JAPAN YOUTH TOUR
SPRING 2023!!
We explored Japan on a fantastic adventure in the Spring of 2023!
We LOVE Japan!!
It is such a unique place in the world; full of beautiful culture, rich history and delicious food. Our Learning Brave adventure to Osaka Japan in the spring of 2023 was a trip of a life time!
"This Tour really helped me become aware of myself and how I perceive myself. It also really helped me find a group of friends that I can truly be myself around."
Rachel Huntzinger 2023
Testimonials
"Ross, Skyler, thank you for taking me with you on this adventure! Going to Japan had been a dream of mine for years, and I hope to return someday. I learned a lot about myself and the world, and I am very grateful to have had this experience with you. Encouraging me to buy food by myself, giving me lessons in Japanese, introducing me to Japanese people you knew, I gained a lot from these experiences. I am very grateful for how much support you gave me on the tour! I never felt alone knowing you guys were there."
Angel Dotson 2023
"It was incredible to see the different parts of Japanese culture that don’t exist in America, and the trip gave me a nice reminder that no matter where you go, most people are pretty nice.
The Tour was spectacularly interesting, and wholly incredible!"
Isaac Johnsen 2023
"It was incredible! Thanks for helping one of my dreams come true!"
Emma Mitchell 2023
"I thoroughly enjoyed both of you. The amount of love and energy you poured into every moment of the trip was astounding. You both have the biggest hearts! I loved getting to know you and your sweet family. Thank you for enthusiastically supporting Spencer in coming. I know his medical conditions could have caused you great pause and concern. He absolutely loved the trip! It was a joy for us to see him spend time with and interact with his peers. I have seen a change in him since returning-- putting more effort into relationships with friends and family, as well as school and learning. Thank you!"
Janalyn Blanchard, parent, 2023
"Once again, you guys created the best experiences. Each time I've been on a trip, I feel like I've learned so much and have had such meaningful experiences that have helped me grow and brought me such influential insights. So, I would describe my overall experience as beautiful and super special."
Lucy Hansen, 2023
The tour mentors for this trip will be Ross and Skyler Gilbert, both have extensive experience working with youth.
Ross Gilbert was awarded top youth mentor for Williamsburg Learning in 2019 and has never regretted leaving corporate life 6 years ago to fulfill his dream of living intentionally and working in a meaningful capacity with youth. He speaks fluent Japanese and has spent three years living in Japan.
Skyler Gilbert is the founder of Learning Brave LLC, the mother of 5 children; a writer, artist, and adventure planner. She has spent one year living in Japan and can understand about half of what Ross says in Japanese.
Our rough itinerary for the Japan Youth Tour included;
1. Arrive and settle in.
2. Explore Osaka City - Den Den Town (anime shopping district), city fun.
3. Osaka Castle and museum.
4. Nara Temple and district. We learned about Buddhism and visited the world's largest wooden building. We hand-fed the Nara deer, guardians of the temple.
Omizutori Festival in the evening! - an ancient celebration of fire and water. This festival has been annually held since 752 AD, it is one of Japan's oldest festivals!!
5. Explore Kyoto. We visited Fushimi Inari Taisha and Kiyumizu Dera - learned about the Japanese Shinto religion and were amazed at the beautiful temples, nature and walks.
6. Eigamura. This is one of the coolest places in Japan, it is a Japanese Samurai movie studios theme park!!! There are ninja's, movie re-enactments, old town replicas, geisha and much more!
7. Hiroshima. We visited the Peace Memorial Museum and learn about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in WWII.
8. Final day exploring - local areas around Osaka + Karaoke!
9. Last visit to Osaka and fly home.
We also included;
-AMAZING food!!!
-Cultural enrichment through learning and exploration of the country's past, present and future. Ross was talking constantly about the history of EVERYTHING...(when he wasn't chatting away in Japanese...)
- Karaoke.
- Connection with local Japanese people.
All of this and more for our incredible experience in Japan!
Accommodation.
We stayed in a beautiful apartment, with both western style and Japanese style sleeping arrangements. Learning Brave supplied a top level of comfortable and traditional accommodation.
Transportation.
All transportation was included in this tour, including transfers to and from the Kansai International Airport, Osaka Japan.
After registration, we advised an optimal time for participants to arrive and depart the airport.
We worked with parents and and youth to help facilitate travel buddy groups so that whenever possible, teens could fly together and accompany each other. We also offered travel consultation in the form of personalized help to find the best possible flights available for each participant!
What was included;
- We greeted participants and provided all transfers to and from the Kansai International Airport, Osaka Japan.
- We provided consultations and recommendations for finding the best available flights.
-All meals and snacks from arrival to departure.
- 8 nights accommodation.
- Experienced and fun guides for diverse cultural adventures.
- ALL activities, entrance fees, and guided tours included.
- Plenty of laughs and epic moments!
- New friends!!
What was NOT Included;
- Airfare to and from participants home to the Kansai International Airport, Osaka Japan.
- Health/Travel Insurance.
*We recommend Allianz Travel Insurance, they have always been very reliable and we are currently insured with them. If you click this link, we receive a very small commission.
- Spending money for souvenirs.
A detailed list of what to bring on the Learning Brave Japan Youth Tour was sent out once registration was complete.
Here is our
Tour Participation Agreement and Medical Information
for the Learning Brave Japan Youth Tour 2023.