Gen Z Travels: Japan

A next-gen adventure mixing Ainu spirit, Samurai mindset, and real-world climate action for a better future

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This Is Japan: Your Moment to See the World Differently

Stand above Tokyo’s skyline and see the pulse of 37 million lives below you. Step inside a 1,300-year-old temple and experience where past and present meet through community traditions. Move between forest paths walked by samurai and futuristic trains flying hundreds of kilometres per hour. This is Japan through Gen Z eyes, where tradition and futurism collide to remind us what balance, beauty, and purpose really look like.

Gen Z Travels: Japan is an exploration through the country’s rich past, vibrant present, and promising future. This 28-day adventure helps young people uncover the authentic layers of Japan, drawing lessons from its resilience, creativity, and balance with nature.

Why Gen Z is choosing Japan

Many Gen Z travelers – including our own Fireside alumni – cite Japan as their top bucket-list destination for its mix of culture, technology, and safety. More specifically, Gen Z travelers say they want “purpose-driven travel” and cultural immersion over traditional sightseeing. Japan’s commitment to sustainability, design, and community-based innovation makes it a living laboratory for the values Gen Z cares about most: climate action, mental well-being, and meaningful connection.

DATES
July 19–August 15, 2026 (28 days)
First and second halves available separately — contact us to learn more.

AGES
18+ (co-ed)

LOCATIONS
Tokyo • Niigata • Kyoto • Shodoshima Island • Hokkaido

PRICES (CAD)
Early Bird Rate (ends Dec. 1, 2025): $8,999 + GST (5%)
Regular Rate: $9,999 + GST (5%)
Deposit: $1000 + GST
Flights not included — we can help book your airfare.

This trip includes:
– Two pre-departure Zoom check-ins
– Ten-hour online cultural orientation and pre-trip coaching
– Japanese language lessons woven throughout the journey (5 hours minimum in country)
– 24/7 supervision by experienced bilingual guides
– All land transportation (JR Rail Pass not included)
– Dorm accommodations, community homestays, and tent camping
– Most meals and cultural workshops
– Museum and heritage site admissions
– Daily Gen Z Cultural & Climate Leadership workshops
– Post-course mentorship and Duke of Edinburgh Award alignment
Does not include: Airfare, JR Rail Pass, and anything not listed above.

More info: office@firesideadventures.ca

What Makes This Experience Different

Across the three worlds of Japan—Tokyo and Niigata, Kyoto and Shodoshima, and Hokkaido—you’ll engage with scientists, farmers, elders, and innovators to explore culture, nature, and climate change. You learn how ancient philosophies like mottainai (no waste) and monozukuri (craftsmanship) inform modern design and sustainability. These real-world encounters turn the country into a living classroom where mindset meets action. Keep reading to find out how:

• You’re a welcome guest, not a tourist. We travel with intention and respect, guided by local partners, educators, and community hosts who invite you to experience Japan beyond the crowds and tourist destinations. Our focus is showing you the neighborhoods and regions where authentic exchange and conversation still flourish.

• Authentic cultural access led by knowledge keepers. Meet Japanese cultural experts, educators, and community leaders, including members of Japan’s Indigenous Ainu community. These knowledge keepers will teach you how to ensure that each encounter is grounded in protocols of respect, curiosity, and relationship.

• Participate in Through the Lens, a 28-Day Storytelling Project. This signature project, called Through the Lens, gives you an opportunity to capture not just what you saw, but how you felt and who you’ve become. Throughout the journey, you’ll document your experiences of growth and learning using short video clips and photos as field notes. In the final week, each traveler creates a 2-to-3 minute mini-film that blends culture, landscape, and personal reflection into a powerful story of change.

• Japanese Language in Action. Instead of a classroom course, you’ll learn Japanese organically, through daily practice on train rides, at markets, in temples, and with homestay families. Language is woven into this experience as an every day as a tool for connection and respect, supported by structured mini-lessons with local instructors.

• Climate-smart travel in practice. When it comes to sustainability, actions speak louder than words. We model how to travel lightly and consciously: public transit, local food systems, low-impact lodging, and conversations with those reinventing Japanese cities and countryside for a warming world.

• Urban to rural, modern to ancient. From Tokyo’s buzz to Hokkaido’s quiet forests, from samurai codes of discipline to modern climate activism—you’ll see how Japan translates its heritage into solutions for today and tomorrow. As we move across time and space, you’ll be challenged to bring that unique Gen Z creativity to the conversation.

• Learn → Practice → Reflect. Each day follows a simple arc of learning: context in the morning, hands-on immersion during the day, and guided reflection in the evening. This cycle builds awareness, empathy, and leadership skills you can carry home.

• Designed for depth and growth. Small-group learning, guided reflection, and cross-cultural coaching create the conditions for personal insight and connection. You won’t just visit Japan, you’ll build a relationship with it and find your place within its story.

Signature Experiences:

• Explore the fortress of Goryokaku, site of the samurai’s last stand

• Engage in Ainu crafts and stories at Upopoy National Museum and Park

• Learn traditional farming on an organic farm and cook farm-to-table meals

• Participate in a Buddhist Goma fire ritual inside a 1,300-year-old mountain temple

• Discover the digital art frontier at teamLab Tokyo

• Experience Kyoto’s tea ceremony and kimono culture

• Cycle past olive groves and soy-sauce breweries on Shodoshima Island

• Spend a 12-hour solo in a hidden village for deep reflection and personal clarity

Taiki Ishikawa

Learn more about the team

Click here to read about our stories.