Japan
Awesome Asia: The Best of Japan With Your Grandchild
Program No. 23479RJ
Japan is a country filled with contrasts — from lively cities to quiet temples. Alongside your grandchild, explore the best of Japan on an awesome adventure from Tokyo to Hiroshima.
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Protecting the Environment
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14 days
13 nights
25 meals
12B 8L 5D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
2
Arrive Tokyo, Check-in
Tokyo
11
Shinkansen to Hiroshima, Peace Park
Hiroshima
12
Miyajima, Free Time
Hiroshima
At a Glance
As soon as you and your grandchild step off the plane in Japan, you will realize you are stepping into a world completely unlike your own. The bright lights of Tokyo and the thriving city life are sure to be the first things that catch your eye, but just a short journey away are serene temples offering a welcome from a giant, smiling Buddha. Alongside your grandchild, discover a country full of surprises from ninjas and Zen gardens to castles and shrines. Learn about the facets of Japanese culture that are so different from our own, such as how to become a geisha. Discuss the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan to end WWII and what it means today. Join experts on this exciting two-week Asian learning adventure.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
I like to spend much of the day exploring. Whether walking through historic neighborhoods at a moderate pace or out and about on a coach, I prefer to keep my days full. Stairs don’t bother me, and I love to keep up with the group.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
What You'll Learn
- Stroll through shrines surrounded by forest and venture to temples that are unlike anything you have ever seen, as you learn how important they are to the locals.
- Explore one of the best-preserved castles in Japan and learn how it was built to fend off invaders.
- Get a real taste of Japanese life during a sushi-making class and in a fun manga drawing class.
Suggested Reading List
(13 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Awesome Asia: The Best of Japan With Your Grandchild
Program Number: 23479
The Tales of the Heike
The Tales of the Heike is one of the most influential works in Japanese literature and culture, remaining even today a crucial source for fiction, drama, and popular media. Originally written in the mid-thirteenth century, it features a cast of vivid characters and chronicles the epic Genpei war, a civil conflict that marked the end of the power of the Heike and changed the course of Japanese history.
Japan: A Guide of Japan for Teenagers
Upon arrival in Japan, one inevitably undergoes culture shock. The Japanese way of life is so unique that it appears incomprehensible. Foreigners, or "gaijins" as they are commonly referred to, are initially disoriented and mystified. The author has written this travel guide to help teenagers discover Japan and decipher its inhabitants' customs and habits.
Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats and Ramen
Traveling to Japan has never been so much fun - visit the land of anime, manga, cosplay, hot springs and sushi! This graphic Japan travel guide is the first of its kind exploring Japanese culture from a cartoonist's perspective.
Culture Smart! Japan
A quick guide to the customs and etiquette of Japan.
A Traveller's History of Japan
A history of Japan and its transformation from Shinto, Shogun and Samurai traditions to 20th-century powerhouse.
Kitchen
The first novel of one of Japan's contemporary literary stars to be translated in to English.
You Gotta Have Wa
A hilarious, yet informative, account of Japanese baseball and the cultural clashes that ensued when Americans began playing there professionally.
Rice, Noodle, Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture
An innovative new take on the travel guide, Rice, Noodle, Fish decodes Japan's extraordinary food culture through a mix of in-depth narrative and insider advice, along with 195 color photographs. In this 5000-mile journey through the noodle shops, tempura temples, and teahouses of Japan, Matt Goulding, co-creator of the enormously popular Eat This, Not That! book series, navigates the intersection between food, history, and culture, creating one of the most ambitious and complete books ever written about Japanese culinary culture from the Western perspective.
A Geek in Japan Revised and Expanded: Discovering the Land of Manga, Anime, Zen, and the Tea Ceremony
Created specifically for fans of Japanese cool culture, A Geek in Japan is one of the most iconic, hip, and concise cultural guides available. Reinvented for the internet age, it is packed with personal essays and hundreds of photographs and presents all the touchstones of traditional and contemporary culture in an entirely new way.
Diary of a Tokyo Teen: A Japanese-American Girl Travels to the Land of Trendy Fashion, High-Tech Toilets and Maid Cafes
A book for comic lovers and Japanophiles of all ages, Diary of a Tokyo Teen presents a unique look at modern-day Japan through a young woman's eyes.
Super Sushi Ramen Express: A Culinary Adventure Through Japan
A fascinating and funny culinary journey through Japan. Japan is arguably the preeminent food nation on earth; it's a mecca for the world's greatest chefs and has more Michelin stars than any other country. The Japanese go to extraordinary lengths and expense to eat food that is marked both by its exquisite preparation and exotic content. Their creativity, dedication, and courage in the face of dishes such as cod sperm and octopus ice cream are only now beginning to be fully appreciated in the sushi- and ramen-saturated West, as are the remarkable health benefits of the traditional Japanese diet.
The Tale of Genji
Completed in the early 11th century, Genji Monogatari is considered a masterpiece of Japanese prose literature, and one of the world's earliest novels. Although its exact origins remain elusive, it is believed that the female author spent many years in service to the royal family of the time.
Hiroshima
First published in 1946, this recounts the events of August 6, 1945 through the observations of survivors.
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