Taipei City Government

Since 2014, Taiwan has retained the title as the premier overseas educational tour destination among Japanese students! Taipei City Government’s Department of Information and Tourism (TPEDOIT) welcomed students from the Hamamatsu Municipal Senior High School in Shizuoka Prefecture to Taipei on December 5 to embark on their educational tour.

TPEDOIT Commissioner Liu Yi-Ting participated in the steamed dumpling DIY experience with the students. Steamed dumplings are a quintessential delicacy in Taiwan, and it is hoped that the activity will help promote the features of Taipei’s tourism industry through word of mouth, so as to encourage school students to revisit Taipei City and share their impressions with other schools. The objective is to introduce Taipei to more schools and attract their students to come to the city for educational tours.

Based on research conducted by the Educational Tour Institute in Japan, the number of Japanese senior high school students who partook in educational tours in Taiwan was only 3,552 in 2006, and the figure spiked to 53,940 in 2017, growing over 15-fold, contributing to 30% of overseas destinations. In 2014, Taiwan became the premier overseas destination for educational tours among Japanese people, surpassing countries including Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, and the US. The main considerations of Japanese students when choosing their overseas educational tour destinations are geographic vicinity, urban safety, transport convenience, and opportunities for international exchanges. Consequently, Taipei is particularly popular among Japanese students.

With support from Taipei City Government, the Department of Education has formed the Taipei Local Educational Tour Center in 2018 under the Taipei Local Educational Tour Program. Now, the program is being implemented and facilitated by Taipei Municipal Daan Vocational High School. Commissioner Liu commented that Taipei had caught onto the trend at the right moment and launched educational tours for Japanese students several years ago. With its rich history and diverse culture, as well as abundant natural resources and tourist attractions, the students are able to foster cultural exchanges and expand their horizons during the process. In addition, they also have the opportunity to experience a fusion of Taiwanese and Japanese cultures, making the educational tour program ideal for foreign students.

Hamamatsu Municipal Senior High School is located in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Hamamatsu became a sister city of Taipei City in 2013 and both cities have engaged in frequent bilateral exchanges. For their educational tour in Taiwan, students from Hamamatsu Municipal Senior High School visited tourist destinations in Taipei City including Xingtian Temple and Dadaocheng, and they also experienced steamed dumpling DIY. The students all looked forward to exploring the city by visiting the scenic attractions, tasting great food, and partaking in experiential activities.

Taipei has always been the top choice among the Japanese people as a travel and educational tour destination. According to statistics, the primary purpose of educational tours is to experience the local culture (historical relics and cultural heritage sites, etc.) and learn (international exchanges and Japanese culture in other countries). A 4- to 5-day itinerary to an overseas destination costs approximately ¥120,000 (depending on transportation and accommodation expenses at the destination). The most popular domestic destination for educational tours in Japan is Okinawa, and the overseas alternative is Taiwan.