From Tokyo to Kyoto: Canterbury Students Experience the Art, Culture, and Rhythm of Japan
Canterbury School’s High School Fine Arts Trip to Japan treated students and faculty to view and engage with Japan’s culture where ancient and contemporary traditions and expressions thrive concurrently, and to immerse in the daily life and customs of Japan. Students and faculty traveled across the country from Tokyo through Hiroshima, Himeji, Osaka and finally Kyoto as a gradual passage through Japan’s history, revealing how the past continues to shape the present. Students were challenged to grow as responsible travelers and participants; there was no tour bus. Instead, students moved through daily life as the Japanese do, navigating subways, trains, rail cars, and the high speed Shinkansen. During these ten days abroad, students did more than just observe the Land of the Rising Sun; they participated in the daily rhythms, routines and customs of a country where reverence of the past, forward thinking, and respect for others shapes daily life.
Ancient Art and Architecture
Students visited numerous ancient architectural sites and art exhibitions, setting the stage for how rich traditions have influenced Japan’s strong contemporary Art. At the Edo-Tokyo Museum, students explored a detailed model village that traced back to the development of Tokyo. The visit to Himeji Castle was an immersive experience, where the tour was staged around the psychology of war, with students invited to imagine themselves as intruders. As they moved through the narrow corridors and defensive structures, the guide highlighted how the castle’s architecture was deliberately designed to intimidate, disorient, and control potential invaders. At Kinkaku-ji, students wandered the grounds and saw how Zen Buddhist design used natural beauty to highlight the architecture, and later walked through the thousands of gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha. Finally, students saw the highlight of Japan’s traditional art and architecture at Nijo Castle, where the castle’s interior was embellished with screen paintings and designs that reinforced the shogunate while also shaping the architecture. Together, these experiences allowed students to see how Japanese architecture was not structural, but artistically and intentionally designed to evoke emotion, communicate power, and reflect cultural values. This set the stage for Japan’s strong contemporary art and architecture.
Contemporary Art
During their exploration of contemporary art in Japan, our students encountered innovative spaces where technology, creativity, and modern design intersect. At the Miraikan (the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation) they engaged with interactive exhibits that blurred the boundaries between science and artistic expression, encouraging them to think critically about the future of human experience and design. Their visit to teamLab offered a fully immersive artistic environment, where digital projections, light, and movement transformed entire rooms into living works of art, inviting students to become part of the installation itself. At the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum, students experienced a diverse collection that connected modern artistic practices with regional identity and history. Finally, at The National Museum of Art, Osaka, they explored cutting-edge contemporary works housed within a strikingly modern architectural space, reflecting how form and content work together in today’s art world. Together, these visits exposed students to the evolving nature of art in Japan, highlighting how contemporary artists use new media, space, and technology to challenge perception and redefine the relationship between viewer and artwork.
Hands on Experiences
Sprinkled throughout the trip, students got to not only see traditional art forms, but participate in them! In Tokyo, students made sketchbook drawings and printings in Kiyosumi Garden. In Hiroshima, they got to experience a local Taeko Drumming group (and even hop on the drums themselves), and participate in a traditional sumi ink drawing class. At the Osaka National Cup Ramen Museum, students got to learn about the history of Cup Ramen and design their own cup. Finally, students got to see the strength of Kyoto’s ceramics scene, and even learn the ancient techniques by creating their own bowls on a pottery wheel.
The 2026 Fine Arts Trip to Japan was more than just a vacation; it was a transformation for our students, shaped not only by observation but by participation. From encounters with ancient art and architecture and how traditions have shaped modern day Japan, to moments spent within contemporary spaces like cutting edge museums and immersive installations, students experienced the full spectrum of Japan’s artistic identity. These experiences were deepened through hands-on experiences, encouraging students to respond thoughtfully to both traditional Japanese art forms and contemporary experiences. Yet, beyond each site and activity, the true impact of the trip lies in what it required them to accomplish. Students learned to move with awareness, to observe with intention, to participate with others in reverence, and (most importantly) to engage with a culture in a way that mirrored their values; to treat others with the highest respect, to appreciate and inquire, and to live their experience to the fullest while improving the experience of others. After the thirteen hour flight home, students brought back not just a collection of memories, but a lifetime experience with their peers that will continue to shape how they see, create and understand the world.
