Program Overview

Join St. Anne’s Episcopal School & Travel For Teens on this journey to Japan, the Land of The Rising Sun. Japan is a country full of ancient cultures, strong traditions, and the technology of the future. From the flashy cityscape of Tokyo to the peaceful temples of Kyoto and the majesty of Mt. Fuji, Japan will astonish even the most well-traveled students.

Try your hand at the ancient art of karate, taste the best sushi of your life and experience the scramble at the world-famous Shibuya crossing. From the flashy cityscape of Tokyo to the peaceful temples of Kyoto and the majesty of Mt. Fuji, Japan will astonish even the most well-traveled students.

This program is perfect for any student looking to gain a global perspective while discovering one of the world’s most fascinating cultures. Join us today!

 

Price

$5795

Dates
Jun 11, 2024 - Jun 20, 2024
What's Included

Round-trip international airfare from Denver, CO to Tokyo, Japan
All breakfasts, lunches and dinners
All accommodations at 3-star hotels and local accommodations
All admissions
All gratuities (no additional tips for activities)
All departure taxes
All registration charges
All ground transportation (coaches/trains/public transport)

Who Can Join?

All St. Anne’s students who will be in grades 7 & 8 in the 2023-2024 school year are invited to join this adventure of a lifetime!

Countries

Japan

Registration Deadline

May 1, 2023

Contact Information

Maggie Kuk

mkuk@st-annes.org

During this program, you will…

  • Visit the Sensoji Temple, one of Tokyo’s oldest and most colorful temples
  • Discover one of the oldest traditions in Japan at an authentic tea ceremony
  • Soak up modern Japanese culture at the world’s most famous anime center, the Ghibli Museum
  • Experience a sensory overload in Shibuya and Harajuku, the fashion hub that’s famous for the busiest street crossing on the planet
  • Visit the Hiroshima Peace Museum
  • Visit Himeji Castle, dating back to 1333 and an incredible site of traditional Japanese architecture
  • Be like the Japanese and spend an evening singing popular hit songs with your friends at karaoke
  • Visit the Kanmangafuchi Abyss, and see the Jizo statues that are the guardian deity of children and travelers
  • Take a private Karate lesson
  • Spot Maiko and Geisha during a night walk through Gion
  • Visit the incredible Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, a popular tourist destination since 749AD

Trip Itinerary

DAY 1: DEPART FROM THE USA

Group flight departs for Tokyo!

DAY 2-4: TOKYO

Upon your arrival in Tokyo, you’ll be greeted at the airport by your Travel For Teens guides, who will accompany you for the duration of your journey.

Our adventure begins amidst the bustling streets and sparkling lights of Tokyo. Visit Miyazaki’s animation studio where classics like Princess Mononoke, Laputa, and Totoro were created. Hit up the famous Akihabara area, home to video games, anime, and manga, and shop in the colorful Harajuku District. Head to the top of the government building for incredible views of the city and stare in awe at Shibuya Crossing, the busiest street crossing in the world! Wander through the world famous Japanese fish market and visit several stunning shrines. And no trip to Tokyo would be complete without tasting everything this bustling city has to offer, including ramen, sushi, and teppanyaki!

DAY 5: NIKKO

Then it’s off Nikko, a small city in Japan’s mountains, north of Tokyo. Visit the sacred Toshu-gu Shrine, also home to the Three Wise Monkeys: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. After marveling at Nikko’s iconic red bridge, we will enjoy a relaxing hike through the tranquil countryside to discover the natural beauty of Northern Japan, including Kegon falls.

DAY 6: NIKKO > NAGOYA > KYOTO

Hop on the high-speed bullet train to our next destination! En-route to Kyoto we will stop in Nagoya to learn more about a well known traditional Japanese art…karate!

We will visit a local dojo where you will learn from certified instructors and even be assisted by some of their regular students! This is a great opportunity to get hands on with this well-loved Japanese art and interact with the locals. You will learn a variety of moves, including kicks, strikes, stances, and even how to chop a piece of wood!

Our karate class is meant to be fun and a way to further explore Japanese culture. No skills are necessary to participate.

DAYS 7-9: KYOTO > HIROSHIMA

Then  it’s on to Japan’s cultural gem: Kyoto. This charming city is famous for its beautiful temples and shrines and we will have several days to explore its stunning golden temple, tranquil rock gardens, and ornate palaces.

Our time in Kyoto will be very interactive. After learning about geishas, we will go for an evening geisha walk to spot them strolling about the historical city center. We will experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony and learn exactly what is involved with this ancient art. We will also enjoy a fun and exciting taiko lesson, where we will learn to play these traditional Japanese drums with instructors in a fun and easy to learn format. To enjoy nature, we will hike through a bamboo forest, as well as visit the famous orange torii gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine.

Hop on a bullet-train and take a day trip to Hiroshima. Hiroshima today is dedicated to bringing peace to the world, a direct result of the destruction the atomic bomb brought to it during WWII. Each year, students are moved by hearing such a personal and emotional story in the place that it happened, and come away with a greater understanding of the effects of WWII. On the way back to Kyoto, stop at the gorgeous 700 year old Himeji Castle and learn about Japanese Samurai!

Kyoto will also include plenty of opportunities to shop and play arcade games. Students who are brave enough will also be able to showcase their singing skills at a local karaoke hotspot!

We’ll celebrate the end of an incredible trip with an upscale final dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Kyoto!

DAY 10: RETURN FLIGHT TO THE USA

Catch one final bullet train out of Kyoto on your final morning! Flight departs for Denver from Tokyo.

 

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Informational Meeting Details

Informational Meeting Details
Your lead teacher & a TFT representative will give a short presentation and answer your questions.

When: Monday, March 13, 2023

Where: Room 24

Time: 4:00 PM MTN

 

 

Travel with us and discover why we are consistently winning awards for Top Youth Travel Organization.

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Trip Specific FAQs

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Who is Travel For Teens?

We are in our 21st year in the teen travel business and have emerged as the industry leader for teen travel in the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. We operate over 100 programs in 47 countries on 6 continents.

Our philosophy: We offer genuine and authentic trips for travelers, not tourists.

Our goal is to engender a passion for learning about other cultures and places through living like a local in that place.

How much is tuition & what does tuition include?

Tuition for the trip is $5,795 which INCLUDES round-trip international airfare from Denver, Colorado, all breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, accommodations, transportation, premium trip insurance, entrance to museums/events, taxes, and tips for activities.

Tuition does NOT INCLUDE meals not listed in the itinerary, beverages other than filtered water at meals, COVID testing before, during, or after the trip, laundry, souvenirs, shopping, visas and visa application fees, personal and medical expenses, activities and admissions that are not program-related or referenced in the itinerary, tips, excess baggage fees, damage to hotels, expenses related to unforeseen circumstances (e.g. transportation delays or natural disasters).

If I cannot afford the payment schedule listed above, does Travel For Teens provide flexible payment plans?

Yes, Travel For Teens is willing to customize a payment plan for any participant who needs a little flexibility in the payment schedule. Please email help@travelforteens.com for details on payment plans.

Who can go on this trip?

The trip is open to all 7th & 8th grade students at St. Anne’s Episcopal School.

After I register, what happens next?

Once you have completed your registration and paid your deposit, you will receive an email that contains your USERNAME and PASSWORD to MyTFT. All forms to be completed by parents and physician as well as packing lists, travel tips, travel insurance information, and other important information can be found on the MyTFT portal (hard copies of the essential legal/medical forms can be mailed to participants upon request). Our contract and release must be signed by all custodial parents (or guardians) and the participant.

Where do we stay?

We will be staying in a mix of local accommodations and three-star hotels throughout the program. The names of the accommodations are available to all families once they have signed up.

Single rooms can be requested and will cost $450 additional per person per single.

Note: singles must be requested at the time of registration to be guaranteed.

Trip Emails & Photographs

PHOTOGRAPHS

We will take dozens, if not hundreds, of photos each day. The best photos will be posted as regularly as possible (ideally every day) to a private photo-sharing platform (Waldo Photos) where you can follow along with the trip. We will send you an email to alert you when we post new photos. Low-resolution photos can be viewed for free during and after the trip. All of your High-Resolution matched photos can be purchased and downloaded in real-time during the trip or after the trip for $50.

EMAILS

The Trip Director will be in regular email contact every 24-48 hours, internet willing, with our families. Emails will include fun detailed updates about the day’s activities and are a great way for families to follow along with the journey. Email will be the best way to communicate messages to the Trip Director.

What is the payment timeline?

Deadline to register: May 1, 2024

$750 deposit due within three business days of registration

Balance in five equal installments: September 15, October 15, November 15, 2023, January 15, 2024, and February 15, 2024

Safety, Sickness & Communication

SAFETY AND SICKNESS

The safety of our participants is our #1 concern, which is why we have only experienced trip leaders running the show. We offer 24/7 communication throughout our programs and have detailed risk management and safety policies in place. Please review our policies here.

For information regarding our specific policies with Covid-19 please review our Covid-19 protocols page here.

 

What are the safety qualifications for our staff?

Our staff members undergo a rigorous hiring process. They receive the same background check as school educators, an extensive training process to go over all safety precautions and protocols, and are required to be certified in CPR and First Aid.  We exclusively hire responsible, multi-talented individuals who are safety-minded and are as passionate about teen travel as we are.

What is the food like on a TFT program? Can you accommodate dietary restrictions?

In a word – delicious! At TFT, we believe food should be an integral part of the travel experience and always make an effort to eat at authentic establishments when we can. What better way to immerse yourself in the culture of a place than by sampling the local delicacies, and we encourage students to do so whenever possible! Just as we stay away from Americanized hotel chains, we try to avoid restaurants with menus that cater only to tourists because every good traveler knows the best food is found wherever the locals are eating!

We also love to have picnics al fresco and do this whenever possible, which is a great way to taste some local food while sitting out in the fresh air taking in the sights and sounds of our surroundings.

As always, we are willing and able to accommodate vegetarians, vegans, gluten allergies, and other dietary restrictions.

Do I need to speak the language?

No, our skilled staff members will help you get around and even teach you a few fun phrases!

Are participants allowed to have their cell phones on the program?

We do allow participants to bring their phones, but we ask that they use it solely as a camera when we are out and about during the day. We want everyone to focus on living in the moment and fully experience each new destination we are visiting without being absorbed in their phones. We ask that participants look at their journey with us as a way to disconnect. When we have downtime at our hotels in the evenings it is okay for participants to use their devices to connect with friends and family back home.

Ready To Travel?

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