After returning from trips to Japan in 2007-2009, 50 teachers from New Zealand schools gave us some detailed information about their trips to Japan:

Time of Year: Most of the trips occurred in April and September with far fewer in January or July.

Length of the Overall Trip: The trips generally ranged between 2 and 3 weeks long.

Number of Nights at a Homestay & Hostel: There was a wide variance here between programmes with a few trips staying only at hostels through to one trip where the accommodation was entirely in homestays.

Number of Days Attending a Japanese School: School visits still tend to be difficult to organise.

Number of Students and Adults on the Trip:
Trips of 10 students or less - 32%
Trips of 11 - 20 students - 52%
Trips of more than 20 students - 16%
Lowest number of students - 6
Largest number of students - 39

Homestay Locations:

Hokkaido
Sapporo, Hokkaido
Kiyosato, Shari, Hokkaido
Tomakomai, Hokkaido
Eniwa, Hokkaido

Tohoku Region
Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture New Addition!
Sendai, Miyagi New Addition!
Hanawa Machi , Fukushima Prefecture New Addition!

Kanto Region
Utsunomiya City, Tochigi x2

Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki New Addition!

Sakai Machi, Gunma New Addition!
Kiryu, Gunma x3
Takasaki City, Gunma x4
Kanramachi, Gunma

Sakado, Saitama
Kumagaya, Saitama
Saitama

Narita City, Chiba
Yachiyo City, Chiba
Kimitsu City, Chiba
Tako City, Chiba

Tokyo x4
Hachioji, Tokyo
Machida City, Tokyo

Yokohama, Kanagawa

Chubu Region
Nonochi Town, Ishikawa

Takefu, Fukui-ken New Addition!
Fukui-shi, Fukui-ken New Addition!

Gifu City, Gifu x2
Gero, Gifu

Mishima, Shizuoka

Toyohashi City, Aichi New Addition!
Tsushima, Aichi
Ichinomiya City, Aichi
Gamogori, Aichi

Kinki Region
Kyoto
Miyazu, Kyoto
Uji City, Kyoto x2

Higashi Osaka City New Addition!
Mino City, Osaka
Osaka x3

Kawanishi, Hyogo New Addition!
Toyooka, Hyogo

Hashimoto City, Wakayama

Chugoku Region
Kurashiki, Okayama

Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima
Hiroshima CIty x2

Shikoku
Shikokuchuoshi, Ehime New Addition!
Takamatsu City, Kagawa
Kagawa City
Tokushima City

Kyushu
Kitakyushu New Addition!
Fukuoka City
Kurume City, Fukuoka
Beppu, Oita

Recommended Places of Interest:

Hokkaido
Abashiri City, Hokkaido
Kyokudozan, Shari, Hokkaido
Lake Masshu, Hokkaido
Sapporo Chocolate Factory
Asa-ichi Fish Market, Hakodate
Snow Festival in Sapporo
Historic Village of Hokkaido (Kaitaku no Mura), Sapporo

Tohoku Region
Hirosaki Castle, Aomori
Oirase, Aomori Prefecture: Bush walk beside running river New Addition!

Esashi, Iwate - Traditional Japanese building, students can experience wearing Japanese Kimono, and archery New Addition!
Morioka Snow Festival, Iwate

Ouchi-juku, Fukushima – well worth a visit - this old village has been maintained in its original condition – the houses are shops selling tradtional crafts and the challenge is to eat the local speciality – soba with a large spring onion instead of hashi. One student also tried grasshoppers! New Addition!

Sendai, Miyagi -Yamadera – 1100 steps up a hillside passing numerous temples on the way – Gambatte! Is a useful phrase. New Addition!

Kanto Region
Nikko
Toshogu Shrine
Kegon Falls
Tomihiro Hashino Art Gallery
Tobu World Square

Kanra Town, Gunma Prefecture
Gunma - Local Samurai Parade and Spring Festival

Sharp Technology Centre, Chiba

Hanami in Hachimanyama Park, Utsunomiya New Addition!

Tokyo
Sumidagawa boat trip from Asakusa to Hinode New Addition!
Meiji Shrine
Ueno Zoo
Tokyo Disneyland - good and bad reviews
Asakusa, Kaminarimon Gate, Sensouji Temple New Addition!
Harajuku, Omotesando
Akihabara
Tokyo NHK studio
Kabuki Theatre, Tokyo (for 1 act only it’s about 1000 yen)
Imperial Palace
Tokyo Tower
Shibuya
Tokyo Dome City
Ameyokocho markets
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Tower - Observation Deck on a clear day
Ghibli Museum
Odaiba - Rainbow Bridge New Addition!
Miraikan - Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Odaiba
Edo Museum
Edo Mura
Ginza in early evening to see the lights
National Museum
Sumo tournament
Koiwa
Myogonji Temple
Tsukiji Fish Markets - largest fish market in the world / best as optional activity as very early start / take a taxi leaving hostel at 5am, walk through the many stalls and by the rushing delivery carts all the way to the back warehouse where there's one little door that says 'Visitors' - watch the fascinating tuna auctions! New! Check at your hostel for new limited access information. Same early time, but you have to get an entrance ticket (free) first and then go to the auction area.
Night Lights at Shinjuku & Tokyo Tower (skyscrapers and best lookout over Tokyo)
Zoujouji Temple
Shinagawa Aquarium (not very good)
Shimokitaza, Shinjuku
National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation
Korakuen Amusement Park

Yokohama – Landmark building (70 storeys) –great panarama of city
Yokohama - Sakuragicho area
Kamakura, Kanagawa
Yunessan Spa near Hakone – such fun –lots of different flavoured pools!

Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park - Ee ja nai ka? Roller Coaster Ride!

Chubu Region
Takayama
Festival Museum
Puppets Museum
Morning Market
Shirakawago
Old streets in Takayama
Hida no Sato
Takayama spring festival
Kur Alp (17 kinds of baths)

Samurai armour changing place and Inuyama Castle in Inuyama City, Gifu

Toyohashi – Toyokawa Shrine New Addition!
Toyota factory, Aichi

Nagashima Spaland – Amusement Park, Mie Prefecture

Kinki Region
Kyoto and Western Japan
New! The JTB sunrise tour was great because we got to see all of the major sights. The guide was really interesting and entertaining and we didn’t have to waste time with a big group negotiating public transport so not at all stressful for the sensei=). The show at Gion Corner is reasonably priced and gives a good overview of traditional Japanese arts. Length is also just right for students. Eiga mura in Kyoto where they were filming period dramas was also popular. The boys in particular loved the ninja aerial display and sword fighting!
Kiyomizudera
New! A nice walk from Kiyomizudera to Maruyama Park in Yasaka Shrine (or the other way) on the narrow back road.
New! Hanami Walking Trail - From Maruyama Park at Yasaka Shrine through to Heian Jingu Shrine to Shirakawa River back through the The Philosopher's Path (Tetsugaku no michi) - lovely walk
Shosei-en Garden - close to K's House Kinkakuji New Addition!
To-ji Temple Flea Market - the temple hosts this famous flea market on the 21st of every month. Students can practise numbers by bargaining for just about anything you can imagine. New Addition!
Kitano Tenman-gu Flea Market - another flea market on the 25th of every month. New Addition!
Ryoanji Zen Rock Gardens
Eigamura film studio
Nijo castle
Nishiki Ichiba
Ninenzaka
Yasaka Shrine
Gion, Ponto-cho - at night!
The Philosopher's Path (Tetsugaku no michi)
Heian Jingu
Sanjuu Sangendo Temple
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Kyoto Museum of Modern Art
Chion Temple
Higashi Honganji
Kyoto Imperial Palace
Kyoto Handicraft Centre
Kitano Tenmangu shrine
Toei Studio Park, Eigamura
Uji Byoodooin
Daitokuji, Daisen-in - small zen rock gardens where Sen-no-Rikyu practiced the tea ceremony.
Arashiyama Monkey Mountain - will not go there again New Addition!

Kansai New Zealand Centre New Addition!
Osaka Aquarium New Addition!
Osaka Castle New Addition!
Osaka Minami(Namba, Shinsaibashi etc)
Universal Studios
Swallows vs Tigers Ballbase game
Den Den town
Amerika Mura
Saikyoubashi, Osaka
Tempozan aquarium, Kobe earthquake museum
Umeda Shopping Area, Umeda Sky Tower and Big Camera at Osaka
Uniqlo is the best clothes shop for value and quality!

Himeji Castle, Hyogo

Nara-Machi Town (Nara)
Nara Park, Todaiji, Daibutsu, Kasuga Taisha Shrine

Mt Koya, Wakayama

Chogoku Region
New! We organised a cultural exchange through the Hiroshima International Youth House doing bon odori, shodo and origami. It was a really enjoyable afternoon for the students & we didn’t have to go anywhere as it was in the hotel.
Matsuda stadium (baseball game) New Addition!
Hiroshima Peace Park & Museum
View from top of the hill behind the Hiroshima Youth Hostel (worth the climb at night)
Mazda car factory in Hiroshima. Mazda factory is free and fantastic!!
The Mint Bureau Hirioshima Branch
Kure- Yamato Museum
Miyajima, Miyajima Aquarium

Shikoku
Konpirasan Shrine, Kotohira, Kagawa
Tadano Cranes, Takamatsu, Kagawa

Kyushu
Castle in Kitakyushu New Addition!
Fukuoka’s Robo Square – latest in robot technology showroom

Okinawa
I haven’t heard of any other NZ student groups going to Okinawa and I have only ever been there once with a student group. But, it is an extremely interesting place, and you can swim year round – I had kids swimming one day and in the freezing snow the next at the Sapporo Snow Festival.
Two places we went, which were really interesting were the WW2 Naval Underground Headquarters, near Naha, where about 4000 men committed suicide, rather that surrender to the incoming barbaric Americans.
The other was ‘Okinawa World’, where there is a large limestone cave you walk through. Then there is an Okinawa dance show, snakes you can put around your neck, Okinawan fruit, glass making and sanshin (Okinawan shamisen) making, etc.
Then there are the markets in Naha, which are under cover, which will provide hours of interesting shopping.
Naha has a recently-built monorail too, which is very convenient.
It is also quite easy to get a bus to transport your group around – we had a group of 10 and, when we walked out of Naha Airport, we found a bus, which took us to near our accommodation. Then the bus came and picked us up from near our accommodation on our final day and took us to the Naval Headquarters, then Okinawa World, to a restaurant for lunch – Okinawa Raamen – and to the airport by around 2 p.m. – and that cost us 25000 yen.
Okinawa is so laid back.