Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
- We typically receive 2-3 blog updates per week from each program, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post every day – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28
こんにちは! (Konnichiwa!)
Welcome to the Japan Cultural Kaleidoscope Blog!
We’re so excited to begin this adventure and share our experiences with you over the next 14 days. Join us as we immerse ourselves in the culture, traditions, and natural beauty of Japan through unforgettable hands-on experiences.
During our journey, we’ll learn the art of sushi making, visit the Cup Noodles Museum and the Sumo Museum, participate in an Aikido experience, hike the trails of Mt. Takao, and take part in a traditional Japanese cultural experience. We’ll also canoe through Japan’s beautiful landscapes, travel to the iconic Mt. Fuji region, volunteer alongside local rice farmers, and contribute to a Fuji restoration project that helps preserve this remarkable environment.
Most of our group arrived by 4 p.m. today. We spent time at the airport getting to know one another while waiting for others to arrive. Now the entire group is safely at our home base hotel and settled in for the night.
The energy of the group is already incredible, and we can’t wait to see how each student grows over the next two weeks through cultural immersion, service, leadership, and adventure. We look forward to sharing this journey with you!
The GLA Team,
Gina, Junayeed, Kate, Musha, Justin, and Tomoka
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29
To start our amazing first day in Tokyo Japan, we woke up at 8:00 and had an authentic Japanese breakfast with dumplings, rice, omelets, various salads and greens, fruits, yogurt, and more.
Then, we took a moment to have orientation as a warm welcome into the program where we learned about our trip and the rules and responsibilities within our host family.
On the topic of learning, we also had a quick Japanese Language and Culture Lesson where we went over basic greetings and the intricacies of Japan’s culture of respectful communication and actions.
We then took time for lunch, which was at a nearby food court with many traditional options that were pleasantly affordable and delicious for the group.
From there, we journeyed to the Meiji Shrine via the metro, which was an exciting new experience for many students. The Meiji Shrine was built in 1920, and today stands as an incredible forest with vast flora and cultural buildings.
After that, we took the train back to Takeshita Street, a hub for pop culture and shopping. An exciting two hours later we headed back to home base with bags of assorted clothing and snacks. Next, we enjoyed another traditional meal back at the food court for dinner.
To end our day we took a short trip to Seven Eleven for some quick snacks, and returned to our hotel. We got into our mentor groups, got to know each other through an icebreaker. We then planned for tomorrow, and called it a night.
Logan and Brooke, Leaders of the Day
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30
Today the group left the hotel at 8:00 am to explore Sensoji and Nakamisa. We got to explore the temple and see all of the traditions and cultures. After that we got to travel to Kamiyacho to make sushi by hand and eat it for lunch. The staff at the sushi-making session were excellent and extremely helpful and kind. They helped us step by step and were very accommodating to all of us beginners.
From 2:00-3:00pm we got to explore the Tokyo Tower and the Shibuya area. The tower had shops and restaurants. It also had a great view of the city surrounding it. Eventually we went to the activity and culture workshop from 3:30 to 5:00 to learn a lot about the Japanese culture and major anchors within their traditions. Then while there, the group did our chow circle that was lead by us.
After the chow circle we had dinner from 3:30 to 5:30. Then we walked to spend our evening in Shibuya from 7:00 to 8:30 where we shopped, browsed the buildings, and saw the Pokémon and Nintendo stores. Afterwards we walked down to the Shibuya crossing and took a bunch of photos/ videos. After that we took the metro back and while some people went to 7/11, others returned to the hotel. We had announcements for tomorrow and then ended our day.
Leaders of the Day – Chase & Martha
BLOG POST FOR JULY 1
We kicked off our morning by hopping on the metro and heading to the second largest city in Japan, Yokohama. Located south of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay we spent the entire day on a little island in the city called Shinko. We headed to The Cup Noodle Museum in which we got to engulf ourselves in the rich history behind noodles in Japan. We followed along with in the museum with the informative audio at each exhibit. We then got to experience the highlight of the museum in which we got the opportunity to create our own cup of noodles.
We decorated them with markers and got full reign to express our creativity. Afterwards we got to pick the type of broth and toppings that went in our ramen and finish with a new personalized souvenir. For lunch we then went to the Yokohama World Porters shopping mall where there were various different options and cuisines to try.
Following lunch at the World Port, we were given the opportunity to explore part of Yokohama from 2:00-4:30 pm. This was on a smaller connected island known as Shinko. We were allowed to walk around the area, which had much to offer including the Cup Noodles museum we previously visited and various shops, restaurants, cafés, an amusement park, and the various floors of the World Port building. The World Port building itself was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It was quite expansive and included cafés, restaurants, souvenir shops, arcades, tamagotchi shops, frozen yogurt stores, and many more opportunities.
Once we all met back up at our designated spot, we headed back over to our home base in Tokyo. However, before we reached the hotel, we went to the nearby food court for dinner where we were given the opportunity to pick out what we wanted to eat from the many restaurants. Once dinner was over, we headed back to the hotel and engaged in our usual mentor groups, then wrapped up for the night.
-Leaders of the Day,
Sid and Lana
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
To begin our 4th day on this 14 day trip to Japan, we had breakfast at 8am and met up in the hotel lobby at 9am to head to the train station. We traveled to Kamakura and arrived at 11am where we visited the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu temple. We spent about an hour exploring and then headed to the shopping streets in Kamakura where each of us enjoyed our preferred lunch and explored the variety of souvenirs and mementos the different boutiques had to offer. We met up at 2:30pm to head to the train station yet again. We traveled to Kamakura and visited Kotoku-in (Big Buddha). We explored for about 60 minutes and then headed to Hase Beach where we relaxed for around 45 minutes. Before heading back to Tokyo, we had our Chow Circle where we discussed our highlights and takeaways of the day as well as shouted out fellow GLA peers and staff. We then took a train back to Tokyo and had dinner at our usual food court. Finally, we headed back to our hotel and went to sleep.
-Your leaders of the day, Valeria and Quincy. Hi mother 🙂
BLOG POST FOR JULY 3
Our fifth day in Japan began like the previous few days, with the buffet of breakfast in the hotel dining hall. However, what did change was how much more physically challenging today would be.
We began our day in Tokyo with a visit to a sumo museum, where we immersed ourselves in the sport’s rich, more than 2,000-year history through informative exhibits displayed alongside centuries-old artifacts. By courtesy of one of our mentors, Junayeed, he shared additional insights about sumo wrestling, explaining that its highest rank is “Yokozuna”, a title that since its establishment in 1789, only 75 professional wrestlers, also known as “rikishi”, have earned this distinction.
From there, we explored a nearby street full of places to dine in for lunch, a meal that would prove to be helpful in our following adventure, participating in an Aikido training session with experienced instructors. As a whole group, we were able to practice various moves while being instructed by the Aikido teachers, with some notable moves including defending oneself from an attacker with a knife, although we used a plastic retractable knife to practice. After this training session, we visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office and by taking an elevator, ascended 75 floors onto an observatory, allowing everybody to bear witness to the vast and breathtaking panoramic views of Tokyo’s skyline.
Later that afternoon, after a long metro ride back to the food court, we completed our chow circle and began our dinner at the food court, with everybody enjoying a variety of meals. Back at the hotel, we met in our mentor groups for an activity about cultural differences and the importance of approaching unfamiliar customs with respect and an open mind, making this a thoughtful way to conclude another memorable day in Japan.
Leaders of the Day – Lucian Inguanzo and Eli Karp
BLOG POST FOR JULY 4 & 5
We grabbed a quick hotel breakfast before getting on the train and taking it to a beautiful lush trail head a little bit outside of the city. We hiked a trail winding through a canyon with a great view atop the mountain and lunch waiting for us. We went back down, took the train back and ate dinner at the food court, played some games and went to bed.
Leaders of the Day: Cassin and Simon
BLOG POST FOR JULY 6
Today was a really fun and productive day. We started by taking a bus to a rice farm, where we helped mow the grass along the paths surrounding the rice fields and raked it into piles. It was hard work, but it felt good to help out and experience what it’s like to maintain a traditional farm.
After working, we got to make our own pizzas using a traditional wood-fired pizza oven, which was one of my favorite parts of the day. We were also shown how they chop wood and even got to see a new machine they had just got that makes cutting wood much faster. Later, part of our group took a short walk to an awesome waterfall, and it was a great way to relax after all the work. We ended the day by enjoying a buffet dinner together, which was the perfect way to finish the day.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 7
This morning, we got up at around 7 a.m. to kick off the day with a solid breakfast before catching the bus. The ride was about an hour as we drove toward this charming noodle-making place by a lake near Mount Fuji. When we got there, we dove right into making hoto, the thick, traditional Japanese noodles. It was such a cool hands-on experience—everyone pitched in, and we all worked together to craft the noodles and whip up some delicious soup.
After we finished with the noodles, we took a short walk over to the lake by Mount Fuji and got on canoes. We paddled around for a couple of hours, just soaking in the calm water and the scenery. Eventually, Mount Fuji peeked out from behind the clouds, and we got this perfect view of the peak. It felt like a real once-in-a-lifetime moment as we floated there in the stillness.
By late afternoon, we headed back to the hotel for dinner, and afterward, we split off into our mentor groups. We spent some time talking about the future of matcha sales—how we can protect both the business and the tradition behind it. It was a really solid, reflective end to an awesome day.
Leaders of the Day: Daniel & Jackson P.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 8
Today was a really fun but tiring day. We started by taking a bus to a growing forest, where we helped cut the grass around young trees so they would have enough space and nutrients to grow properly. It was hard work, but it was rewarding to help out and learn how important forest maintenance is for keeping the trees healthy.
After working we enjoyed bento boxes which gave us a chance to relax and recharge before finishing the last of our work. Once the last of the work was done we took the bus back to the hotel where we did a mindfulness activity to help unwind after a busy day. We ended the day with dinner and a couple rounds of the game Imposter.
Leaders of the Day: Amari & Darby
