportunity to discover a culture that is very different to their own and to see the beauty in that diversity.

The rich culture of Japan is one that will be endlessly fascinating to your students. You’ll discover ancient traditions, such as Shinto festivals, tea ceremonies and Buddhist sculptures.

As well as exploring the capital, Tokyo, where you’ll experience both the ancient and modern Japanese culture, you’ll also be able to visit the former imperial capital of Kyoto on your cultural school trip to Japan.

Learn about one of the world’s biggest economies

Tokyo is, of course, an economic powerhouse, which makes it the perfect destination for a business studies school trip.

A world leader in innovation, Japan is the home of such global companies as Panasonic and Honda – and you’ll have the opportunity to visit their visitor centres in Tokyo to learn more about how they market their iconic brands.

Activities in Japan that your school group will love

Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan, standing at3,776 metres highabout 60 miles west of Tokyo. It is a

Owakudani Valley

Owakudani is the area around a crater created in the last eruption of Mount Hakone 3000 years ago. Sulfurous fumes,

Tokyo Imperial Palace

The Tokyo Imperial Palace is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. This is a fantastic visit for your

Tokyo National Museum

The Tokyo National Museum is the oldest and largest museum in Japan.

Sony Building

A Ginza landmark, the Sony Building features a variety of shops, showrooms and restaurants. Among these arethe Sony Showroom, where

Tokyo Stock Exchange

The TSE Market Center is open to the general public between 9:00 - 16:00pm with the option of a free

Ginza Area

Ginza is Japan's most fashionable shopping address, with high-end shops, boutiques, art galleries and department stores like Hankyu, Matsuya, Matsuzakaya,

The National Art Centre, Tokyo

The National Art Center, Tokyo boasts 14,000 square meters of exhibition space, which is one of the largest in Japan.

Suginami Animation Museum

Suginami Animation Museum is set in the heart of Tokyo's Suginami district which has become home to many of the

Where to visit in Japan

Learn more

Why choose Halsbury?

We build your trip around you

Tell us your learning objectives, curriculum and budget and we’ll do the rest.

Contact us

We’re trusted for a reason

We’re members of ABTA, ABTOT and the School Travel Forum. We also hold an ATOL and the LOtC Quality Badge.

Read more

Our Education specialists

Laura Lucas

Tour Consultant

Paul Hudson

Tour Consultant

Laura Martin

Language Sales & Product Manager

Emma Gray da Silva

Tour Consultant

Meet our education specialists and get to know more about the people committed to making your school trip the best it can be.

Meet the education team

FAQs

I can’t see the destination I’m looking to travel to, can you still help me with my trip?

Of course.

We've got great relationships with suppliers all over the world, so we should be able to arrange something for you to suit your budget and trip objectives in your preferred destination.

Just get in touch with us and we'll let you know what we can do. 

Do you offer travel insurance?

We do. Travel insurance is an optional extra and you can find out more about it in our travel insurance resource (which includes the policy documents and FAQs). 

If you decide against arranging this insurance through us (which is absolutely fine, by the way), please just remember you must have suitable travel and medical insurance to cover your group. 

How far ahead should I start planning my trip?

As a general rule, we recommend that you start planning your trip 12-18 months before you want to travel. This gives you plenty of time to get it approved and launched to students and parents.

Planning early will mean you have a greater choice of accommodation and travel options - and it will make paying for the trip easier for families, as they'll be able to break it down into smaller, more manageable payments.

You can check out our trip-planning timeline for a better idea of the process and when you should expect to be doing things. 

If you are looking to travel sooner than this, it is possible. It will depend on availability and you may find prices are a bit higher, but get in touch and we can see what's possible. 

Can the trip itinerary be adapted to my curriculum and requirements?

Every single trip we arrange is tailor-made, so yes, the itinerary can be adapted.

Our Tour Advisers and Itinerary Coordinators are all experienced school travel specialists. They'll work closely with you to make sure your itinerary supports your learning objectives. They'll be able to offer suggestions and advice to make sure you make the most of your time. 

So, when you're browsing through our school trips, just remember that the itineraries and activities you see are there for inspiration only - your own itinerary can look as similar or as different as you want. 

Equally, we've suggested trip durations based on what groups usually request - if you want to go for a shorter or longer duration, just let us know. 

What accommodation options are available?

The accommodation options that are available vary depending on the destination but we're usually able to arrange everything from hostel-style accommodation to more luxurious hotels. 

On each of the trip pages, you'll see some accommodation options - these are usually the most popular for those destinations, but we often have plenty of other options available. You'll discuss accommodation options (and budget) with your Tour Adviser when they're putting your quote together, so don't be afraid to let them know if you want something different. 

We only work with accommodation options that are suitable for schools. As a member of the School Travel Forum (STF), you can be certain that all accommodation contracted by us complies with local legislation with respect to fire and general safety, is contracted by trained Halsbury Travel staff or reputable agents, receives a standard audit and risk assessment prior to use by Halsbury Travel and receives a supplementary audit if it is used on five or more occasions in a year. 

Let's chat!