2023 Japan

Japan in June is awash in flowers and green scenery. There are more Michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo than any other city, and Japan vies with France and Spain as the global center of restaurant cuisine (Forbes 2019). The St. Olaf Band, dubbed “one of America’s preeminent bands” by The New Yorker, will be performing in several cities. All of these elements set the stage for a memorable two-week tour.

We’ll visit some of Japan’s most beautiful places, including temples and shrines, gardens, bustling urban districts, mountains, hot springs, and the seaside.

We’ll also delve into the food and beverage traditions of the country, visiting markets, stores, and restaurants, and eating dozens of different kinds of food, including shojin ryori (vegetarian temple food), noodles, sembei crackers, kaiseki, game meats, and of course, sushi. And we’ll explore the philosophical and cultural roots of these Japanese foods, looking to understand how people interpret, maintain and recreate Japanese food cultures.

See all the details below and contact us if you would like to register — we will check with the tour operator to see if we can add you in.

This program was custom designed to give you a taste of Japan, culturally and literally, while experiencing performances by The St. Olaf Band in unique international settings. It starts in Tokyo, moves to Hiroshima and then Kyoto, before finishing back in Tokyo. We’ll take in one St. Olaf Band performance in each city.

View and print the most up-to-date itinerary here.

Kathy Tegtmeyer Pak and Steve Pak have had many Japan adventures together for over three decades, since they met as college students. After studying Japanese as an undergraduate, Kathy moved to Japan for two years to work at Toshiba’s Tokyo headquarters. The cuisine of Japan is a special interest of hers. Friends and coworkers opened her eyes to so many new foods and drinks and expanded her culinary world forever. Since then, she’s returned to Japan for longer stays for graduate school field work and a sabbatical in 2009-10. Kathy has brought St. Olaf students, faculty and staff to Japan for nine interim courses and three summer research trips since joining the faculty in 2003.

An environmental engineer by trade, Steve shares Kathy’s love of Japan and visits with her when his work and family duties allow. At home and on vacation, food, drink, cooking and gardening are at the heart of their life with family and friends. They are excited to share some of their favorite Japanese cultural sites and tastes with you, surrounded by the places and people that make them possible.

Expect an in-depth culture experience. Movement will be by several modes: on foot, private coach, bullet train, and Tokyo subway. Movement within each city and at cultural/historic sites will be on foot, requiring a lot of walking and standing. You should be capable of walking up to five miles per day over possibly uneven terrain, of climbing stairs that may not have handrails, of climbing in and out of various types of transportation, of keeping pace with an active group of travelers on long days of traveling, of dealing with the emotional highs and lows that can occur when experiencing different cultures, and of traveling with a group for several hours each day.

Hotels will be tourist class (four-star or superior rating) with private baths, air conditioning, and English-speaking staff.

The weather is likely to be hot and humid. As mentioned, there will be a lot of walking and we will be in crowds in Tokyo especially.

We recommend you be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including any recommended boosters for your age or health group, before departure. You should plan on seeing your family physician or a travel doctor at least four to six weeks prior to departure, preferably earlier, to talk about recommended vaccinations for this destination. For more information on travel health, visit cdc.gov or who.int.

The travel insurance included with your program fee covers illness overseas, including covid. You can read more, including the full FAQ and a Summary document, on our Travel Insurance page.

Inclusions and exclusions vary by tour. Please read the following details closely.

The tour fee is $6,436 per person. Based on double occupancy, it includes:

• education and leadership from Kathy Tegtmeyer Pak
• assistance by Steve Pak
• tickets to three St. Olaf Band concerts
• accommodations
• breakfast daily
• group meals as listed on the itinerary (typically excluding beverages)
• admissions for group activities
• local guides when relevant
• ground transportation during the tour (excluding airport-hotel transfers in Tokyo)
• luggage shipping from Tokyo to Hiroshima, Hiroshima to Kyoto, and Kyoto to Tokyo
• gratuities to group meal servers, guides, and drivers
• some limited medical coverage while overseas

For single occupancy, add $1,495.

Exclusions Airfare to and from Japan is not included. Participants are solely responsible for all expenses not specifically included in the program fee. Examples of excluded expenses are: international airfare, airport transfers, any passport and visa fees, any recommended immunizations or vaccinations, baggage and trip cancellation insurance, beverages at group meals, laundry, dry cleaning, phone charges , room service, or other items of a personal nature, expenses incurred during free time or non-group activities, and meals not specifically included on program itinerary.

P.S. The average Alumni & Family Travel tour fee in 2022 was $537 per program day. (We do not include pure travel days to and from the program when calculating the daily fee, because international airfare is not included in the tour fee.) The double occupancy fee for this tour comes to $536 per day. We strived to keep the tour fee as low as possible by booking comfortable, not exorbitant, accommodations, and traveling by train instead of private motor coach, along with other cost-saving measures. When it comes to touring in Japan — quite an expensive country — this trip is a great value when you consider all the arrangements that are being made for you and the expert leadership from Professor Pak.

This schedule is based on payments St. Olaf College must make to program vendors to guarantee group rates. We highly recommend that you purchase additional trip cancellation insurance at the time of registration to recover your payments should you need to withdraw from the program. Because of ongoing uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, it is possible that a program could be canceled or postponed. In such a case, while we will strive to make full refunds when we can, there are certain expenses that may not be refunded to either St. Olaf or the participant.

Deposit due upon registration:    $2,000 upon registration
Balance due:  February 17, 2023
Note: we can take registrations beyond February 17th! Register by March 30. The $2,000 deposit will be taken with your online registration, and the balance will be due within 5 business days.

Cancellation policy:
120 days or more before departure, $700
119-46 days before departure, 50% of tour cost
45-31 days before departure, 75% of tour cost
30 days or less prior to departure, no refund

Cancellations must be in writing.

Make a Payment

Complete the Traveler Information Form

Scan and email a copy of the signature and photo page of your passport to Travel staff.

See the Resource List and Trip Information Sheet.

Acknowledge the Tour Operator Terms & Conditions.

Read these legal documents: Terms & Conditions and Release & Waiver.

Review the latest information on recommended immunizations, visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Check your passport: ensure that it has at least 6 months’ validity past the program return date. Should you need to renew, visit the U.S. Department of State for instructions.

Look at the International Travel section of the U.S. State Department, including Before You Go, Country Information, While Abroad, and Emergencies.

Take time to Prepare for your adventure by checking out a variety of resources, including frequently asked questions, general health information, included travel insurance, safety overview, and more.

Purchase your flights. This tour is an official go. We strongly recommend you consider adding flight cancellation insurance to that purchase, and that you also check the details of that coverage. Here are some additional notes:
— The tour starts and ends in Tokyo.
— You should time your travel to arrive in Tokyo by mid-afternoon on Wednesday, May 31. We will start the tour with a welcome meeting around 6 pm, followed by a group dinner.
— You can depart Tokyo any time on Monday, June 12.
— See Booking Your Flights for some helpful tips.