Fall traditions: overnight school trips

Fall is a popular time for school trips in Japan. And in my area of Saitama Prefecture the elementary school sixth grade overnight school trip is on in October annually. Once upon a time so was the Junior High School overnight school trips, but in recent years they have been moved to winter. 

Elementary School Overnight school trip

The overnight school trip in elementary school is a rite of passage. Some schools have an overnight trip for the kids in both 5th grade and 6th grade, but its quite rare. Most schools, including my children's school, only have an overnight trip in 6th grade. In my home country overnight school trips are extremely rare in elementary school. I was very surprised to learn that they have in Japan, but I think they are a great idea and a fantastic experience for the kids. My Japanese husband and my Japanese friends still remember their elementary school trips from more than 30 years ago!

Where the kids go depends greatly on what prefecture they live in. And even within the same prefecture, or even the same town as in my children's case, the destination varies. In my town there are two main destinations. Nikko in Tochigi or a combined Kamakura / Hakone trip. My children's school do the latter. They visit an aquarium, the sitting Buddha and ride on the quaint Enoden train line. The type of accommodation varies greatly between schools. My children stayed in the Prince Hotel! Lucky them, but it did add greatly to the cost of the school trip. Comparing it with friends, my children's elementary school trips are on the expensive side.

Heads up to anyone who has a child who will go on a school trip in sixth grade in the future; if they want to take photos, most schools only allow disposable cameras. As a result, disposable cameras become like gold dust in autumn. Stock up in advance if you can!