School Art Trip to Tokyo

An art school trip to Tokyo will open your students’ eyes to completely different styles and traditions!

Japan is an excellent destination for a school art trip abroad - and discovering the art and culture in and around Tokyo is certainly a real highlight. Art takes many forms in Japan, including but not limited to pottery designs, ink painted silks and bonsai, as well as the more vivid designs of exotic gardens and buildings.

And it’s not surprising that so much beautiful art has been created here – Japan is a naturally beautiful country highlighted by the pinks of cherry blossom in the spring and an explosion of warm colours in the autumn. If you want to open up your trip to more students, why not join forces with the geography or business studies department to make your trip cross-curricular?

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Evening

Overnight flight to Tokyo

Day 2

Morning

Arrive in Tokyo.

Meet your guide and transfer to your accommodation.

Afternoon

Explore Shinjuku, one of Tokyo's liveliest districts, famous for its neon-lit streets, bustling atmosphere and skyscrapers.

Visit the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building to enjoy panoramic views of the city from its observation deck.

Evening

Evening meal at a local restaurant or your accommodation.

Day 3

Morning

Visit Meiji Jingu, a serene Shinto shrine offering a glimpse into traditional Japanese culture.

Discover Harajuku, Tokyo's vibrant hub of eclectic fashion, boutiques and youth culture, home to the famous Takeshita-dori and nearby Cat Street.

Stroll along Omotesando, a stylish tree-lined avenue known as the 'Champs-Elysées' of Tokyo.

Afternoon

Experience Shibuya Crossing, one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections, illuminated by dazzling neon lights.

Explore the Mori Art Museum, delving into Tokyo's contemporary art scene through exhibitions by leading Japanese and international artists.

Enjoy Tokyo City View, taking in panoramic views of the skyline from the observation deck.

Evening

Evening meal at a local restaurant or your accommodation.

Day 4

Morning

Explore Asakusa, visiting the Kaminarimon Gate, Sensoji Temple and the lively Nakamise shopping street.

Take part in a kimono-wearing experience, dressing in traditional Japanese attire, learning about its cultural significance, and snapping a memorable group photo.

Afternoon

Visit the Samurai Ninja Museum to learn about the fascinating history of samurai and ninja culture through interactive exhibits and displays.

See works by one of Japan's most celebrated contemporary artists at the Yayoi Kusama Museum. Kusama is known for bold colours, polka dots and immersive installations.

Evening

Explore Akihabara, Tokyo's electric town, famous for anime culture, tech shops and gaming.

Evening meal at a local restaurant or your accommodation.

Day 5

Morning

Transfer to the Mount Fuji area.

Visit the Hakone Open-Air Museum and wander through outdoor galleries with sculptures by Japanese and international artists set against a scenic mountain backdrop.

Afternoon

Explore Oshino Hakkai, a picturesque village with eight crystal-clear spring ponds fed by Mount Fuji's snowmelt, offering a glimpse of traditional rural life.

Visit Arakurayama Sengen Park to see Chureito Pagoda and Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine, enjoying panoramic views of Mount Fuji and its surroundings.

Return to Tokyo.

Evening

Evening meal at a local restaurant or your accommodation.

Day 6

Morning

Visit the National Art Centre and discover one of Japan's largest exhibition spaces, featuring rotating art exhibitions.

Explore Ueno, one of Tokyo's cultural hubs, home to beautiful parks, museums and temples.

Afternoon

Immerse yourself in a digital art experience at teamLab, enjoying large-scale interactive installations that blend art and technology.

Stroll through Odaiba, a futuristic waterfront district with entertainment, shopping and views of Tokyo Bay.

Evening

Evening meal at a local restaurant or your accommodation.

Day 7

Morning

Return flight to the UK.

Afternoon

Arrive back in the UK.

5 nights' half-board accommodation
All flights including tax
Coach transfers
Detailed information pack
Free staff place ratio 1:10
Itinerary planning service
Mount Fuji tour
Public transport and private coach as per itinerary
Vamoos travel app - easy access to all your trip documents on your phone or tablet
VAT

Curriculum

A Level

Impact and influences of various artists
Continuity and change in different genres and styles
Independent judgements of art
Conveying meaning through images and artefacts
Social and cultural context of images and artefacts
Personal portfolio: reflections, resources and influences

GCSE

Responses to museum, gallery and site visits
Personal reflections on art
Works of key artists, craftspeople and designers
Contemporary and historical contexts of art

Key Stage 3

Evaluation and analysis of creative works
Works of great artists, craft makers and designers
Effects of historical and cultural contexts

Accommodation

Tokyo Central Youth Hostel

Tokyo Central Youth Hostel occupies the 18th and 19th floors of a high-rise building in a very central location, so offers fantastic views over the city, something not usually offered by this style of accommodation. The hostel welcomes guests from all over the world and provides Japanese-style shared baths (separate for ladies/gents), a dining room, a meeting room, a lounge and tourist information centre, making this a great base for exploring Tokyo. Please note that the youth hostel has a curfew of 11pm. Individual room and locker keys provided at check-in.

Tour highlights

Hakone Open-Air Museum

Any sculptors in your group? If the answer is yes, then Hakone Open-Air Museum is unmissable. In the pretty spa town of Hakone (which overlooks both Lake Ashi and Mount Fuji), a stroll around the museum’s 70,000 square metres of tranquil gardens will see your group encounter around 120 sculptures by a variety of artists including Barbara Hepworth, Rodin and Tara Okamoto (as well as a traditional onsen footbath). Head into the indoor exhibition hall to see more of the museum’s collection (of more than 1,000 pieces) and make sure you don’t miss the incredible Picasso Pavilion, which houses a collection of more than 300 works by Picasso.

Did you know?

The museum boasts one of the world’s largest collections of works by Henry Moore. The 26 sculptures all date from 1948 to 1984, reflecting Moore’s later years.

Mori Art Museum

If you’re interested in exploring the contemporary art scene of Japan (and, indeed, the wider Asia-Pacific region), then you need to visit the Mori Art Museum. Famous for its blockbuster exhibitions of works by internationally renowned artists, the museum also has a fantastic permanent collection of works by artists from the region. The ethos of the museum is to make culture more accessible to all, with learning programmes and exhibitions that encourage debate about what’s important within culture and society. This is a museum that takes art beyond the aesthetic – and your students will love it.

Did you know?

The Mori Art Museum was founded as an integral part of the Roppongi Hills complex, to make culture more accessible to that new community and to others within Tokyo. That’s why the museum stays open later than most others in the city – and around 30% of its visitors arrive after 5pm.

Yayoi Kusama Museum

Yayoi Kusama is the world’s top-selling female artist and one of the world’s most successful living artists. So, a visit to this fabulous museum dedicated to her work is a must-do on your art trip to Japan. Kusama primarily works in sculpture and installation, and you’ll be able to explore some of her most famous works here. She influenced a number of her contemporaries (including Andy Warhol), and no doubt her work will influence many of your students, too. Kusama’s work is often autobiographical and deals with her lifelong struggle with mental illness, intrusive thoughts and hallucinations. Her work is a powerful example of how therapeutic art and creativity can be.

Did you know?

Kusama is famous for her contemporary art, but she actually studied nihonga (a traditional Japanese painting style) at Kyoto City University for a year, before eventually moving to New York and becoming a key part of that city’s avant-garde scene.

Educational Activities

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.

teamLab, Tokyo

Pink, purple and orange lanterns fill a room in an immersive exhibition

teamLab is a Tokyo-born art collective that blends art, science, technology and the natural world into immersive, interactive environments that dissolve the line between observer and artwork.