Dancing in Thailand, Foot Massage in Hong Kong, Wine in Paris...
Educational overseas travel has been on the rise for the past two or three years. One travel agency that started offering educational tours in 1998 found no takers in the first year but suddenly attracted 80 participants the next. The variety of packages has increased, too. Initially, the agency offered five kinds of study-abroad tours, including trips that gave participants the opportunity to learn court dancing in Thailand or silversmithing in Bali. Recently, the agency's range of has expanded to encompass over 20 different tours, including one focused on foot massage in Hong Kong and one centering on traditional music in India.

A company spokesperson explains, "Participation is growing, mainly among goal-oriented female office workers. In the past, the most popular destinations were concentrated in the United States and Europe, but recently Asia is very popular too."

According to a senior representative at another travel agency that has witnessed the increased interest in educational travel, "The purpose of travel is shifting from the physical, such as shopping, to the spiritual, such as experiential learning that provides contact with the local culture and people."

One female worker at a financial institution described how she had reached the decision to try experience-oriented educational travel: "Things don't change much at my job, and over time I began to feel stifled. I really wanted to get deeply absorbed in something so I could find myself again."

In summer 1999 this woman rejuvenated herself by joining a one-week sommelier course in Florence, Italy. During a homestay with a local family she studied at a winery, where she learned how to taste wines, how to judge the compatibility of wines and foods, and other wine-related techniques. After returning to Japan, the office worker served her friends Italian food and wine. They complimented her on her knowledge--"You can tell you learned from the real experts!"--and she was encouraged by their praise.

"Though I didn't gain any formal qualification," she says, "studying about wine in a place that's known for its wines gave me self-confidence. I even seem to have started going about my work more energetically."

Trips Build Confidence
According to some, the rise of short-term study-abroad travel reflects a dovetailing of the needs of working women and of travel agencies. In the words of one analyst working for a private survey organization, who is very knowledgeable about the consumer behavior and lifestyles of women, "Now, as the growth of the Internet has made it possible for individuals to make hotel reservations and buy airline tickets, travel agencies are being called upon to offer new and different kinds of tours. Experiential learning tours fill this need, and they also fit the needs of modern women, who are more outgoing and who crave a travel experience that's different from everyone else's."

Some women use the short-term learning tours to decide whether they would like to go abroad for a longer course of study in the future. One department-store sales clerk, who participated in a short tour to learn Balinese beauty treatment methods in spring 2000, dreams of becoming an beautician someday. This worker knew she would be very unhappy if she were to quit her job and embark on a long course of study, only to find that the content of the course differed greatly from her expectations. In view of this, she signed up for the short tour in order to get a taste of what a longer course might be like. Although the trip was about 40,000 yen (364 U.S. dollars at 110 yen to the dollar) more expensive than a standard package tour due to tuition fees and other expenses, her experience was positive, and next year she plans to go back to Bali for a full-length course.

In an interview, Kyoko Yashiro, a professor at Reitaku University and a former chairman of the Society for Intercultural Education, Training, and Research Japan, offers the following praise for study-abroad tours: "The experience of overcoming language barriers and interacting with local people builds confidence, improves interactive abilities, and heightens the senses. This experience also has the potential to enhance people's ability to deal with difficulties on the job."

Copyright (c) 2000 Japan Information Network. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.