The Boys' Mentorship Programme
7th - 12th December 2024
10 days | Osaka | Kyoto | Takayama Region | Kanazawa | Tokyo | Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony
Japan is an island nation of contrasts. Neon lights pulse and shine on century-old temples, monks walk alongside anime cosplayers, and Zen meditation is practiced in the same parks where people take selfies. It may sound chaotic, but Japan has perfected the balance of ancient and modern. A better understanding of Buddhism and Shinto, higher truth, or just a measure of inner peace await you on this meditative journey through the tranquil side of Japanese culture.
Everything You Get.
Full-time Tour Director
Sightseeing: 2 sightseeing tours led by expert, licensed local guides; 1 walking tour.
Entrances: Osaka Castle; Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine; Golden Pavilion; Kiyomizudera Temple; tea ceremony; Zen meditation; Takayama morning market challenge; Shirakawa-go open-air museum; Kanazawa castle; Kenroku-en Garden; gold-leaf chopstick activity; Meiji Shinto Shrine; arcade; Miraikan – The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation; Asakusa Kannon Temple; with extension: N Seoul Tower; Gyeongbokgung Palace; Korean cooking class; Bukchon Hanok Village; Hyundai Motor studio.
Personalized learning guide: The personalized learning experience will engage students before, during, and after tour, with the option to create a final, reflective project for academic credit.
All of the details are covered: Round-trip flights on major carriers; internal flight with extension; comfortable motor coach; bullet train; 8 overnight stays in hotels with private bathrooms (11 with extension); breakfast and dinner daily.
YOU’RE GOING TO EXPERIENCE IT.
As you can see, our Boys Mentorship Japan tour includes visits to the places your son has learned about in school. That’s a given. But it’s so much more than that. Immersing boys in new cultures—surrounded by the people, the language, the food, the way of life—creates-inspirational moments that can’t be listed in an itinerary. They can only be experienced.
And the experience begins long before your son gets his passport stamped and meets the Tour Director in our arrival city. It begins the moment you the parent decides that he will go for this experience. Whether it’s connecting with other travelers on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or delving deeper into our destinations with this personalized learning experience, the excitement will hit him long before your son packs his suitcase.
When our group arrives in Japan, everything is taken care of so the boys can relax and enjoy the experience. We will have a full-time Tour Director for our group around the clock, handling local transportation, hotels, and meals while also providing their own insight into the local history and culture. Expert local guides will lead the boys on sightseeing tours, providing detailed views on history, art, architecture, or anything we may have a question about.
When our journey is over and we’re unpacking your suitcase at home, boys will realize the benefits of their life-changing experience do not end. They have just begun.
What We’ll Experience On Our Tour.
Fly overnight to Japan.
Meet our Tour Director at the airport in Osaka.
–Visit the Osaka Castle, a famous landmark surrounded by moats and gardens that’s filled with Samurai history.
–Travel to Kyoto, a city that conjures images of sunlit walks around tiered pagodas and quiet lakes lined with cherry blossom trees.
– Visit the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, located near the base of Mount Inari.Â
– Originally constructed to honor the Shinto god of rice, the elaborate complex welcomes visitors through thousands of red torii gates.
– Take a walking tour of Nishiki Market and the Pontocho district with our Tour Director.
– Boys will take an expert-led tour of Kyoto. As the national capital for over a millennium, Kyoto offers a unique glimpse into the history of Imperial Japan.
– Boys will visit the tranquil Golden Pavilion, a Zen Buddhist temple painted in delicate gold leaf.
– Boys will visit the Kiyomizudera Temple, a celebrated house of worship best known for its large wooden stage that sits on a colorful hillside.
– Boys will experience the rich flavors of matcha green tea ice cream, a Japanese culinary and cultural delight.
– Boys will enjoy a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.
– Boys will travel to the small mountain town of Takayama.
– Enjoy free time for lunch.
– Take a deep breath and relax during a guided Zen meditation experience.
– Boys will visit the Takayama morning market, a market that’s been held everyday for centuries.
– Travel to Kanazawa.
– Make a stop to learn about Samurai-style mountain architecture.
– Our group will visit Kanazawa Castle for a look at feudal Japanese life and architecture.
– The boys will learn the six qualities of the perfect landscape garden at Kenroku-en Garden.
– Boys will discover how gold leaf is created, then make your own gold-leaf chopsticks to take home.
– Boys will travel to Tokyo by bullet train.
– Take an expert-led tour of Tokyo including the Imperial Palace Plaza grounds, Harajuku shopping district, and the Metropolitan Government Building.
– Counteract the bustle of Tokyo’s streets with a visit to the Meiji Shinto Shrine. Quiet and stillness reign inside its elaborate Inner Garden, a wooded oasis in the middle of the city.
– Boys will take a walking tour of Shibuya, a major commercial and finance center with a famously crowded pedestrian crossing.
– Discover the world of Japanese gaming culture with a visit to a local arcade.
– Spend time seeing more of Tokyo or enjoy an authentic karaoke experience.
– Boys will visit Miraikan – The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, where you’ll explore exhibits on sustainable growth and evolution and ponder a future built by robot technology.
– Take a tour of Akihabara Electric Town.
– Visit Asakusa Kannon Temple, the city’s largest Buddhist temple. Here, restaurants, theaters, and cinemas surround a five-story pagoda—a perfect symbol of Tokyo’s enduring past and ultramodern future. Take a moment to reflect as a group on what we’ve all learned while traveling through this country of contrasts together.
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