MOTOSU, Gifu: Former students of junior high schools in Motosu, Gifu prefecture, are finally able to plan their school trips, as theirs were cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The city distributed travel vouchers to the then third-year students of municipal junior high schools with the hope that they would be able to go on their trips once they came of age.
The now young adults, who are around 20 years old, were reunited with their junior high school classmates at their coming-of-age ceremony and are planning to use their vouchers.
The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted many school events in 2020, and those celebrating coming of age in 2026 were third-year junior high school students at the time.
Junior high schools in Motosu were closed from February to May in 2020, and for the then third-year students, their school trips were cancelled.
At Motosu Junior High School, a three-day trip to Tokyo had been scheduled for June of that year.
“I’ll never forget how the students, who were usually bright and energetic, looked so depressed,” said Tomoko Takahashi, who was then a homeroom teacher for third-year students at the school.
Hoping that the students would find hope for the future, the city distributed travel vouchers worth 20,000 yen (US$128) per person to about 400 then third-year students of four schools during the pandemic. The students were then asked to make plans for their trips.
In 2025, a volunteer executive committee comprised of some of the former students was formed with the city’s help.
The committee created groups on social media for each class and again began discussing destinations and other details. More than 90 per cent of the former students joined the groups.
The plan took into account everyone’s circumstances, such as university or work schedules. Tokai Kanko Travel Agency, a local travel agency, also helped by offering advice on budgets and scheduling.
About 340 people attended the coming-of-age ceremony in January. Afterwards, “class meetings” were held in which students were grouped with their class to confirm the details of their trip.
Two classes from Motosu Junior High School are scheduled to go to Osaka City for a two-day trip in January 2027. They plan to go to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan and Universal Studios Japan.
“The school trip was the only chance I had to go on an overnight trip with my classmates, so I was shocked when I heard it was cancelled,” said vocational school student Kazuta Kato, 20. “Being able to get together like this again is really special.”
Some people are planning small group trips.
“I want to enjoy a school trip as a 20-year-old,” said officer worker Maa Mori, 20, who lives in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, who plans to go on a day trip to Chichibu, Saitama prefecture, in April with a classmate from Neo junior high school, now known as Neo Gakuen.
“It’s unique because we can talk while drinking.”
Hiroyuki Kawai, who is on the city’s board of education and was the homeroom teacher for a third-year class at Motosu Junior High School, said: “School trips were always a time when students got really excited, and they were great memories for me as well. It truly makes me happy to see them excitedly making plans, since I know how disappointed they were.” - The Japan News/ANN
